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NASCAR will look at Kurt Busch’s actions after Dover Nationwide race: UPDATE – Suspended from Pocono:

June 4, 2012 at 12:00 AM
  • NASCAR will look at Kurt Busch’s actions after Dover Nationwide race: UPDATE – Suspended from Pocono: #51-Kurt Busch wouldn’t speak with USA TODAY Sports at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, the morning after a video of him berating a reporter went viral. ‘Why would I want to speak with anyone today?” Busch said as he and girlfriend Patricia Driscoll exited a short chapel service at the track, about 90 minutes before the scheduled start of the FedEx 400. ‘No comment.” Shortly thereafter, he spent about five minutes meeting with NASCAR President Mike Helton and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton in the Sprint Cup hauler. NASCAR confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that the meeting was called to speak with Busch about his Saturday tirade. Upon exiting, Busch continued to decline comment, and NASCAR wouldn’t offer further details about the meeting but was considering discipline. NASCAR typically doles out punishment on Tuesdays after a race. At issue was Busch’s tirade that was caught on Speed TV cameras with Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass. Busch had been asked about his in-race actions with Justin Allgaier (the two bumped early in the race but there was no retaliation) because of Busch’s recent placement on probation. Busch responded, ‘It (the probation) refrains me from beating the (expletive) out of your right now, because you ask me stupid questions. But since I’m on probation, I suppose that that’s improper to say as well.” Busch was placed on probation and fined $50,000 following the May 12 Cup race at Darlington Raceway after he did a burnout in rival Ryan Newman’s pit box and then had a confrontation with Newman crewmembers after the race.(USA Today)(6-3-2012)
    UPDATE: NASCAR has suspended driver Kurt Busch until June 13 of this year and extended his NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for his actions following the NASCAR Nationwide Series race June 2 at Dover International Speedway. Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; violation of probation; verbal abuse to a media member) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book. Kurt Busch had previously been placed on NASCAR probation May 15 for his actions during the May 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway. That probation was originally scheduled to end July 25 but has now been extended through the end of this year.(NASCAR)(6-4-2012)
    Statement from Busch: ‘I accept NASCAR’s decision. I put them in a box, they had to take action and it’s my fault for putting them in this position. I apologize for the comments I made to Bob Pockrass.”(True Speed Communications)(6-4-2012)
    UPDATE 2: [#51 car owner James] Finch told ESPN.com he would meet with Busch over the next couple of days to discuss whether they would keep the handshake agreement they made before the season. He didn’t sound like a man convinced the arrangement could or would work. ‘If he’s going to kill himself, I’m not going to be in the airplane with him’ Finch said by phone. ‘If that’s what he’s planning on doing, I am going to get out.” Finch made it clear after Busch was released by Penske Racing following a profanity-laced tirade against ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November that if Busch embarrassed him like he did Roger Penske ‘he would have gotten his ass beat on pit road. He needs to simmer down a while’ Finch told ESPN.com in December. ‘There are a lot of people that don’t like Kurt. He’s never done anything to me personally. He just needs to look in the mirror and see what the problem is.” Now Busch has done something to Finch personally, even though the incident came while Busch was driving a Kyle Busch Motorsports Nationwide car for his little brother. Finch made it clear there are several qualified drivers to take over Phoenix Racing’s #51 Chevy.(ESPN)(6-4-2012)