TheNASCARInsiders.com Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
fleet·ing ex·ple·tive a non-scripted verbal profanity or obscenity expressed and broadcast during a live television broadcast or radio broadcast. The term appears primarily in discussions of United States broadcasting law.
Yep, he did. If you watched the Coca-Cola 600 all the way through Sunday night, you were treated to a little fleeting expletive courtesy of Chad Knaus. As Jimmie Johnson’s engine expired with about five to go the Fox production crew cut to the team’s radio traffic. In that brief moment Knaus is clearly heard saying, “You’ve got to be f$*#ing kidding me.” (Fair warning - video here).
Fox’s Mike Joy promptly apologized for the profanity. But unfortunately, what was done, was done.
This isn’t the first time this season (not even this month) we’ve talked about profanities and the sanctity of radio chatter. Interestingly enough, Kurt Busch (the topic of our first radio traffic post of the season) took time during his media availability on Thursday to criticize the way the media has handled language on the radio. He said:
“I always laugh and sit there and listen to you guys contradict yourselves, saying you want us to be more colorful,” [Busch] said. “But also what you want to do to a driver is just thrash him when he shows personality. That’s what I’m going through with this radio.”
No doubt, interesting bookends to the weekend.
Obviously this wasn’t a moment that should have found its way to network television. That said, it was an understandable ‘fleeting expletive’ given the situation – a frustrating end to what had been a pretty good day. I can’t say I would have reacted much differently.
One has to wonder though the logic behind putting, what I assume was live radio traffic on the air. Fox, as far as I know, isn’t using any kind of a delay, despite several past incidents. The potential for getting burned is quite large.
We’ll see Tuesday if NASCAR does anything about this incident, but it would be very unfortunate if Knaus does get fined. Other than not using the radio to vent frustration, there wasn’t anything he could do about this being broadcast to millions of people. Perhaps we’ve come to a place where that should be the expectation any time the radio is keyed.
Every time this becomes an issue, I find it unfortunate for the fans who enjoy listening to the radio. The access is truly one of the great things in NASCAR and these moments can have a chilling effect on what does and does not get said over open channels (i.e. emotion). We’ll see if there’s any fallout.
Weekend Fun Fact
Did anyone else notice in both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 this weekend both National Guard sponsored cars lost the race by literally hundreds of feet on the last lap? Strange coincidence.
Turns out the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t look too kindly on people doing 128MPH in a 45MPH zone. Well, they’ll let you drive away, but they will issue you one heck of a citation. What’s three times the legal limit, right?
If you live in the Charlotte area this has been THE story for the last couple of days. It made the front page of the state and local section of the Charlotte Observer yesterday morning, and at least one local TV station led with it at 5pm. Apparently there isn’t much going on.
From local coverage to national sports radio, the oddity of this story has been much talked about all over. And while not too many of us have done 128MPH in our personal vehicles, this is hardly the first time we’ve had drivers behaving badly out on public roads. In the last two seasons there has been two separate drivers popped for DUIs – Michael Annett and AJ Allmendinger. Both were put on probation by NASCAR.
The issue of off-track indiscretions raises a lot of questions about the limits of the sanctioning body. Other sports punish their athletes for off-field issues, but other sports also have codes of conduct athletes agree to adhere to. NASCAR doesn’t have one.
In situations like this, that lack of a policy leaves them without much leverage. Sure they’ve got the all encompassing “actions detrimental” at their disposal, but without laying out to the drivers just where they stand, severe penalties are very likely out of the question.
It’s interesting when these issues pop up (and yearly they pop up) to see what the reaction is from the fans and media. I recall being surprised from a post on the Allmendinger incident and from comment sections on websites throughout the internet how strong the feelings were about the probation handed down from NASCAR – actually in Allmendinger’s favor.
It’s always hard to gauge though just where people stand until they are forced to take a stance. But if we want to start early, from precedent we can suspect NASCAR may hand down probation to Busch – I’d assume a continuation of the probation he’s already on – but there won’t be any suspension.
