Tuesday, May 15, 2012

How Jimmy Spencer REALLY feels about Kurt Busch

   It's no secret former Sprint Cup Series driver and now Speed analyst Jimmy Spencer has his own history with Kurt Busch. 

   Read a reminder of that history here.

   Spencer, thus, is no stranger to controversy and he decided to weigh in on Busch's actions last weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and the penalties he has subsequently received by NASCAR.

   Here's Spencer's comments in their entirety:

   "You’d think a driver would know when he has stepped over the line and would learn from it. But not Kurt Busch. He got fired from Roush after he won a championship. Then he got hired by one of the most honorable men in motor sports and in the business world, Roger Penske, and you’d think he would learn something from Penske. But it’s obvious Kurt didn’t learn anything from him either.

   Fines and probation are just a joke to Kurt. I think they just make him angrier. I think Kurt needs to be suspended for a week or two or even longer. Bill France would have suspended him. You do not conduct yourself in the public eye the way that Kurt has. You just don’t do that. He has gotten to the point that he has not only offended the media and fans; he’s also offended his fellow drivers.

   He ran into Tony Stewart’s car on pit road at Dover a few years ago, and fortunately missed Stewart’s crew guys. I said then that he needed to be suspended, but NASCAR didn’t do it. He drove through the 39 pit at Darlington on Saturday and could have hurt some of those guys. He is dangerous, not only to himself but to other drivers and crew members because he absolutely short-circuits. Kurt has major, major problems. Everybody has faults and we try to work on them, but it seems like Kurt tries to make his worse.

   Kurt should be suspended for his conduct in general over the past five years. His brother, Kyle, was suspended at Texas for something I thought was much more of a part of racing than what Kurt has been doing. Kurt has done stuff way more dangerous than any driver I can think of in history.

   NASCAR needs to put their foot down. The guy is a talented driver and the sport needs him because of his talent, but the way he acts out gives the sport a black eye. He has no respect for this sport, and to me, that's the worst part of it all.

   Look at Matt Kenseth, Bill Elliott, David Pearson and other guys who have been level-headed. They didn’t scream at their crew members and car owners like Kurt has. He has gotten away with it, so a couple of weeks off might put it all in perspective for him.

   Kurt doesn’t have respect for anyone and doesn’t have it for the sport. NASCAR needs to suspend him to teach him the sport doesn’t need him. Take a couple of weeks off and figure out if you really want to race, and if you do, then you learn to play by the rules better. That’s what Bill France would have done.

   Never have I seen a driver act like this. Every driver has gone through a problem at some point in their career – Rusty Wallace, Geoffrey Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, me – every driver has had an issue at one time or another, but they’ve all straightened out. I was suspended for poking Kurt Busch in the nose, and I learned my lesson. We've all been reprimanded and learned. But I’ve never seen a driver where the same problem goes on for years and doesn’t get any better." 

12 comments:

  1. Amen, Brother!! Roger Penske was smart to get rid of him. He needs a few "Jimmy Spencer's" to beat the crap out of him-well, maybe not. Perhaps suspending him for the rest of the season and forcing him to get some serious counseling might be his salvation. Then, let him back in on probation to see how he does. This anger and disrespect/disregard for everyone else is just a bad as drugs/alcohol/etc. It needs to be treated seriously.

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  2. If getting fired by Penske, and not knowing if he would have another ride, didn't straighten Kurt out... a week or two off certainly won't help him either.

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  3. Kurt is incorrigible. He's beyond rehabilitation. While it's a shame to see such talent wasted it's obvious that nothing and nobody will ever change who he essentially is.

    It's irresponsible of NASCAR to put him in a position where he has the potential to maim or kill another human being. Pull his NASCAR credentials permanently.

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  5. SUSPEND HIM FOR 2012 AND ANGER MANGEMENT IF HE DOESN'T COMPLETE IT AND A PSYCH EVAL HE IS BANNED FOR LIFE JUST LIKE GUYS THAT FAIL THE NASCAR DRUG POLICY THE GUY IS OVER THE EDGE DOESN'T THINK HE HAS TO FOLLOW RULES NASCAR AND US FANS DON'T NEED HIM. NASCAR GROW SOME IF YA KNOW WHAT I MEAN SAY GOODBYE TO KURT WHO HAS HAD HIS CHANCES LET INDY CAR HAVE KURT WE GOT DANICA. KURT YOU STINK GO AWAY.

    Read more here: http://thatsracinluckydog.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-jimmy-spencer-really-feels-about.html?showComment=1337163668079#c6785236909355994999#storylink=cpy

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    1. I agree! He has endangered crew on pit road twice and is still driving, unbelievable. The sport does not need him, there is plenty of talent out there with basic common sense.

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  6. If Jimmy Spencer had ever won anything, this tirade would carry a lot more weight. Kurt was wrong for calling Spencer a decrepit old has-been. He's a decrepit old never-was.

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    1. Just a guess, but I'm pretty sure Jimmy Spencer has 15 more wins than you ever had in NASCAR national touring series. But nice try. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Spencer

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  7. I like Kurt. I like the things he does, hes an awesome driver.fun to watch. Sure wish he was in that 33 for RCR. Go skoal bandit !! Ow, go cheerios/BB&T ow .....dang go Ricky Bobby !!!!!

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  8. Why is any team still hiring him? I know, unfunded, in need of a capable driver, blah, blah, blah. But why is no one criticizing the team for hiring him?

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  9. James Finch hired him because he can still drive a car. But, he can crash it and get angrier faster than win a race. He certainly has the talent to be on a championship winning team (I mean look at the #2 team when he drove for them. Those guys should have been buried in 11th every season). But, in order to be a champion, you must first act like one. He's never going to change, so there really isn't any arguing to be done about his situation. He can be a nationwide champion with his brother who also has anger issues but, when it comes to cup, his time in the light has passed. Brad is now the proud and rightful owner of driving the blue duce and the rightful driver to represent Penske.

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  10. Both of the brothers are talented brats with mental issues. Kurt has trashed a lot of cars already this year for James Finch. Somebody needs to show him the footage of Elliott's pit crew getting wiped out on pit road at Atlanta. Cussing at your team on the radio is no big deal but risking crew member's lives due to a malfunctioning brain is serious business and should not be dismissed lightly. NASCAR may well regret not addressing all these obvious signs of mental problems with Kurt.

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