[Vukie]

By Steve Eckert
http://www.sprintcarstats.com/news/?i=18190

[Jerry Spencer]

Very well done.

Jerry #66j

[Andrew S. Quinn]

I wish Steve would put his fingers on the keyboard more often for sprint car racing stories.....

[Will Shunk]

Originally Posted by Jerry Spencer Very well done. Jerry #66j

Incredibly well written article on the Smackdown !!! In reference to this quote, "Let’s just call this one an absolutely shameful abuse of authority and an actionable Restraint of Trade, no matter what words were uttered from the mouth of the young Alabaman." I am sure Steve has taught his son, Sully, that he must respect authority when they are lawfully carrying out their assigned duties regardless if you agree or not at the time. I was down in the 17rw pit with several others and can attest to the blatant disrespectful verbal attitude from crew members to both female and male sheriff deputies. (I did not witness KT jr.'s issue) It reminded me of student smart a$$ back talk in a high school detention hall. I was very disappointed in this entire situation but glad the consequences were swift and appropriate.

[Jerry Spencer]

Originally Posted by Will Shunk Incredibly well written article on the Smackdown !!! In reference to this quote, "Let’s just call this one an absolutely shameful abuse of authority and an actionable Restraint of Trade, no matter what words were uttered from the mouth of the young Alabaman." I am sure Steve has taught his son, Sully, that he must respect authority when they are lawfully carrying out their assigned duties regardless if you agree or not at the time. I was down in the 17rw pit with several others and can attest to the blatant disrespectful verbal attitude from crew members to both female and male sheriff deputies. (I did not witness KT jr.'s issue) It reminded me of student smart a$$ back talk in a high school detention hall. I was very disappointed in this entire situation but glad the consequences were swift and appropriate.

I guess I should have explained that when I said well done. I was not there but know a lot of people were not happy with the 17rw pits. With our poor showing I had enough problems in the 66j pit. I liked the smackdown coverage. I have my own thoughts on what happened with K.T.

Jerry

[racegal]

Great article! Thank you for sharing Vukie!!

[sceckert]

Originally Posted by Will Shunk Incredibly well written article on the Smackdown !!! In reference to this quote, "Let’s just call this one an absolutely shameful abuse of authority and an actionable Restraint of Trade, no matter what words were uttered from the mouth of the young Alabaman." I am sure Steve has taught his son, Sully, that he must respect authority when they are lawfully carrying out their assigned duties regardless if you agree or not at the time. I was down in the 17rw pit with several others and can attest to the blatant disrespectful verbal attitude from crew members to both female and male sheriff deputies. (I did not witness KT jr.'s issue) It reminded me of student smart a$$ back talk in a high school detention hall. I was very disappointed in this entire situation but glad the consequences were swift and appropriate.

Mr Shunk--
While I assessed the developments in the pits surrounding the #17RW team as I did, I don't feel I tried to absolve Kevin Thomas particularly of his part in his own penalties. However, those penalties are entirely disproportionate--and so out-of-the-blue as to be considered arbitrary--to standards previously established. There have been fights and brawls and various dustups in pits since cars have raced, and it is very rare when the sentences have been much more than probationary and perhaps financial-fines.
Disallowing both a driver and the team he drove for--and subsequently threatening arrest upon every individual associated with that team--of earning his living, pursuing his vocation and maintaining his competitive-standing in a points competition due to abusive words that stopped short of terroristic threats IS what I consider authoritative abuse and the personalization of punishment according to a standard that is supposed to remain dispassionate and even-handed.
If you were witness to all the goings-on in the pits, I am the first to admit that you have a greater insight into exact particulars than I do. The reports I got were secondhand from others who were witnesses to it, and naturally those have biases of various degrees, but I feel that there has to be a precedent established that does not subject the punishments to be determined by the personal feelings of law officers. It is worth noting that USAC's Jason McCord was also threatened with arrest for attempting to stand up for that sense of proportionate-punishment with the same sheriff that this entire incident seems to revolve around. An officer who others have earlier and subsequently come forward to say they too have had issues with that seemed vindictive and somewhat arbitrary.
Fine the team, put the team on behavioral probation for the remaining season, and establish that there will be no future tolerance of a repeat. I am not going to endorse my son looking up to Kevin Thomas Jr or Mike Dutcher as a hero along the lines of Bryan Clauson or Dave Darland, as noted in the article. But this was an overreaction that went beyond the heat-of-the-moment passions and should have been less vengeful on the part of the public servants charged with maintaining order.
Also, as much as I value the O'Conner Family and their efforts in so many racing matters, in an instance such as this, I do believe that there needs to be a clear articulation by the One And Final Arbiter--THE singular promoter--in this. Multiple opinions from multiple promotional individuals dilutes the clarity of whatever message is being sent. If those voices are not unanimous, it certainly makes the determination of penalty more actionable in court--where it clearly seems as though this is heading.
Kevin Thomas Jr may have behaved abhorrently, and his team may have as well. But when a female sheriff marches uninvited into the changing area of a driver and starts reading a sentence to the driver as he's putting his clothes on, I think it is fair to say that a line has been crossed from BOTH sides of the matter.
I very much appreciate your opinions, though, and am willing to admit that I don't have personal-eyewitness experience with this debacle, merely the multiple explanations of some who do. It all was a black eye on a great weekend.

[racefan1]

Originally Posted by Will Shunk Incredibly well written article on the Smackdown !!! In reference to this quote, "Let’s just call this one an absolutely shameful abuse of authority and an actionable Restraint of Trade, no matter what words were uttered from the mouth of the young Alabaman." I am sure Steve has taught his son, Sully, that he must respect authority when they are lawfully carrying out their assigned duties regardless if you agree or not at the time. I was down in the 17rw pit with several others and can attest to the blatant disrespectful verbal attitude from crew members to both female and male sheriff deputies. (I did not witness KT jr.'s issue) It reminded me of student smart a$$ back talk in a high school detention hall. I was very disappointed in this entire situation but glad the consequences were swift and appropriate.

You obviously were not in the 17rw pits if you say you saw any disrespect to any of the deputies there that night from the crew.

[sceckert]

My take on it is that the sheriffs and any law enforcement individuals are supposed to UPHOLD laws and act in accordance to established guidelines. NOT create their own ideas for whom and how to punish as determined by a behavioral code only they perceive and enforce. Cooler heads did NOT prevail in this matter.