Spencer suspended from NASCAR

[Unklescott]

It's a grand day in NASCAR since that sumbitch is suspended. The thing I don't understand is why they put Busch on probation through the end of the season. Come on now, he was on the receiving end of alot of fat boys stupidity that he calls driving.

Now do you really think he just happened to run out of gas in front of Soencer's hauler? I'm not agreeing with what Spencer did at all but Busch can be a pretty mouthy little hothead. Wasn't he running his mouth early this year about the "crap engines" Roush was giving him?

[joeguy]

I don't remember him saying that, but then again I pretty much ignore what he has to say. but remember one thing...he was the last guy Earnhardt sr. flipped off before he died. Plus busch is a cocky little bastard too. so it's not like he is entirely innocent

[Unklescott]

Spencer's appeal denied by commission
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
August 20, 2003
5:52 PM EDT (2152 GMT)
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday morning upheld penalties levied Monday by NASCAR against Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer, thus denying him the opportunity to compete in three races this week at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Spencer, who drives Ultra Motorsports' No. 7 Sirius Dodge in the Winston Cup Series, was suspended from all NASCAR-sanctioned events until Aug. 26, fined $25,000 and put on probation until Dec. 31, 2003 for his part in a post-race altercation with Roush Racing driver Kurt Busch following last Sunday's Winston Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
The three teams for which Spencer was going to compete at Bristol are all affiliated with Ultra owner Jim Smith, who commented on behalf of his driver.
While apologizing to Spencer's fans and team sponsor Sirius for the driver's actions following the GFS Marketplace 400, Smith expressed concern at the portrayal of the incident.
"It has become evident that the details and magnitude of the incident following the GFS Marketplace 400 have been skewed, exaggerated and blown out of proportion by the accusers," Smith said.
Spencer entered as evidence on his behalf media accounts of radio conversations between Busch and his Roush Racing crew during the GFS Marketplace 400 in which Busch indicated he had intentionally struck Spencer's car on the racetrack. These were broadcast on SPEED Channel on Monday evening.
Busch said, "See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the 7 car (Spencer) fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car."
Someone on his crew responded, "They just showed that on TV. You just missed by about an inch or two. Ah, not far enough forward."
Busch replied, "Inches only count unless you're playing horseshoes and hand grenades. Ah, I don't want to play either with that clown."
Smith said those comments shed new light on the story.
"By proudly admitting his intensions over the radio to wreck our car, Kurt Busch's comments proved that the contact he forced was not just one of those racing deals," Smith said. "His moves were intended to harm.
"He announced it, and we heard it (on radio scanners). While I speak for everyone at Ultra Motorsports in saying we do not condone any physical altercations in settling disputes, Jimmy's actions were a direct result of another driver's intention to, at the very least, eliminate our car from the race.
"Knowing the same thing I know, that the guys on this team work too hard to have a contending car taken out by ill intent, Jimmy was simply defending his team. In that regard, I'm not sure I would've reacted any differently had I been in Jimmy's shoes."
The National Stock Car Racing Commission cited the two drivers' previous history in rendering its opinion.
Per the commission's follow-up statement, the most compelling reason for it to uphold the penalties was a previous warning delivered to Spencer and Busch about the consequences of further tangles between the two, following several incidents in the last two years.
"The Commission notes that NASCAR had previously forewarned Mr. Spencer and put him on notice regarding his behavior with respect to (Busch)," the statement said.
The statement also took note of Spencer's "compelling argument, expressing remorse and acknowledging that his actions were wrong."
Spencer was expected to argue in his defense that Busch cursed at him while seated in his race car after he stopped behind Spencer's hauler in the garage; and that he struck Busch with an open palm.
The commission noted that evidence in its report, stating that, "irrespective of alleged provocation or the exact magnitude of the physical contact, an inappropriate line had been crossed in this case."
Spencer was entered to compete in Wednesday night's O'Reilly 200 Craftsman Truck Series race for Ultra owner Jim Smith, but that truck was withdrawn at about the time practice began, at 11:20 a.m. ET.
Busch Series team owner Tommy Baldwin, who is also Ultra's Winston Cup crew chief, had entered Spencer to run in Friday night's Busch Series Food City 250, but changed his driver to Ted Musgrave on Wednesday morning.
On Monday, Smith said if Spencer's suspension was upheld, Musgrave, who drives Ultra's Mopar Dodge in the Truck Series, would drive Spencer's No. 7 in Saturday night's Winston Cup Sharpie 500. Wednesday morning, that change was made.
The commission's three-member panel, chaired by NASCAR director of administration George Silbermann, met at 8:30 Wednesday morning in Bristol to hear Spencer's appeal.
Spencer may, under Section 15 of the NASCAR rulebook, appeal the commission's decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner, Charles D. Strang.
______________________________ ______________________________ _
I rest my case about Busch not being totally innocent.