Is it time for a personal conduct policy in NASCAR? I kind of think so.
Feel free to use this as your “Kyle Busch Speeding Ticket” sound off post. Talk amongst yourselves.
The NASCAR teams have a home game this week, as both the Nationwide and Cup Series will take to Charlotte this weekend. As the teams look forward to sleeping in their own beds this week, we’ve got the 96th round of reader questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Dan:
Great web site and lots of inside information a must every day. The question that I have is the following. Why on the TV broadcast after the race I notice that the teams are removing the new shark fin spoilers from the roof, rear window and trunk lid. Why remove these items at the track and before loading the cars into the haulers? I have seen it several times?
To be honest, I’m not 100% sure on this answer, but I believe it’s because the shark fin is too tall for the trailers. The fin on the rear window sticks up above the roof line, and the cars just barely fit into the trailers as they are. – T.C.
2. From Rowan:
Hi guys, great site, love it. Do you think Kenny Francis will stay with the number 9 team @ RPM next season? In Australia we have series called the Masters for cars that raced back in sixties and seventies. Do you think NASCAR would introduce a series similiar where we could see those old Dodges, Plymouths, Torino s and Chevys back on the track again in battle? And last question Owen Kelly drove the Road America race is he still racing in the U.S.?
Thanks Rowan! It was all but announced this weekend Kenny Francis would go to Red Bull with Kasey Kahne (you probably already saw that). How exactly that’s going to work beyond next season remains to be seen. To your second question, I don’t think so. It would be entertaining for sure, but I’m not sure where they would get equipment. There are actually people who have classic race cars and race them in exhibition races – it’s not sanctioned by NASCAR though. As far as Owen Kelly, he drove for Baker Curb Racing at Road America, but I’m not sure if he’s done any other racing in the US since then. Maybe someone else knows? – Journo
3. From Steve:
I know you’ve said that all drivers at the Sprint Cup level have talent. But in your view, which drivers have the talent to get more out of their car than a so-called average driver? And which drivers seem to get less out of their car than would seem right given their equipment, support, etc.?
I think it’s a two fold thing: what can a driver get out of their car, and what they can communicate about their car. Kyle Busch is very good at both of these things. And look at Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis as a team that is good at both of these things (given their situation). In my opinion, Martin Truex is a guy who struggles to communicate and get everything out of his car (in comparison to his peers). – Journo
4. From Kim:
I don’t know what a crew chief makes, but seeing fines of $150000 takes my breath away. When a crew chief is fined for an infraction, do they have to pay it in one lump sum?. Do they pay it personally? Does the team pay it? Does it have to be paid before they come to the track for the next race?
Those fines are generally paid by the teams. NASCAR does allow for payment plans to be set up though should a team not be willing (or able) to pay a fine. As far as when fines have to be paid, as I understand it (section 12-3 in the rulebook) fines are to be paid promptly, but if that’s not possible they must be paid before NASCAR will approve the following year’s license for the person who received the fine. – Journo
5. From Thenewme:
Is ESPN TV trying to create the feeling that we are live at NASCAR races? They are doing a good job because we cannot hear the announcers. The mix of track noise is killing the commentary. We just turn the sound off.
Among the issues in an ESPN broadcast I’ve noticed that too. It’s called ‘nat sound’ – and I agree it is often too loud. It is kind of like you’re at a race though, you can’t hear the PA announcer over the cars – you can’t hear the broadcasters over the race. – Journo
6. From Mike:
Do you have a real idea how the 6 man over the wall crew is going to work next season? Have you talked to any of the truck guys about it? Does the fuel can act differently? Who is making the adjustments now?
It won’t be drastically different than what we have now. Stop times may slow down some early on, partially through inexperience and partially because the new cans don’t dump as quickly. But give the teams some time with it, and improvements will be made. You will still have five guys changing the tires, and adjustments will be made by the rear tire carrier. – T.C.
