A lot of girls love the bad boys, but sometimes the bad boy image gets taken just a bit too far. NASCAR driver Kurt Busch is learning the hard way that being a bad boy isn’t easy. In fact, this time, it could possibly cost him his career in racing. The latest incident involves an altercation where Busch verbally abuses a reporter and threatens him with physical harm.
Busch’s team owner, Phoenix racing’s James Finch, is laying down the law after NASCAR officials formally suspended Busch for the comments. Finch has set up a meeting to be held where he will discuss the issue with Busch, basically telling him “Be nice, shut up or start walking.” Recent interviews claim Busch understands why he was being punished but no one in the league knows if he realizes just how close he is to losing his career.
Tony Stewart had the same issues a few years ago when a sobering meeting with his crew chief Greg Zippadelli set him straight. After the meeting a very humble Stewart slowly began to mend the fences and reclaim the respect of his crew, Busch, on the other hand, has been down this road before paying numerous fines and spending several months on probation. Each time he has come out of the fray no worse for wear, but now his abuse is beginning to affect more than just his crew.
Busch’s crew has dealt with the verbal abuse much like Stewart’s did but to no avail. Now the driver has taken to threatening reporters and belittling NASCAR fans. Finch has decided enough is enough. When the attitude is contained within a team setting, it affects the team and how it operates, but Busch has crossed the line and taken it to the level that NASCAR has had to step in to do damage control. Affecting a team is one thing, but when it begins to take a toll on the sport as a whole, they are definitely going to draw the line.