[Ilikai]

Ok so Busch is learning to be an ass from Spencer, Now they are both on my LIST.

[Crazy4Clay]

[QUOTE=Unklescott]
"It has become evident that the details and magnitude of the incident following the GFS Marketplace 400 have been skewed, exaggerated and blown out of proportion by the accusers," Smith said.
Spencer entered as evidence on his behalf media accounts of radio conversations between Busch and his Roush Racing crew during the GFS Marketplace 400 in which Busch indicated he had intentionally struck Spencer's car on the racetrack. These were broadcast on SPEED Channel on Monday evening.
Busch said, "See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the 7 car (Spencer) fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car."
Someone on his crew responded, "They just showed that on TV. You just missed by about an inch or two. Ah, not far enough forward."
Busch replied, "Inches only count unless you're playing horseshoes and hand grenades. Ah, I don't want to play either with that clown."
Smith said those comments shed new light on the story.
"By proudly admitting his intensions over the radio to wreck our car, Kurt Busch's comments proved that the contact he forced was not just one of those racing deals," Smith said. "His moves were intended to harm.
"He announced it, and we heard it (on radio scanners). While I speak for everyone at Ultra Motorsports in saying we do not condone any physical altercations in settling disputes, Jimmy's actions were a direct result of another driver's intention to, at the very least, eliminate our car from the race.
"Knowing the same thing I know, that the guys on this team work too hard to have a contending car taken out by ill intent, Jimmy was simply defending his team. In that regard, I'm not sure I would've reacted any differently had I been in Jimmy's shoes."

You obviously have not listened in on driver's radios very much if you think that a driver saying that he tried to flatten someone's fender constitutes him getting punched in the face while strapped into his car. Drivers say stuff like that ALL the time, and usually much worse. Mike Helton even said that what Busch said over the radio was not considered when putting him on probation, because he knows that is part of racing. Plus, Kurt said it in a sarcastic way. Just joking about bending someone's fender(not spin him out, just bend the fender) and sucker-punching someone are two very different things.


-Kel

[joeguy]

[B

You obviously have not listened in on driver's radios very much if you think that a driver saying that he tried to flatten someone's fender constitutes him getting punched in the face while strapped into his car. Drivers say stuff like that ALL the time, and usually much worse. Mike Helton even said that what Busch said over the radio was not considered when putting him on probation, because he knows that is part of racing. Plus, Kurt said it in a sarcastic way. Just joking about bending someone's fender(not spin him out, just bend the fender) and sucker-punching someone are two very different things.


-Kel

and you seemed to have made the mistake of thinking that he posted this as his opinion. if you go back and reread it, you'll see he was highlighting that section of an article posted on the net about the incedent and the radio transmission that they were refering to.

[Crazy4Clay]

and you seemed to have made the mistake of thinking that he posted this as his opinion. if you go back and reread it, you'll see he was highlighting that section of an article posted on the net about the incedent and the radio transmission that they were refering to.

