Aug 22nd, 2011 by T.C.
Patrick Carpentier wanted to end his career on a high note. He chose the Nationwide race at his home town race track knowing he’d have a decent shot at a win and a very good chance at a top five finish. But after running up front early on in the race, two incidents (one involving Steven Wallace) ended his day early. And it was frustration for the Wallace incident coupled with another major factor, that led to Carpentier’s crew chief, Jerry Baxter, sending Wallace a message.
Carpentier being knocked out of the race early was not only an unceremonious end to his driving career, but it was also an abbreviated end to MWR’s #99 Nationwide Series team for the foreseeable future. Travis Pastrana was supposed to compete in seven races this season for the team, but his busted ankle put an end to those plans. Now the team is left without a driver or sponsor, and word is will be shut down until Pastrana is ready to go sometime next season. With that in mind, it’s not difficult to understand why Baxter was upset.
I don’t want it to seem like I’m justifying what transpired, as grabbing somebody by the hair on national television is nothing close to acceptable behavior, I just want it known that there are two sides to every story. And it was only a matter of time before somebody took a shot at Wallace off the race track.
In Baxter’s case, something tells me that he understood a fine or suspension was trivial considering his team’s situation, and he decided to take the opportunity to stick up for his guys and his driver. His method for doing so was misguided, but you can’t fault his intentions.
We’ll find out early this week if NASCAR took exception to Baxter’s actions, as penalties for the previous weekend are usually announced on Tuesdays. And it will be interesting to see just what NASCAR is willing to let slide under the “have at it boys” policy. Either way, it’s a shame the whole day went down like it did for all involved.
TheNASCARInsiders.com
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