NASCAR officials say that Ted Musgrave showed “total disregard for the safety of another competitor” when he hit Kelly Bires during the Craftsman Truck Series race last weekend, which played a role in the sanctioning body’s decision to suspend the former series champion from competition this weekend. Musgrave was involved in an on-track incident with Bires and then hit Bires again in an action NASCAR officials deemed to be intentional. Brad Keselowski will drive Musgrave’s No. 9 Germain Racing Toyota this weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park. Asked if the fact that Musgrave hit the driver-side door played a role, NASCAR Managing Director of Communications Ramsey Poston said that this was simply a safety issue. “I think it was a total disregard for the safety of another competitor,” he said. “Musgrave used his vehicle as a weapon in hitting that car and the driver into the wall,” Poston said. “… So that warranted a severe punishment.” The incident also happened on the track, closer to the fans and possibly creating another safety issue there, another factor the sanctioning body considered. “I think all that was looked at,” Poston said Friday morning at New Hampshire International Speedway. “That, in part, is how the penalty was determined.”(Scene Daily.com)(6-29-2007)
