Joe Gibbs Racing

Call it a photo finish, an unbreakable tie—or perhaps the rarest of situations where both sides are right.

That's how I see the dispute between NASCAR and team owner Joe Gibbs, driver Matt Kenseth and crew chief Jason Ratcliff in light of the engine in Kenseth's Kansas-winning car being found to have an illegal part.

We know the results of NASCAR's penalty hammer coming down with one of the harshest sets of punishments in the sport's history: Kenseth penalized with the loss of 50 championship points (essentially wiping out all the points he earned in Sunday's victory), Ratcliff fined $200,000 and suspended for six races (and on probation until Dec. 31), and Joe Gibbs being assessed one of the rarest punishments of all, a team owner being banned for six races and unable to earn either owner points or manufacturer points.

NASCAR attempted to explain its side for meting out such jaw-dropping penalties on Friday when vice president of competition Robin Pemberton addressed the media in Richmond. While many people may not have agreed with his assessment, Pemberton's explanation was straightforward and understandable, given the circumstances.

While some of you may disagree, I understand NASCAR's reasoning for the harshness of the penalties. The sanctioning body wants the playing field to be as level as possible, with no driver, car, crew chief or owner able to have even a smidgeon of advantage.

That's particularly important with this year's introduction of the Generation 6 Car of Tomorrow. NASCAR has perhaps more invested in this new car than any other in its history.

When the Gen 6 came out, NASCAR promised us better racing, better aerodynamics and more control behind the wheel for the drivers. If you're a race fan, you can't complain about that.

And NASCAR will do whatever it feels is right to maintain the integrity of the car and, equally important, the integrity of the sanctioning body and the overall sport.

Hence the reason for such harsh punishment against the JGR group.

But what many people seem to be missing in this whole situation is that if it hadn't been JGR, it could have been any other team. JGR just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and found with the wrong part in this instance.

Even though Toyota Research and Development chief Lee White told ESPN.com that the one offending part that drew NASCAR's ire and brought about the penalties—just one of eight connecting rods in the Toyota motor in Kenseth's car (the other seven connecting rods were within specifications)—was below weight specifications by the equivalency of "two cotton balls" (roughly just over two grams in weight).

While White insisted there was no competitive advantage to be had by the one offending connecting rod, that it was more a mistake of quality control and inspection than an attempt at cheating or subterfuge, NASCAR would have nothing of it.

Bing, bang, boom, JGR gets hammered.

Kenseth called the penalty "grossly unfair," and it's also easy to see his point of view, if not agree with him. That's what a lot of fans are doing. Even non-fans of Kenseth are still in disbelief at the severity of the penalty and supporting him and JGR when they normally wouldn't.

You would think, then, that if there was no intentional attempt to cheat or deceive, if there was no performance enhancement or advantage, if there truly was a mistake made, that NASCAR would give JGR a pass.

But that's the whole point of why JGR was penalized. Whether innocent or not, whether intentional or not, whether the offending connecting rod came from an unfamiliar parts supplier or fell through the cracks of quality control and inspection, one thing remains first and foremost:

A rule was broken, seriously enough in NASCAR's eyes to warrant a serious response and punishment.

And with NASCAR's zero-tolerance policy, it's easy to understand why the sanctioning body came down on what heretofore had been one of the cleanest racing organizations in the sport's history, run by a man—Joe Gibbs—who is practically above reproach, one of the cleanest and first-class team owners in NASCAR and former NFL football coaches to ever grace the professional sports landscape.

JGR's overall penalty is one about a rule being broken and NASCAR responding in a manner that put all other teams on notice that nothing will be tolerated, not even if unintentional or due to an innocent mistake.

JGR is the second high-profile team and clean ship to be penalized by NASCAR in the last few weeks. Equally one of the other cleanest ships in the sport, Penske Racing is due to have its appeal heard this coming week for what NASCAR determined to be an improper—although not necessarily illegal—rear housing unit in Brad Keselowski's and Joey Logano's cars.

To its credit, NASCAR isn't letting anyone or anything get past its crew of inspectors. While the penalties may seem "grossly unfair," as Kenseth said, its because something was introduced to the engine that shouldn't have been there in the first place—even if it didn't help Kenseth win Sunday's race.