7. From dwiltone:
Something I have thought of a few times before. Is there at any time, short of loading and unloading, any reason for anyone other than the drivers to actually drive the race car? How about an older car? I mean. Ya’ll do what you do because of your love of racing. Ever have two seats in the car just to give the guys a spin so to speak? Thanks you 2.
There are times when cars will be driven around the shop complexes, but usually not at the race track. When cars are moved at the track, they are always just pushed around by the teams. For those guys who really want to experience a race car, most just go out and race. There is pretty good percentage of guys who either raced previously or still race, whether it be latemodels, go carts, or something similar. – T.C.
8. From Gabriella:
A newbie question: I’ve figured out that there’s a sub-race off pit road, but what I don’t understand is how those drivers flying out of pit road merge? E.g., what if the leader at the caution is the mighty Jimmie Johnson, who decides NOT to pit: where does he fit in the restart? Thanks!
They don’t really have to merge. At the end of pit road is a line, and the cars are put in order by who gets to the line first, second, third, etc. And if there are cars that are on the lead lap, but don’t pit, they stay behind the pace car and any cars that pitted line up behind them. So if JJ is running 5th, but he stays out and everyone else pits, JJ is the leader. – T.C.
9. From Denny:
I know every year we have all of these great rumors throughout the season. I was wondering if you are hearing any rumors of a major Cup/Cup Lite team making a manufacture-swap for 2011? Also been meaning to ask this question and this goes back to Chicago’s Cup Race. I am sure I heard one of the announcers mention either during or after the race that winner, David Reutimann’s #00 was running a new, improved intake manifold from TRD. Wouldn’t this take a long approval process from NASCAR? What was the deal with this?
The only team in either the Cup or Nationwide Series that I am fairly certain will switch manufacturers is the new Turner Motorsports. From what we’ve heard, the team will switch all the old Braun Toyotas over to Chevrolets. Other than that, I believe all the other teams are sticking with what they’ve got. To your second question, I didn’t hear anything about Reutimann using a new intake, but it’s certainly possible. Any new engine part would definitely have to go through an approval process by NASCAR, but I doubt it would be overly lengthy. - T.C.
10. From Fireball:
Are you aware of any team trying a four or three stud wheel. This would seem to speed up pit stops, but obviously less redundancy if a nut were missed?
I’ve never heard of a team trying a wheel with less studs. It’s certainly against NASCAR’s rules to use something like that, and I highly doubt NASCAR would ever approve something like that for competition. Outside of faster pit stops, I don’t really think there is an advantage to using a four or three stud wheel. – T.C.
11. From Mike:
Two questions: 1. What do you think are the chances we’ll see NASCAR at the new F1 track in Austin? 2. Have you heard anything about the future of Robby Gordon Motorsports or Robby’s career in NASCAR?
I would say probably not too likely (if they do actually get it built). It would require ISC, SMI, Dovor Motorsports, the Mattiolis, or Indianapolis to give up a date. I don’t see any of that happening. I’ve heard (I don’t know how good the info is) Robby is close on a sponsorship deal for all of his racing endeavors, but nothing is done. We’ll see. – Journo
12. From markh:
I noticed at Fontana the 18 team working on Kyle’s car under a canopy next to the hauler. What’s up with that? I’ve seen that on the Nationwide side before, but never on the Cup side.
They do that with a few of the Cup teams on their side of the garage, and I’m not really sure why. According to the Auto Club Speedway website, they have 100 garage stalls, so you’d think they could fit them all. For whatever reason though, the way they have the Cup garage area set up, that’s just what they have to do to to fit everyone in. -T.C.
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
I really didn’t want to have to write this post. I figured that everyone was smart enough to really see things clearly and think logically, but I’ve been proven horribly wrong. After Jenna Fryer’s AP story about NASCAR “secretly” fining drivers that appeared this week, there has been a ton of discussion about the topic. I can respect people’s opinions on both sides of an argument, as everyone is entitled to what they think, but in this case some out there have completely lost it.