I know that the part I quoted wasn't his own words. At the end of his post he said that he rested his case about Kurt not being innocent. He used the bolded section to enforce his opinion. I just wanted to point out that drivers say stuff like that on their radios all the time.

-Kel

[Unklescott]

and you seemed to have made the mistake of thinking that he posted this as his opinion. if you go back and reread it, you'll see he was highlighting that section of an article posted on the net about the incedent and the radio transmission that they were refering to.

Thanks for defending me joe while I was at Bristol!

To crazy4clay I offer the following:
I just returned from the Bristol race and saw Busch put Sterling Marlin in the wall. Seeing how he is "under suspension" do you think anything will happen at all? I doubt it. As far as Busch saying what he did and you saying he did not mean it? Give me a break! Most of the conversations I've ever heard over the radio in situations like this are either non-existent or saying they didn't mean to do it or such as that. I've been a NASCAR fan for about 40 - 45 years now and I've listened to many radio conversations. To admit to trying to flatten someones fender IMO can only mean that you intended to flatten his fender and you ran into his car solely for the reason to cause harm. It's not like Busch gave a little tap to move him out of the way, like Waltrip did to Hornaday to win the Busch race Friday night.

Also, my first post in this thread was that Spencer deserved to be fined. I never said Spencer was justified in his actions, just that Busch wasn't totally innocent!

[Unklescott]

From The Tennessean.com
By LARRY WOODY
Staff Writer


BRISTOL — NASCAR yesterday released an audio tape made during last Sunday's altercation between Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer.

Two pool reporters listened to the tape provided by TNN and deemed ''unsuitable'' for public release by NASCAR.

Busch can be heard making profane remarks to Spencer just before Spencer struck him. Spencer was fined $25,000, suspended for one weekend and placed on season probation. Busch, who suffered a possibly broken nose, escaped with probation.

Busch fanned the controversy at a Friday press conference in which he admitted he deliberately tried to crush in the fenders of Spencer's car to take him out of contention. Busch said he considered such tactics part of racing.

Busch has clearly been made the villain in this battle, receiving a hearty round of boos in all the pre-race activities.

Fans and competitors in the garage area were snapping up T-shirts that either said ''Free Jimmy,'' or mocked the bloody nose and chipped tooth Busch got in the altercation.

''I don't agree with flattening fenders,'' said four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon said. ''I'm not going with him on that.''

It's certainly not the reception or reaction Busch was looking for at Bristol.

''I hate it that Jimmy's not here this weekend,'' Busch said. ''He's a tough competitor, just like I am, especially at this place.''

[Unklescott]

From: TheState.com
NASCAR notes: Busch-Spencer incident on tape
By JIM McLAURIN
Staff Writer

BRISTOL, Tenn. - There was more of the Jimmy Spencer-Kurt Busch feud caught on tape than we knew about. Don't look for it at a theater near you.

TNT, which broadcast last week's race at Michigan after which Spencer punched Busch while he was inside his car in the garage, kept Busch's in-car camera rolling throughout the incident.

NASCAR has rights to the tape, but since TNT did not plan to show the tape in its prerace coverage Saturday night (because, according to pit reporter Bill Weber, of "adult language"), NASCAR allowed reporters from Knight-Ridder's Thatsracin.com Web site and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to view the tape.

According to KR's Jim Utter, there wasn't much to the video since the camera was focused out over the car's hood, but the audio was revealing.

Busch launched into a profanity-laced verbal attack on Spencer after his car stopped in front of Spencer's hauler. Spencer can be heard telling Busch to "get out of that car," with Busch responding, "What ya got? ‘.‘.‘. Do something. Just (expletive) do something. You'll (expletive) die."

Busch held a news conference at Bristol on Friday to explain that he never intentionally tried to hurt Spencer "or any other driver, for that matter." During the race, however, a transcript of the radio chatter between Busch and his crew revealed that Busch intentionally tried to "flatten ‘.‘.‘. the fender" of Spencer's car.