My suspicion is the penalties will be reduced—perhaps in half (Kenseth from 50 to 25 points, Ratcliff from $200,000 to $100,000 and maybe a three-race suspension; likewise a reduced suspension for Gibbs)—when appeals are heard in the coming weeks.

Let's face it, this entire incident has made neither side look good in the court of fan opinion. Even though NASCAR is simply enforcing its rules, to many fans it looks like a heavy-handed ogre.

To others, JGR has come under unwarranted suspicion that perhaps it's been cheating all along, which can't be any farther from the truth.

The only way for either side to save face is to have the penalties reduced enough where it will appease fans and JGR, while NASCAR will show a compassionate side yet still mean business.

We can only hope that's the outcome.


If you're a SiriusXM subscriber, we'll be talking more about this whole controversy Saturday morning on The Frontstretch, from 7-11 am ET on SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. Join us in the conversation and call in at 1-866-PIT-LANE!

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski

If anyone had doubt that NASCAR isn't serious about keeping the Sprint Cup Series on as level of a playing field as possible, Wednesday's huge penalties against Matt Kenseth, crew chief Jason Ratcliff and team owner Joe Gibbs are more than abundant proof that NASCAR isn't messing around.

As a matter of procedure, NASCAR typically confiscates the winning car after each race, takes it back to its Concord, N.C. research and development center, and then tears it apart to make sure everything is up to snuff and that there was no cheating or subterfuge.

More often than not, everything is fine.

But that wasn't the case after Kenseth's car that won Sunday at Kansas was inspected. NASCAR found that a connecting rod within the engine—just one rod out of eight, mind you—was too light and in violation of rules.

How light was the offending part? Three or four pounds, perhaps?

Try more like 2.7 grams underweight from the required minimum mandate of 525 grams.

Toyota Research and Development chief Lee White put the weight differential in better perspective, an equivalent of "two cotton balls," he told ESPN.com.

"One part came in 2.7 grams underweight, and somehow made it through our processes and ended up unfortunately in an engine that was selected to be weighed," White told ESPN.com.

White told ESPN.com that the steel connecting rod, which connects the crankshaft and piston, must weigh a minimum of 525 grams.

White said Joe Gibbs Racing—even though it was the one that took the big hit on penalties—was not at fault whatsoever.

"This is a total screw-up on our part,'' White said. "I'm not going to point fingers at anybody. This is on my head. We neglected to double- and triple-check a shipment of parts from a European vender."

He added, "(we take) full responsibility for this issue."

Kenseth was docked 50 points—essentially wiping out all the points he earned in Sunday's victory and then some—and dropped from eighth in the standings to a tie for 14^th with Jeff Gordon as a result.

But it was Ratcliff who fell on the sword the most. Not only is he suspended for six races plus the May 18 Sprint All-Star race, he was also fined $200,000 and will be on probation through Dec. 31 after he returns from his suspension.

And then there's team owner Joe Gibbs, who has run a clean ship both as an NFL head coach and a NASCAR team owner. In what could be the darkest—and one of the very few—marks on his otherwise unblemished career, Gibbs suffered one of the biggest humiliations an owner can suffer in the sport, having his owner's license suspended for six races (plus the All-Star event).

That means Gibbs won't be anywhere to be found this Saturday at Richmond or for the six other races (including the All-Star race) after that. In addition, he won't be eligible to earn owner points in those races and lost an additional 50 owner points because of the violation.

TRD, which oversees Toyota's racing effort in NASCAR, also lost five points in the manufacturer standings.

By all accounts, this was about as honest a mistake as you'll find in NASCAR, but it also shows the sanctioning body will not allow anyone to bend the rules—unintentionally or otherwise.

This is zero tolerance, NASCAR style.

Sadly, JGR's reputation is now likely soiled in the minds of at least some fans. Some may even go so far as to lump JGR in with other teams that have bent—if not outright broken—rules.

Kenseth is one of the cleanest, most respected drivers in the garage. Ditto for Ratcliff when it comes to respect from his crew chief peers.

Neither man cheated in this instance. Neither man bent or blatantly broke the rules, from all appearances.

They simply fell victim to a quality control check—or failure thereof.

