Michael Myers likes to say he is more accepted as a gay journalist in the NASCAR community than he is as a NASCAR fan in a gay bar.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A NASCAR driver has lost a fight with his homeowner’s association.

Kyle Busch is in the clear. Richard Childress’ punishment will be known today.

NASCAR president Mike Helton on Sunday exonerated Busch and put the blame on Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, for an altercation after Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Helton said NASCAR will announce actions regarding Childress today.

“Richard Childress’ actions were not appropriate and fell far short of the standard we expect of owners in this sport,” Helton said.

Childress was allowed to direct his Sprint Cup race teams of Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard during Sunday’s STP 400 at Kansas Speedway — with some restrictions on where he could go and not go at Kansas Speedway, including the pit area.

Busch is on NASCAR probation stemming from an incident with Harvick after the May 7 race at Darlington Raceway, but Helton said his investigation “concluded the driver of the 18 truck, Kyle Busch, did nothing to provoke or cause the reactions that would have violated probation or warranted Childress’ actions.

“We’ll have to decide what NASCAR’s reaction is to Richard Childress as a member of NASCAR in an action against another NASCAR member.”

Childress, according to witnesses, approached Busch in the garage after the truck race, and after words were exchanged, began brawling. Childress, 65, was upset with how Busch, 26, bumped the car of Childress rookie driver Joey Coulter on the cool-down lap of Saturday’s race after Coulter had outdueled him for fifth place.

Busch, Childress and Joe Gibbs, who is Busch’s Sprint Cup car owner, met with NASCAR officials at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Busch emerged after about five minutes.

“I wasn’t the aggressor or the instigator here,” Busch told Speed TV. “I was just trying to head back to my hauler and deal with my own business.

“The best thing to do is try to put it behind you the best you can,” added Busch, who owns his own truck team. “It may be a thought on everybody else’s mind, but when you get a helmet on and get back behind the wheel of a race car and you get down to business, that’s what matters most.”

Childress left with no comment, later saying he would not have a statement until today.

Gibbs was satisfied with Helton’s findings.

“I think everybody said what they needed to say, and NASCAR is doing a good job of handling this,” Gibbs said. “We agree with everything they said.”

Helton said the main reason for bringing all the parties together Sunday morning was to prevent any incidents in the STP 400.

“We’ve made clear to them our expectations are for Joe Gibbs and Richard Childress to meet with their teams and be sure nobody felt like there was anything that needed to be done from their side,” Helton said.

“We’ll focus on (Sunday’s) race now and then quickly, quicker than normal, come back with our reaction as it relates to NASCAR owner Richard Childress.”

When asked specifically what he was told went on in the garage, Helton said: “I’m not going to go through all the details. We haven’t seen anything that indicated Kyle violated his probation on the racetrack or even in the garage.”

According to its bylaws, NASCAR had the right to eject Childress from the track for fighting, but Helton elected to allow him to remain at Kansas Speedway, with restrictions.

“We decided to let Richard stay because there does need to be leadership of the organization represented, which historically we rely on crew chiefs. Since both organizations have multiple teams, we decided it would be better if there was an authority from the team here, and there’s not a second-level authority present from the organization.

“Joe Gibbs is here from Joe Gibbs Racing, so we chose to allow Richard to participate.”

Childress, Kyle Busch trade punches after truck race

None of the principals have confirmed it, but Ray Dunlap, pit reporter for SPEED, was confident in his sources to post a Twitter message that car owner Richard Childress and driver Kyle Busch had a physical altercation after Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.

“There are some eyewitnesses, crew members who were there and another driver who were right there,” Dunlap said Saturday night after he arrived home in Charlotte. “There were some punches thrown.”

Kerry Tharp, NASCAR director of communications for competition, said that NASCAR officials were investigating the reports. Officials from Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, for whom Busch, 26, drives Sprint Cup cars, said there would be no comment until today.

The source of Childress’ frustration was Busch’s damaging the right side of rookie Joey Coulter’s truck during the cool-down lap after Coulter, who finished fifth for Childress’ team, bumped Busch’s car while the two battled for position on the final lap.

“His fender must have got caught in there and tore a bunch of the truck up,” Dunlap said. “Richard was aggravated about the fact (Busch) had caused damage postrace, when it wasn’t a racing accident, it was stupidity.”

Dunlap said Childress, 65, went to Busch’s garage with the intention of talking to him, but “what my friends who were there told me, said Kyle lipped off to him, and said, ‘Don’t worry about it old man,’ or something like that, and that really fired him up.

“Apparently Childress had him in a headlock,” Dunlap said, “and there were multiple punches thrown … but I don’t know if he was hitting him in the face or in the back of the head or what, but they said for sure, it was physical, he did throw physical punches.”

During postrace interviews on pit road and in the media center, where Coulter was on the podium as the top-finishing rookie, he made light of his trading paint with Busch, who drove beside Coulter after the race.

“According to his spotter, he was saying, ‘Congratulations,’ ” Coulter, 20, said with a wry smile of Busch’s postrace bump.

“That was a learning experience like no other. It’s amazing the kind of stuff I learned in running behind him and trying to get around him. It seemed like he knew where I was going before I did.

“I hate we got together on the last lap. I had never gotten tight next to somebody, so I was underneath him expecting to get loose, and I get tight and we kind of got together.”

Dunlap, who conducts the victory lane interviews, said he did not see any incidents on pit road.

“That’s where it usually happens, guys jump out of the truck and have their words there,” he said, “but this spilled back into the garage, obviously.”

Busch is already on probation through mid-June after an incident with Childress driver Kevin Harvick, who tried to punch Busch following the conclusion of the Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway. But Busch got away by ramming Harvick’s parked car into the wall.

Tweet by Denny Hamlin the day before Kyle Busch was ticketed for speeding. This is the car loaned to both Busch and Hamlin by Lexus.  From: http://lockerz.com/s/104150470

“If u see me today in ur rear view driving this.. Please move!!”

TROUTMAN, NC —�NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was cited for careless and reckless driving Tuesday afternoon after a deputy said he clocked Busch driving nearly three times the posted speed limit.

via Kyle Busch cited for 128 in a 45 mph zone.

Dale Earnhardt Jr smoking while at Whiskey River