NASCAR fines Childress; big deal

Richard Childress’ assault on Kyle Busch after a NASCAR Truck race Saturday will cost Childress $150,000.

But the powerful team owner was not suspended and only has been put on probation until the end of the season.

"We feel this action is appropriate and are confident all parties involved understand our position on this matter and will move forward appropriately," NASCAR said in a statement released Monday morning.

Big frickin’ deal.

The fine is not much more than a slap on the wrist for the 65-year-old owner of Sprint Cup cars driven by Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard, and a couple in the truck series.

Childress accepted blame for the heavy-fisted assault on Busch. Here’s his entire statement:

“First of all, I'm responsible for my actions, plain and simple. As you know, I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing. I believe passionately in defending my race teams and my sponsor partners. In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me. I accept the penalty NASCAR announced today and, as a company, we will now focus on this week's races at Pocono Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.”

Notice anything missing?

How about an apology, if not to Busch at least to NASCAR.

Comments posted on various major websites indicate the majority back Childress.

That’s just wrong.

I’m sick and tired of folks defending Childress’ actions as being “old school.” I thought the old-school days of fighting and corporal punishment ended a few decades ago.

If the Childress backers want to return to the “good old days” then media should quit covering the sport and major networks should ignore it like they did in those good old days.

I’m a little tired of defending how a simple, premeditated assault by an owner on an owner/driver belongs in a major-league sport.

For those who want to go back to the old days, fine.

Pull out the confederate flags and settle differences with fists.

That’s not my America today, and I don’t believe it’s yours. It’s not what I want to see in motor sports.

If that’s how you like it then you take racing back to being a bush league and not a major league.

I hope to defend my position early Tuesday morning on The Morning Drive on Sirius XM satellite radio (Station 90).