Are the penalties to all these men too harsh? You can make a case for that. But this is NASCAR's game and they have rules to protect the integrity and equality of the sport.

Even if a mistake is made, someone has to be penalized. Look at the airline industry: If someone made an inadvertent and completely innocent mistake that led to a crash where many people perished, could the person who made the innocuous mistake simply throw up his arms and meekly say, "Whoops, my bad. Sorry."

If anything, Wednesday's penalties are a reaffirmation that NASCAR will hold each and every individual in the sport accountable, even if there was no malice on their part.

Because Ratcliff has already appealed his penalty, he will be atop Kenseth's pit box Saturday night at Richmond. It's unclear if Kenseth, Gibbs and TRD will also appeal their penalties. No date has been set for Ratcliff's appeal as yet.

"This has zero to do with Joe Gibbs Racing, nothing to do with Jason Ratcliff, nothing to do with Matt Kenseth,'' White said. "Zero. Having said that, everyone understands the way the rules are structured the team takes the heat.

"Thank the Lord we do have an appeals process. Hopefully, that will be a fair hearing.''

One must wonder if someone ratted out JGR to NASCAR, much like the believed perception that someone did the same with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, whose cars were found to have improper rear housings. Their appeal is to be heard next Wednesday.

After all, Sunday was JGR's fourth win in the last six races of the eight races to date this season, two by Kenseth and the other two by Kyle Busch.

White said the wayward part gave Kenseth "zero" competitive advantage.

"Absolutely not any possible way this is a performance advantage," White said. "You would not do this for performance. You certainly would not do it here and do it in only one of the eight rods. This isn't a gray area. It's black and white. This should never have happened. It's a total screw-up on my end."

Somehow, I think a lot of people will look at cotton balls in a whole different way from now on.

The days of a veteran driver—those who have logged at least 10 years in the sport—spending his entire Sprint Cup career with one team are rare indeed.

The current list includes Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick.

That short list became even shorter at the end of last season when Matt Kenseth, after 13 years with team co-owner Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing, decided to pull up stakes and join Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013.

What's more, Kenseth goes from an equally long relationship of driving a Ford to piloting a car that is among Roush's most hated rivals, a Toyota.

Both sides have moved on, with Kenseth replacing Joey Logano in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, while rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. replaces Kenseth in the No. 17 Best Buy Ford.

The biggest question is who benefits the most from Kenseth's move to JGR?

In my mind, while Kenseth has greener and potentially more fruitful and successful pastures ahead of him and his new Toyota, the real overall winners of the Kenseth sweepstakes are Joe Gibbs and son J.D. Gibbs.

Kenseth is a former cup champion and a two-time Daytona 500 winner—in fact, he's the defending champ from last year's rain-postponed 500.

Kenseth also has 24 cup wins.

By coming to JGR, Kenseth brings a maturity and stabilizing factor to the driver lineup that hasn't been with the company since Tony Stewart left after 2008 to build Stewart-Haas Racing.

An argument can be made that once Stewart left, JGR was without a veteran driver, winner and champion to provide a leadership role and a subdued manner for his two new teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

But heading into 2013, Kenseth provides just the right combination of leadership, maturity and a silent-yet-effective manner of both expressing himself as well as being a strong but quiet leader, just the kind of prescription Hamlin and Busch need to take their own respective careers to the next level.

If anyone can settle down those two and their occasional rambunctious ways, it most definitely is Kenseth.

Father and son Gibbs had previously flirted with Carl Edwards, Kenseth's former teammate at Roush Fenway Racing, but they couldn't put together enough of a deal to lure him away from RFR.

In a way, everyone wins in this whole deal. Kenseth goes to JGR and out from under Roush's micro-managing style. Edwards becomes the No. 1 driver in the RFR camp by default. And Hamlin and Busch now have a teammate they can implicitly trust.

Kenseth's laid-back attitude will also work better within the confines of the JGR organization than it did at RFR, which has a reputation of being a bit too hyper at times because of pressure and influence that comes directly from the top.

Kenseth is the perfect foil for his two teammates. If they get rambunctious or out of line, they'll ultimately look bad if/when compared to the much more conservative and easygoing Kenseth.

