Lots of NASCAR drivers have gotten heat, financial fines, or even suspensions for speaking their mind against the almighty authority of their sanctioning body. It seems that Jeremy Clements who is a driver in the Nationwide series has really outdone himself with an indefinite suspension for remarks made during an interview. Typical stuff you say?
Not exactly.
This “interview” he was doing apparently was never aired, printed, or published on the web. If he said something so awful as to be thrown out of NASCAR competition, you can bet your bottom dollar that when it was made public, the comments would have rip-sawed around the globe in minutes. Because it didn’t raises more questions.
Assuming Clements’ comments were actually made during “an interview” as NASCAR supposes it means that the journalist conducting the interview either reported the comment to NASCAR officials after it was made and then self censored their reporting at NASCAR’s insistence or on their own. Another possible situation was that a NASCAR official heard the interview being conducted and then heard the supposed, “intolerable and insensitive remark,” that Steve O’Donnell (NASCAR’s VP of Racing Operations) described the comment as. Either way, this is a very strange story because normally it is NASCAR reacting to something that has been reported by the media. Now it is the media reacting to what NASCAR told them before any actual story triggered it. There is also the possibility that the comment was made to a NASCAR “house journalist” like a reporter for NASCAR.com or a similar deal. A final idea and one that is the most scurrilous is that an independent journalist was afraid that actually reporting what he or she had heard would result in the revocation of their press credential so they went to NASCAR officials rather than actually reporting the story.
NASCAR seems to be taking the stance that they were “made aware” of the comments and to us that means someone had them on tape (audio or video) and played it back to officials. That’s fairly bizarre behavior if you are in the business of the news, especially when you have something you know would be red hot as soon as it hit the papers. The guy obviously said some awful stuff, so we’re not supporting him here, but it is strange that a reporter would feel compelled to tattle on a driver and give up a great story. It is also amazing that what he actually said has not leaked yet.
Since this guy isn’t a major star, we’re sure the whole thing will just go away and that will be that. We just can’t remember another time where someone was thrown out of a sport for a comment that literally no one knows the substance of outside of the person that said it and two other people that heard it. The Spencer Massey controversy in drag racing last year was never “officially” reported but the news spread across the internet like a gasoline fueled fire. It is apparently radio silence here.
HIT THE LINK BELOW TO READ AN ACCOUNT OF JEREMY CLEMENTS SUSPENSION – THIS IS WEIRD!
NEWS LINK: NASCAR DRIVER JEREMY CLEMENTS SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY FROM NASCAR FOR MYSTERY COMMENTS
Why do we assume the guy said some “awful stuff?” Mystery comments are just that– a Mystery.
No freedom of speech or due process in NASCAR’s dictatorship . . . . Or apparently any journalistic integrity (i.e. the NASCAR press is apparently so afraid of the Frances that they will self-censor the news).
Maybe he explained how NASCAR is scripted. Hey, it works great for wrestling.
If it’s scripted, I’d expect better scripts. I mean, really, whose idea was it for their leading villain to be driving a car painted up to look like a giant M&Ms package? A good script would have Kyle Busch sponsored by Comcast and routinely trying to shove the Dish Network’s sponsored car into the wall.
Aww souunwds wike suwmbowdy’s feewings got huwrt. Awww puwddddin’.
Good grief NASCAR. Grow a pair.
Whatever it is you can bet nascar never lets it out. Nascar should just be thankful the headlines dont read “Thousands upset at lack of racing at Daytona 500″……You can bet that if id bought a ticket to that race id want my money back because that was not racing! Its ridiculous as much money as put into those teams and especially that race and they place follow the leader all day. The drivers should be ashamed of thereselves.
NASCAR, like NHRA, sucks….
Nascar is a joke, and I agree with Gary on both of them. NHRA is like watching the same movie over and over, year after year. Ditch the Pro coverage and replace it with Sportsman Racing.
If I want to see oval track racing I go to my local track (I-55 Raceway) and see real racing and support my local drivers, no political bullshit here.
It had something to do with Jeremy Clements saying that Danica’s pole run was fixed and something to do with rednecks. Nothing racial, nothing awful, most believe he was speaking the truth. The fact is that Nascar racing is boring, and a show…not racing.
Support your local short tracks!
NASCAR is a parody if its former self. Give me the days when David Pearson had a working cigarette lighter in that old Purolator Mercury, and you’d find half to 3/4’s of the pit crews&racers getting shitfaced together in some dive bar near the racetrack when the track closed down for the day.
Its nice to see everyone so far following the Nascar conspiracy. Clements could have easily said something completely insensitive towards the fans who were hurt during Saturday’s crash. Or, something sexist towards the lady drivers in nascar.
i have no love for Nascar’s current reign of the sport, but they know te sport cannot take a driver who is an a-hole outright now.
There was a NASCAR rep present during the interview, according to Clements.
Speed is reporting that Clements used a racial slur in a “conversation” with a reporter. Maybe it was not an interview at all at the time. Hence, the reason for a lack of a recording.
Yet another PC moment brought to you by the people that ripe you off every time you buy a ticket..Both NASCAR and NHRA have the same limp money grubbing style..
As a former professional journalist, I can take a guess how it went down. Many times when I was doing a story, it was a situation where there were two clear sides and both needed to be heard. So I would interview one side, and then call people on the other side and say, “Bob so and so told me you have a collection of stolen panties and he said he can prove it. Would you like to comment on that?” So if this guy said something particularly juicy, then a good reporter will always try to get comments from the other side. It’s good journalism and makes for a better story. So it may be there is no journalistic conspiracy here at all.
However, I do not have any idea how the story could effectively be contained. There might be something fishy going on there.
Sportsman racing won’t save NHRA on tv either.. even there, all they ever seem to feature is alcohol dragsters and Pro Mod.. maybe one round of doorslammer action in Stock or Super/stock if you are lucky. I don’t identify with a pile of tubing or something that barely resembles a production car.
I haven’t gave a darn about NASCAR sionce the early 90’s either. The jellybean with the Ford grille decal just beat the jellybean with the Dodge decal….
Nascar is ridiculous. If dale was still alive he would tell them whats up. The fine for Hamlin saying that he didnt like the car is another stupid move. I guess when you race Nascar you loose your right to freedom of speech.
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