Kyle Busch may have finally stepped over the line far enough to force NASCAR to make a very difficult decision. A decision which will show the drivers no one is bigger than the sport itself, even if your name is Kyle Busch.
In case you missed the Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, last night, the discussion didn't center on Kevin Harvick winning the race, but rather what Kyle Busch did to another KHI driver, Ron Hornaday.
Hornaday and Busch made contact while passing a slower truck at the same time, with Kyle's truck brushing the wall. While under the resulting caution flag, Busch intentionally ran into the back bumper of Hornaday, sending him into the wall, and ending his night.
Busch was immediately parked by NASCAR, but the real damage was done to Hornaday's championship hopes. He started the race third in points, trailing leader Austin Dillon by 15 points, but his 34th place finish dropped him to fourth and 48 points behind.
While it was bad enough Busch wrecked someone under caution, the fact that he intentionally cost a driver a shot at one of NASCAR'S big three championships, will certainly leave NASCAR with a difficult decision.
The obvious decision would be to suspend Busch for the Sprint Cup race this weekend. While he really doesn't have a shot at winning the championship, they would be taking away something he loves to do, race.
However, the decision just isn't that simple. There are sponsors involved, and an entire team, not just Kyle, that would have to be sent home.
This does give NASCAR an opportunity to, at least in part, shed it's image of handing out meaningless penalties to it's stars. Parking Kyle Busch is what should be done, but NASCAR doesn't always do what should be done.
What NASCAR should actually do is sit Busch, and make Joe Gibbs Racing put Ron Hornaday in the number 18 Toyota. That would not only annoy Busch to no end, but generate more publicity than NASCAR could ever imagine.
We will truly see what kind of stones NASCAR has when this penalty is handed down. Do the right thing NASCAR, it's time.
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