The 2013 season at JGR could be the most dynamic year within the organization in perhaps a decade. Not only is there Kenseth's steadying hand and manner on the rudder of the ship, but Hamlin is a new father, which should change some of his wild ways and make him achieve a newfound level of maturity as he helps raise his child.

And then there's the younger Busch brother. Although several teams may have been interested in bringing him aboard in the future, primarily because of his winning abilities and incredible talent behind the wheel, Busch had a lot to think over about the last couple years.

He got into trouble with NASCAR, was suspended for a race weekend, was given a serious talking to by his primary sponsors, cut back his non-cup-level racing in 2012 and ultimately wound up with just one win overall and across all three pro series in NASCAR.

Let's not forget Busch also miserably missed the Chase this past season and was a competitive factor in maybe 12 to 14 of the season's 36 races.

Add all that up, plus Busch looking insightfully, and he likely came to the conclusion that he was better with JGR than without.

That's why he announced during last month's Sprint Media Tour that he had signed a long-term deal to remain under the Gibbs umbrella for many more years to come.

Add all those elements together and a case could be made that all three JGR drivers may not only have strong seasons individually, but also may result in the strongest collective effort from the organization since the days Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte were teammates.

And particularly since Stewart won his second of two cup titles for JGR, it just seems that there has been a lack of cohesion or collective success ever since.

In 2013, though, I have a strong feeling that same cohesion and collective success will finally come together in an all-in-one package.

In fact, I'm so convinced that the overall JGR lineup will have such great success in 2013 that guys like Joe Gibbs, J.D. Gibbs and Kenseth may get to season's end, collectively hit themselves in the forehead and universally say, "Why the heck didn't we do this sooner?"

Follow me on Twitter @JERRYBONKOWSKI.

Time is running out for "Sliced Bread."

Joey Logano ought to be in desperation win mode right now. If he fails to earn a second win in the next five races, "JoLo" is certain to miss the Chase for the fourth consecutive year.

And if he can't make the Chase, No. 20 car sponsor Home Depot is likely to request a new driver for the 2013 season. The 22-year-old's contract is up at the end of the year and without a major improvement on the track (such as Brad Keselowski engineered late last summer), Logano's time with Joe Gibbs Racing could be up.

Sure, Logano has a win this year, his first since his rookie year of 2009. And this time around, it was no rain-shortened affair. He earned it with a great last-lap pass of Mark Martin at Pocono.

But one win is far from enough to keep an under-performing driver in a prime ride, as David Ragan found out last season. Chase appearances are what really matter, especially for young drivers without a long history of success at NASCAR's highest level. Make the Chase, and you're legitimized in a way that a win here or there just doesn't quite accomplish. (David Reutimann, anyone?)

Compounding Logano's problem is the presence of a couple of high-profile free agents on the Silly Season scene--former champions, no less, in the form of the squeaky-clean Matt Kenseth and the highly talented but temperamental (to put it kindly) Kurt Busch.

Competing with those two for rides would be a tough proposition, and additional names as Elliott Sadler, who's having a monster year in the Nationwide Series, into the mix just makes it more of an uphill battle for the once-promising driver.

Luckily for Logano, assuming he's out of the No. 20 car at the end of the year, there's at least one other good ride open in the No. 22 car of Penske Racing. Another possibility could be a fourth car at JGR, although I wouldn't like his long-term future with either the team or the sport in that scenario. RCR might also expand to a fourth car for the third time in recent years, and there could be other options as well.

Logano's best plan of attack, however, is simple: win races, make the Chase, and try to break out in a way that will guarantee the youngster a top ride no matter what happens with Home Depot and the No. 20 car.

Could he do it? It's certainly possible. But I don't see him suddenly figuring things out after years of mediocrity in championship-level equipment.

Perhaps the  best thing for Logano would be to take a step back and drive exclusively in the Nationwide Series for a couple of years to get his bearings and confidence back.

Logano hasn't done as well in the NNS since the new car was introduced, but in the right equipment he could flourish in an attempt to prove his chops, with the eventual goal of truly earning a ride in the Sprint Cup Series.

It wouldn't be fun, and it wouldn't be an easy thing to do, but after suffering from the effects of being brought up to prime time without sufficient preparation, it might be the only way for Logano to ever fulfill his considerable potential.

