AARP note: Childress is 65; Busch is 26. Maybe Childress should win AARP's Man of the Year Award for being fit enough to punch a younger man.
The one-sided Childress-Busch altercation has been the hot topic all week among motorsports journalists and analysts. Some think Childress also should have been suspended for a few weeks. Some think the fine was too light.
Others wonder why Busch didn't retaliate. Ah, just what Busch, one of the most polarizing figures in NASCAR, needs, punching out a senior citizen.
NASCAR exonerated Busch of any blame in the incident. To his credit, Childress took full responsibility.
"I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing," he said. "I believe passionately in defending my race teams . . . In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me."
Childress is a popular figure in NASCAR. He has been around forever (he finished fifth in the second Cup race at Pocono in 1975). The late Dale Earnhardt won six Cup series titles driving for Childress.
I agree that, in addition to the hefty fine, Childress should have been suspended for a few weeks. Drivers physically challenging other drivers is crazy enough. An owner attacking a driver is over the line.
That said, I haven't spoken with Childress, but I wouldn't be surprised if, while he's writing the check, he's smiles and thinks, "It was worth it."
Following the Harvick-Kyle Busch incident at Darlington last month, when Harvick parked his car at the entrance to pit road, climbed out and threw a punch at Busch still sitting in his car, I asked NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison how drivers settled disputes during his career. Allison was in the middle of the renowned 1979 Daytona fight with Cale Yarborough.
