The story : NASCAR racer Kyle Busch may have a lot of things — 26-year-old bravado and bragging rights for being the Sprint Cup champion, for starters — but what he doesn't have is a driver's license. He lost it for 45 days Tuesday after he was nabbed for driving 128 mph in a 45 mph zone on a North Carolina rural road. The speedster also was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 30 hours of community service. But fans needn't worry too much. This won't keep him from competing in NASCAR. Despite the fact that racers drive cars at break neck speeds, NASCAR officials do not require them to pass a basic drivers test first, arguing that the racetrack and the highway are two very different ways of driving. But considering the risk Busch's joy ride posed to nearby civilians, and that he is not the first professional racer to find himself in court on reckless driving charges, should the sport's governing body suspend Busch and rewrite its rules?
The reaction : Absolutely, says David Newton at ESPN. Busch makes a living driving cars, and if that was threatened because he his license was suspended, he might have given his joy ride a second thought. Yes, he should be suspended, but that will never happen, says the Los Angeles Times Fabulous Forum blog. "Going 128 in a 45-mph zone borders on the insane," but this is pro sports — NASCAR needs "the antagonizing Busch, smirking smile and all," too badly to hold him accountable. Busch is being punished the same way anyone else would be, says Barry Stavro, also in the L.A. Times. He should be allowed to do his job, "as long as someone else drives him to work."