Kyle Busch looked to be on the right track after posting a strong runner-up finish at the Brickyard 400.

By scoring his first Top Five since his lone win in 2012 at Richmond in April, Busch moved all the way up to 11th in the standings and appeared to have reversed his run of bad luck. He held the second Wild Card spot and with another win would have appeared to be all but a shoo-in for the Chase.

But everything came apart during a rainy day at Pocono on Sunday.

Busch's No. 18 Toyota developed brake problems and he blew a tire on Lap 19 and crashed into the wall in Turn 1. After a lengthy break for repairs, Busch eventually finished 33rd, 24 laps down. The result dropped Busch four spots in the standings to 15th.

Busch is well known for being a hot-and-cold driver, but few would have predicted the extent of his struggles in 2012. Sunday was his fifth finish of 30th or worse to go along with just six top-five and nine top-ten results. With seven finishes outside the top 15 in the last nine events, it's been nearly all cold for Busch lately. He's on track to post his lowest Top 10 total since 2009, which is incidentally the last time he missed the Chase.

If Busch wants to make the Chase for a third year in a row, he'll need to turn things around, and fast. Luckily, there are several tracks coming up before the Chase where Busch has multiple wins, including Bristol and Richmond, where he won earlier this year. And winning is exactly what Busch will have to do if he wants a spot in the postseason.

Kasey Kahne in 11th place is the only driver outside the Top 10 in points with multiple wins (two), so he holds the first Wild Card spot. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have one apiece and are currently tied for the second Wild Card spot at 12 points ahead of Busch, while fellow one-time winner and JGR teammate Joey Logano is sitting 24 points behind Busch.

Most likely, the final Chase spot will come down to which of these four drivers is able to win in the five races remaining before the Chase field is set.

It's worth mentioning that Carl Edwards, who is 12th in the standings but winless, could also steal the final Chase berth if he can get a win. However, that's not the likeliest scenario, given that it's been well over a year since the 2011 championship runner-up was last seen celebrating in Victory Lane. (Post-championship loss hangover, anyone? Apparently the Jimmie Johnson Curse is extending past his actual title run)

Given the uphill battle he faces, will Kyle Busch miss the Chase?

Based strictly on the chances of him winning vs. those he's fighting, the odds are actually in his favor. Busch has 17 victories since 2008, compared to a combined 11 for Gordon, Newman and Logano during that span.

But that doesn't take into account how poorly Busch has been running for the last few months. And for that reason, I don't expect to see the M&M's Toyota in this year's Chase field.

Newman and Logano haven't been running much better than Busch as of late (neither has Carl Edwards, for that matter), but Jeff Gordon has been showing tremendous Hendrick speed and finishing in the top five on a consistent basis. He could easily win at any of the five tracks left before the Chase, and I like his chances of doing so much more than I like Busch's.

For Joe Gibbs Racing, that means it's likely going to be a lonely Chase for Denny Hamlin, who will be the sole participant in NASCAR's postseason while teammates Busch and Logano watch from the sidelines.

Toyota Racing Development president Lee White and Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch unveiled the 2013 Toyota Camry race car. Toyota has fielded Camrys since joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2007.

Kyle Busch is the perfect choice to unveil the new model because he has amassed 85 wins in NASCAR's top three divisions while driving a Toyota.

Kyle is quoted by NASCAR.com as saying:

Toyota and I have done a lot of stuff together...I've done a lot of commercials for them. I've even gotten to show off my singing for them, which they optimize every chance they get. So to be able to come here and drive the car and be the one who got to unveil the 2013 Toyota Camry first was really neat.

I think it's a cool-looking race car, and I can't wait to get out and drive it in an actual race.

The 2013 Camry will make its on-track debut during Speedweeks at Daytona next February.

Toyota is the third manufacturer to reveal the new model that will be raced next season (Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that has yet to unveil their 2013 model). Each manufacturer expressed to NASCAR their desire to have their race cars more closely resemble their street-legal counterparts.

In the same ceremony, Toyota announced multi-year extensions with Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing on Tuesday.

