Stewart, Biffle defend Kurt Busch
Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle strongly defended fellow driver Kurt Busch yesterday, taking the Maricopa County sheriff's office to task after a reckless driving charge led to a two-race suspension for the defending Nextel Cup champion.
Busch was cited for criminal reckless driving last week near Phoenix. The defending Nextel Cup champion also was detained for suspicion of driving under the influence and was accused of being belligerent with deputies, after which he was suspended for the final two races by Roush Racing.
"It was a situation that was blown out of proportion," Stewart said at a media function to advance Sunday's championship-deciding Ford 400. "I was listening to [Dave] Despain's show on [Speed Channel], and a lady called in and talked about how the cops harassed her out there. We've had trouble with them out there, too.
Stewart also said he has a history of being harassed by local law enforcement that is "so hard and so strict" at Phoenix International Raceway. The Maricopa County Web site refers to Joe Arpaio as "America's toughest sheriff." Stewart said deputies have made him wait for 30 minutes outside the motorhome lot while waiting for a parking pass, and "someone comes by and says, 'Hey, this guy's all right, let him in,' and you still have to argue with them." He said he has no such trouble at any other track.
"For some reason, every time we go to Phoenix, that's the only problem that we have," the points leader said. "The entire weekend is a pleasure except for dealing with the sheriffs. I think they enjoy messing with everybody.
"It doesn't surprise me that someone has finally had trouble out there with those guys. It's the only racetrack we go to that they actually have police that are checking your credentials to get in, maybe that explains it."
Biffle believes his Roush teammate "got a bum rap."
"Because the way it was reported was that there was alcohol involved," Biffle said. "So automatically all of us, including myself, accuse him of drunk driving. Well, the Breathalyzer failing was BS. I honestly, 100 percent in my heart, feel that was totally fabricated.
"The facts are that they actually did get a reading and knew that he was well under the legal limit but instead decided to say that the Breathalyzer machine failed. Yeah, he acted like a jerk. Yeah, he might have been speeding and done something that he shouldn't have, but are those grounds for taking him out of the race car . . . when alcohol wasn't even the factor in the whole thing?"
Biffle said he has been hassled by officers who mistook him for a fan while leaving racetracks.
"That's obviously what happened, plus Kurt had an attitude, so those two things combined put him in the position he's in," he said. "Maybe he'll learn a lesson from it, but I don't know. It wasn't alcohol driven. I think that's why he was taken out of the car. I don't think it was an issue with being reckless driving or not cooperating. I don't think that's why he was taken out of the race car."
see Knowyournascar
Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle strongly defended fellow driver Kurt Busch yesterday, taking the Maricopa County sheriff's office to task after a reckless driving charge led to a two-race suspension for the defending Nextel Cup champion.
Busch was cited for criminal reckless driving last week near Phoenix. The defending Nextel Cup champion also was detained for suspicion of driving under the influence and was accused of being belligerent with deputies, after which he was suspended for the final two races by Roush Racing.
"It was a situation that was blown out of proportion," Stewart said at a media function to advance Sunday's championship-deciding Ford 400. "I was listening to [Dave] Despain's show on [Speed Channel], and a lady called in and talked about how the cops harassed her out there. We've had trouble with them out there, too.
Stewart also said he has a history of being harassed by local law enforcement that is "so hard and so strict" at Phoenix International Raceway. The Maricopa County Web site refers to Joe Arpaio as "America's toughest sheriff." Stewart said deputies have made him wait for 30 minutes outside the motorhome lot while waiting for a parking pass, and "someone comes by and says, 'Hey, this guy's all right, let him in,' and you still have to argue with them." He said he has no such trouble at any other track.
"For some reason, every time we go to Phoenix, that's the only problem that we have," the points leader said. "The entire weekend is a pleasure except for dealing with the sheriffs. I think they enjoy messing with everybody.
"It doesn't surprise me that someone has finally had trouble out there with those guys. It's the only racetrack we go to that they actually have police that are checking your credentials to get in, maybe that explains it."
Biffle believes his Roush teammate "got a bum rap."
"Because the way it was reported was that there was alcohol involved," Biffle said. "So automatically all of us, including myself, accuse him of drunk driving. Well, the Breathalyzer failing was BS. I honestly, 100 percent in my heart, feel that was totally fabricated.
"The facts are that they actually did get a reading and knew that he was well under the legal limit but instead decided to say that the Breathalyzer machine failed. Yeah, he acted like a jerk. Yeah, he might have been speeding and done something that he shouldn't have, but are those grounds for taking him out of the race car . . . when alcohol wasn't even the factor in the whole thing?"
Biffle said he has been hassled by officers who mistook him for a fan while leaving racetracks.
"That's obviously what happened, plus Kurt had an attitude, so those two things combined put him in the position he's in," he said. "Maybe he'll learn a lesson from it, but I don't know. It wasn't alcohol driven. I think that's why he was taken out of the car. I don't think it was an issue with being reckless driving or not cooperating. I don't think that's why he was taken out of the race car."
see Knowyournascar
