Michael Annett was caught drunk driving last week, with a blood alcohol content four times the legal limit. And in a sport where athletes make their living driving cars, you’d think someone in the sport would issue a suitable punishment – like a suspension.
Michael Annett Allowed To Race, Escapes Suspension From NASCAR, Rusty Wallace Racing
Rusty Wallace Racing passed on the chance to send a message in the aftermath of the incident, instead imposing “internal sanctions” which didn’t include any suspension.
And on Friday, NASCAR announced Annett had escaped with probation. So with that, Annett will be on track for the Nationwide Series race at Daytona.
The irony is rich here. Annett is driving a car sponsored by a highway travel center (Pilot) in a series sponsored by an insurance company.
It seems the opportunity for either RWR or NASCAR to make a firm statement about drunk driving being unacceptable has been missed. Just as it was missed when AJ Allmendinger was caught for a DWI in October 2009.
This time, though, NASCAR at least has taken the additional step of requiring Annett to meet with a substance abuse specialist.
And NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Annett will be regularly tested before the races to ensure he hasn’t been drinking.
“Fans and the other competitors can be assured that we will be taking a very close look at Michael,” Poston said. “Certainly, this triggers the ‘reasonable suspicion’ clause in (NASCAR’s substance abuse policy). We’ve met with Michael and will continue to keep a very close eye on him.”
But shouldn’t a sport that’s focused on cars take an exceptionally strong stand on drunk driving?
“Everything was considered,” Poston said. “We met with the team, and Rusty Wallace Racing has also taken aggressive steps with Michael.
“It’s not something that’s taken lightly. It’s something we take very seriously. We’ll make sure that when he’s on the track and competing, he’ll be doing so clean and sober.”
So at least we’ll have peace of mind that Annett won’t be intoxicated while on the track. That’s important.
Still, the actions aren’t enough. Team owner Wallace should have pulled his driver out of the car – particularly because he was an anti-drunk driving spokesman for years as part of his sponsorship with Miller Lite.
But that didn't happen. RWR placed internal sanctions on Annett – which includes a zero-tolerance drinking policy – and pledged to make sure Annett understood how serious of an offense drunk driving was.
Actions, though, speak louder than words.
On Friday afternoon, Rusty Wallace told SceneDaily.com that Annett did not have a drinking problem and made a mistake.
But he also told SceneDaily that Annett brought the sponsorship from Pilot Travel Centers and without Annett, there was no sponsor.
“I have 65 employees and 65 families that are affected by this,” he said. “The last thing I’m going to do is put everybody out of work because I’ve got to park the car now.”
No one is saying an entire team should lose their jobs. But Wallace should have taken a stand and told Pilot, “This guy won’t drive my car and represent me at Daytona. We’ll work together on an acceptable replacement.”
Since Wallace failed to issue a suspension, NASCAR should have then stepped in.
Drunk driving is a very, very serious offense. And while both RWR and NASCAR reacted to Annett’s incident with sanctions, the punishment falls short of sending a decisive message that such behavior won’t be tolerated in racing.
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