Robby Gordon, the multi-faceted driver that sees action in NASCAR, off road, and open wheel racing has been placed on “indefinite probation” by NASCAR officials after an scrum with his former driver Kevin Conway. Indefinite Suspension sure seems like Dean Wormer talk, but it seems to mean that Robby is on the short leash for the rest of his limited 2011 NASCAR season. The incident stemmed from a financial dispute between the two men. Gordon claims that Conway owes him nearly $700,000 while Conway claims that Gordon owes him $27,000. The two former chums aren’t seeing eye to eye on this. 

The money Gordon is after was the backing for the Extenze sponsorship that ran on the car. Go ahead and start inserting jokes about him getting “stiffed”. Apparently there was not a fight, but Conway told NASCAR officials that Gordon “ambushed” him in the garage area and they pushed and shoved one another. Crazy stuff, right? Race car drivers fighting. Not like that doesn’t happen with regularity at drag strips, dirt tracks, and asphalt ovals across the country each week.

Conway, instead of fighting back against Gordon with his fists decided to do it with his pen and issued a statement that so totally sums up the wuss-baggery that has infected motorsports these days it is nauseating. Here’s a piece of the drivel,  “situations like this are not good for our sport.” (Well he’s partially right. Two backmarker racers pushing each other is kinda weak-suck stuff with respect to news). It continued, “Our fans, sponsors and NASCAR expect and deserve more from our competitors than this bullish, illegal behavior that was displayed by Robby against me.” They do? Um, no they don’t.

The fans want racers with passion, fire, drive, personality, anger, hatred. You know, human emotions! Gordon has them, unfortunately he hasn’t won a “Cup” race since 2003. Conway on the other hand, has none of the above and as a grown man actually ran to NASCAR officials like a five year old yelling, “Robbie pushed me!”

Lots of people love Robby Gordon because he’s a psuedo throw-back driver who gets into anything he can and runs it as hard as he can. Then again, lots of people hate him because he’s known to be a jerk and often his off track performances, like this one, are far more noteworthy than his work behind the wheel.

If the guys that run NASCAR are going to let the racers bump and bang at 200mph, they sure as hell better let them blow off a little steam behind the wall, especially when there wasn’t so much as one punch thrown.

(Robby Gordon placed on indefinite probation by NASCAR )