Crossing The Line

Kurt Busch has been known as an aggressive driver in the past, but his
actions in Friday night's NASCAR Truck Series race were cause of a well=
deserved suspension for the rest of the season.

If you ask any casual observer, one of the things they like about NASCAR are the wrecks. Sure, wheel-to-wheel racing is fun, but nothing beats a good 14-car pile up.

Last Friday, Kyle Busch crossed the line when it comes to competitive racing. During a caution in the Truck Series, Busch intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr.

Over the past couple years, NASCAR has allowed drivers to be more and more aggressive — rarely punishing them for accidents. But what Busch did was uncalled for.

Officials finally made it clear that Busch's behavior will not be tolerated — suspending him for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races in Texas. And I applaud officials for taking action.

We've all seen the effects of a crash at nearly 200 miles per hour. Less than a month ago, Dan Wheldon lost his life following an IndyCar crash. And who can forget the death of Dale Earnheart in Daytona 10 years ago.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching the "Boys, have at it" style of racing. It makes every race that much more exciting. But there comes a point when you have to worry about the drivers' safety.

Without any action from NASCAR officials, the situation would only get worse. Eventually a once great sport would turn into nothing but 500 miles of bumper cars and could possibly result in even more tragedies.