Has the era of "boys, have at it" ended in NASCAR?
Or is that just the case for Kevin Harvick?
After the final restart in the Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Harvick, while driving his own team’s equipment, backed off an on-track challenge from Kyle Busch, claiming that if the two drivers made contact he would be parked.
Busch went on to win the Nationwide race while Harvick finished second.
“It would have been a lot easier to win if you didn’t have handcuffs put on you,” Harvick said in the postrace. “But that’s the way that NASCAR said we’ve got to do it.”
But was the same message delivered to Busch?
As Busch celebrated his 100th career NASCAR win, he was asked whether the sanctioning body put him on notice as well.
“If (Harvick) got a warning, I’m sorry he got a warning,” Busch said. “I did not get a warning. I don’t know that I took advantage of him in any way, but I raced hard, I raced clean and ended up where I am.”
Sources say NASCAR president Mike Helton spoke with both drivers following the incident last month at Pocono Raceway in which Harvick chased Busch around the track in the opening laps of the race. The drivers had previously been placed on probation for an altercation in May at Darlington Raceway, which expired June 15.
While NASCAR officials generally maintain the mantra "what happens in the hauler stays in the hauler," concerning private conversations between drivers and the sanctioning body, Harvick offered this account following Saturday's race.
"I was told a few weeks ago that if we touched the 18 car (Busch), we'd be parked," Harvick said. "I've just got to be really careful. I would have liked to have gotten the track position and slid up and do what I needed to do. But I've just got to be really careful. That's the way NASCAR put it to me."
So are the latest warnings just that or is this some form of secret probation doled out to the drivers? If so, what affect will it have on the free-wheeling, self-policing action that the fans are embracing once again?
NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton says he wasn’t privy to the discussions between Helton, Harvick and Busch. And while he “has no problem” with Harvick’s comments on the radio or postrace, Pemberton said it’s the sanctioning body’s responsibility “to keep law and order on the racetrack” so there are not further implications from isolated feuds.
“When it bleeds over into the sport to potentially take innocent competitors out of races and their opportunity to compete, at the end of the day we rule the racetrack and inside the wall,” Pemberton said. “It’s our job to try to protect those that may be affected by this by not their own doing.”
While Pemberton is absolutely right that the ramifications from a Harvick/Busch rumble could take out others in the race, it would be unfortunate if “boys have at it” applied to just 41 drivers. It would be unfortunate if a hard-charging driver such as Harvick had to be harnessed and was not allowed to stay up on the wheel regardless of what driver he was attempting to pass.
The rivalry between Harvick and Busch has blossomed into one of the best in NASCAR and has the possibility of igniting during a Sprint Cup, Nationwide or Camping World Truck race. On any given race day when Busch and Harvick are on the track, the anticipation of a possible dust-up when their cars or trucks come in close contact is enough to get fans’ attention.
Pemberton still believes the drivers understand their limitations, whether they’ve been warned or not.
“They‘re good competitors out there, they all know what they can and can‘t do,” Pemberton said. “Just because they‘re on probation, we expect them to race hard also.
“But you can’t still cross the line. There are times when you need to give certain people more room as a competitor than other times when they‘re in that position.”
Where that “line” stands remains to be tested between Harvick and Busch.
Certainly, plenty of drivers were banging and gouging at New Hampshire on Sunday. That’s just the style of racing that flat one-mile track produces. And bumpers will come into play at Watkins Glen, Bristol and Richmond in the next two months. So if Harvick and Busch collide, can we expect that NASCAR will perhaps park one of the drivers or that they could end up in the penalty box or receive an unusual number of speeding infractions on pit road.
With the drama that has developed in the last 18 months, it would be unfortunate for NASCAR to back away from "boys, have at it -- and have a good time," a phrase Pemberton coined in January 2010.
I say, let the good times roll.