Amid speculation that Dodge would attempt to lure Joe Gibbs Racing away from Toyota, White assured that:

All [three teams] have agreements with Toyota and TRD that extend beyond two more years...Rest assured, we enjoy our partners, we value our partners, and we expect to be competing with our partners on this dance floor for a long time.

This move not only provides stability for Toyota, but it also provides stability to the three Cup Series teams. Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing have made great strides and are exponentially more competitive this season than they were last season.

In what has become an era of uncertainty in NASCAR, security is everything. These three teams will have that security with Toyota for years to come.

There are a few things that can be said with certainty about Kyle Busch: he is polarizing, stirs emotions, entertains and is a driver with natural talent behind the wheel that may prove to be extraordinary.

NASCAR needs the personality that he brings to the sport, whether fans love him or love to hate him. Sometimes Busch tempts fate with the sanctioning body, and his actions backfired at Texas Motor Speedway.

With over 100 wins in the top-three series of NASCAR at the age of 26, Busch has proven his ability as a race car driver.

Sometimes drivers who accomplish great statistics tend to think they are bigger than the sport.

The reality is that no driver is too big to fail.

There has been much controversy over Busch, and why NASCAR took such a harsh attitude toward the incident in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when he punted Ron Hornaday.

NASCAR parked Busch immediately and later determined he would not be able to race in the Nationwide and Cup race at TMS for that weekend.

The comparison was made to the actions of Carl Edwards when he came out of the garage, some 153 laps down, to nail Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, and later hooked him in a Nationwide race at Gateway.

Edwards was fined and given a minimal probation. Busch was fined and will be closely monitored for future incidents detrimental to racing, but some don't understand why he was parked and why the commotion with his sponsors, JGR and possibly his future as a driver.

Busch was not driving JGR equipment, but rather his Kyle Busch Motorsports truck, when he took the shot at Hornaday heard around the NASCAR world.

NASCAR had said the policy was "have at it, boys," which meant they were allowed to bump and bang at will, with some action that was obviously retaliatory.

NASCAR also said the drivers would be penalized if they crossed the line, but the line was not clearly defined. The sanctioning body said they would know when the line was crossed.

It was obvious Busch crossed the line when he spun Hornaday into the wall under with the caution lights flashing. 

The caution flag and caution lights are to be taken extremely seriously by NASCAR and the competitors because it is impossible for all the drivers to know immediately why the caution is out.

There may be track personnel on the racing surface who could easily be in danger. Drivers could be in harm's way should a driver fail to obey the rules of the caution condition.

The fact the Busch blatantly made his move when he did was possibly the most significant reason NASCAR reacted quickly and firmly. The driver had to know he crossed the line, but it didn't matter to him.

Certainly other factors were at play in the mind of Busch when he took Hornaday, a title contender, out of the race. Hornaday drove a truck for Kevin Harvick. Harvick and Busch don't like each other.

All of the previous incidents between Harvick and Busch, Busch and Richard Childress, Harvick's boss, and of course, the speeding ticket when he was going more than 80 mph over the speed limit, all came into focus with the NASCAR decision.

Busch, plain and simple, thought he was bigger than the sport, but he was humbled as he sat on his pit box for the Cup race and watched his No. 18 M&M's Toyota being driven by another driver.

There has never been a defining moment for the younger of NASCAR's racing Busch brothers that really caught his attention. Previous fines, warnings and probation just didn't register with him.

NASCAR, Joe Gibbs and Mars, Inc. may have done Busch the biggest favor of his life if he truly understands the big picture of being a driver in NASCAR. It isn't all about the driver.

Busch showed a lack of respect for NASCAR, sponsors, fans and those at JGR who work so hard to give him good equipment every week.

Throughout this ordeal, the one thing Busch needs to work on is respect. He still has fans who support him and drivers who trust him, but it will be challenging for him to work his way back into grace with many.

This year, it was thought the driver of the No. 18 was beginning to show maturity with his behavior, and then in one irrational moment he totally shows his level of immaturity and arrogance.

Now it is time for this driver to stand behind his promises and apologies. He has to man up and match his personality and respect for the sport to his undeniable talent as a driver.

Busch now knows he was wrong to take matters into his own hands, but now he has a chance to prove himself and to possibly become one of NASCAR's greatest drivers.