2011 NASCAR All-Star Race Pits ‘Have At It’ Against Probation

The current promotions running for the 2011 NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway are doing all but promising a “Have at it, boys,” no-holds-barred, slobberknocker of a race. One of the most anticipated events on the NASCAR schedule, the 2011 edition is being hyped as a “throwdown” in which “the gloves come off” and “it gets settled in the race for $1 million.”

Yet is the speedway promising more than it can deliver?

Sure, the All-Star Race has seen its share of exciting moments and driver feuds throughout its run. Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott ran each other ragged in the 1987 race that featured the classic “pass in the grass.” Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip tangled on the track while their crews fought it out in the garage in 1989.

Kevin Harvick threw his neck restraint at Joe Nemechek before shoving him in the frontstretch grass after wrecking in 2005. The Busch brothers did not speak for nearly a year after wrecking each other in 2007. Last year, Denny Hamlin shut the door on teammate Kyle Busch racing for the lead, sending him into the outside wall and leading Busch to say, “Someone keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this race,” before storming into Hamlin’s hauler.

This year, all of the attention seems to be focused on Harvick and Kyle Busch. Following their late race incidents in Darlington on the track and on pit road, Charlotte Motor Speedway has jumped at the chance to sell tickets by all but promising a follow-up bout. However, both Harvick and Busch have been placed on probation for the incident – a probation that even applies to this weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race.

Despite NASCAR confirming the probation does apply to the non-points event, some media still claim that Busch and Harvick could still ‘have at it’ as they please – regardless of the probation. Perhaps undermining NASCAR and adding more fuel to the fire, Charlotte Motor Speedway president Marcus Smith told the Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer on Monday, “If any of these guys get fined for fighting at the All-Star race, we’ll pay the fine.”

Harvick seemed all but ready to fight in Darlington, while Busch appeared as if he wanted nothing to do with it. Last weekend in Dover, Harvick compared Busch’s on-track tactic to the equivalent of “throwing your gloves off in hockey.” Busch, on the other hand, reiterated he was a race-car driver and not a fighter.

Through their comments it is clear these two drivers do not care for each other, but NASCAR has also been clear both in public and in private that enough is enough. However, the Charlotte Motor Speedway and even SPEED continue to hype this week’s All-Star Race as one that will see Harvick and Busch “settle things” on the racetrack or on pit road. Perhaps if “Humpy” Wheeler were still in charge at Charlotte Motor Speedway he would simply set up a boxing ring after the race and really let the duo “have at it.”

If these two happen to have yet another incident this weekend in Charlotte, do not expect NASCAR to sit idly by. Although it is the non-points paying All-Star Race, it is still a NASCAR-sanctioned event and they intend to maintain their control throughout.