Before I even say what I want to say, I’m going to do you a favor. What I’m about to write will probably make some of you angry, and I’m cool with that. So before you call me a “NASCAR homer” in the comment section, stop. I’m going to side with NASCAR on this one, and I already know where this is leading. So save your energy.
Now, as everyone seems to know, NASCAR is currently in a tough spot. Attendance has been falling at tracks across the board and TV ratings continue to slump. NASCAR has made a ton of changes to try and fix what they believe the problems to be, and more changes are coming. NASCAR hopes these changes will bring people back to the track and get more people watching on TV, which in turn will hopefully bring sponsors back to racing that left, and also attract some new ones.
As NASCAR attempts to get back what they lost, what they really don’t need is a ton of bad press. And what do drivers do that continually bad mouth the sanctioning body and its decisions to the public? Create bad press.
ESPN has reported that they know who the drivers are that were fined by NASCAR, but to me, it doesn’t matter. What all of the drivers need to realize is that the media and the fans listen to what they have to say. If people didn’t care what they had to say, nobody would interview them. And don’t even try to tell me that fans don’t need to listen to the drivers to see how bad things are with NASCAR. If Dale Jr. can convince JR Nation to go out and buy Amp to the point that Amp’s sales go up 70% in the first year of the sponsorship, and Amp’s market share jumps from sixth in the category to fourth, this guy and all the other drivers can affect fans’ opinions.
Right now, it seems that fan frustration is pretty high. We read comments and emails from folks all the time about how they are close to quitting all together, and more from people that have given up. By criticizing NASCAR to the media, the drivers are just adding to the fan frustration and helping drive more of them away. And when fans leave, so do sponsorship dollars. So really, these drivers are really just hurting themselves, because with less sponsorship, there will be less rides for them to occupy, and less money available to pay them big salaries.
With all of this said, NASCAR must do all they can right now to protect their brand. They cannot afford to lose any more of the race fans. NASCAR wants the fans to be happy, because happy fans buy race tickets and merchandise, and watch on TV. So when a driver becomes overly critical of the sport, action must be taken. In this case, NASCAR decided fines were necessary to show not only the offending drivers, but everyone else that this would not be tolerated. What’s interesting to note here, is that according to spokesman Ramsey Poston, NASCAR warned all the drivers about the possibility of fines months ago.
For those of you who claim these fines violate free speech, try again. NASCAR did not fine these drivers because they had an opinion. They fined them because they chose the wrong forum in which to express that opinion. If the competitors really have a problem with the way things are being run, they need to take those opinions directly to Mike Helton, John Darby, Joe Balash, and Wayne Auton. Complaining to the media and fans won’t get them anywhere.
Moving on to this idea of “secret” fines, at what point did anyone say these fines were secret? There is a big difference between “secret” and not making something public knowledge. The original AP story has quotes from Poston in which he acknowledges that action was taken. He didn’t deny it, nor were these drivers told to keep the fines a secret. NASCAR is allowed to deal with problems internally, and not everything warrants a press release. The last time you were written up at work for being late 47 days in a row, something tells me your HR manager didn’t send out a press release to the local paper.
I also want to point out here that if NASCAR wanted something to be secret, it would remain secret. The community is extremely small, and if you think there aren’t things you don’t know about, then you are sadly confused.
With all of this being said, I’m not the enemy here. I agree with you that the drivers need to have their own personalities, and be able to speak their minds. Showing emotion is what makes us love and hate these guys. But drivers can show emotion without bashing NASCAR every five minutes in their post race press conferences. There is already way too much negativity in the press, the drivers don’t need to help.
I’m siding with NASCAR on this one because they were right to do what they did. Myself and thousands of other people depend on this sport and the jobs provided by it to pay our bills and feed our families. Fans not showing up and sponsors pulling out affects me and a lot of other people I know personally. I’m lucky to still have a spot in racing, but I know a ton of guys who don’t.
So the next time a driver wants to bitch and moan in an interview about what they perceive to be phony debris cautions, maybe they should think a little more about the ramifications of their words. It just might turn out that they unknowingly killed their own career.