NASCAR proved they were serious when they put Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on a 6-race probation because of bad behavior.  The two have been known to exchange harsh words and eventually a punch in the face, as some report say, so NASCAR officials acted on the situation — and right when Daytona 500 is coming up.  Stewart and Busch’s conflict started when they wrecked into each other during practice and had a confrontation that reached the NASCAR officials’ trailer.

 

NASCAR officials said that what happened during practice was a racing accident, but what the drivers did after that was a different thing.  They also stressed that “probation” means a lot more this time than it used to.  NASCAR has not really given a harsh punishment for a driver before because of bad behavior, but this year will be different.  It certainly is, as the season comes to a start with two star drivers on probation.

 

Stewart and Pemberton will still be able to race, but they need to allow each other some room when on the track.  According to a NASCAR official, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to seriously race.  They just need to avoid intentionally crashing into each other when in tight situations.