On Sunday, in the Centurion at the Glen, Michael McDowell did the one thing that no race car driver should do: he purposely wrecked a fellow competitor in retaliation for a previous on-track incident with David Gilliland. The bump that McDowell gave Gilliland was enough to start a vicious nine car wreck that sent Bobby Labonte to the hospital for further evaluation. As of Tuesday, NASCAR did not penalize either McDowell or Gilliland for the altercation, yet many critics argue that McDowell got off easy after causing damage in the range of one million dollars. If NASCAR is as serious about safety as it says it is, it should have done more to penalize McDowell and discourage others from on-track retribution.
The wreck on Sunday was not the first time NASCAR had to deal with aggressive drivers this season. In the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire, NASCAR penalized Juan Pablo Montoya two laps after purposely wrecking Kyle Busch during a caution lap. No other cars were severely damaged, but NASCAR felt the need to immediately penalize Montoya because his actions threatened the safety of other competitors on the track. At Richmond, NASCAR parked Michael Waltrip for wrecking Casey Mears. So why is it that NASCAR allowed McDowell to finish the race, without staying consistent to its rulings during previous altercations this season?
The actions by Michael McDowell should serve as a basis for NASCAR to begin a new disciplinary program, suspending drivers for certain periods of time, based on the severity of their actions. The policy could be modeled after the programs in "stick and ball" sports. Drivers would be forced to sit out a number of events, based on the severity of the damage or injuries caused by the driver's reckless behavior. The suspension would be in addition to all of the standard fines and probation that is already handed out by NASCAR.
Michael Waltrip Racing appears that it would be punishing McDowell themselves. On Monday, the team announced that Mike Skinner would be racing the #00 entry at Michigan, and possibly at more events. The move by Michael Waltrip Racing solidifies the possibility that McDowell is on his way out. In a statement Monday, McDowell said, "No driver wants to get out of the car, but I understand that every part of our program needs to be evaluated, and that certainly includes me."
Even before the race at Watkins Glen, McDowell was in serious danger of losing his ride next season. Sponsorship has been difficult to find, and Michael Waltrip Racing was considering closing operations of the #00 team after this season. Now, after his blatant disregard for the safety of his fellow competitors, track personnel, and fans, McDowell put himself even closer to getting released by Michael Waltrip Racing.
If NASCAR was truly serious about safety, it would go above and beyond building a safe race car and installing SAFER barriers at race tracks. It would benefit the sport if drivers were suspended for incidents which put at risk the safety of fellow competitors, track officials, and fans. While some teams take responsibility and deal with driver behavior internally, NASCAR will still have the problem of aggressive driving if it does not set an example. The events at Watkins Glen should serve as an example of why new penalties should be put in place to keep everyone at the track safe.
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