NASCAR suspends driver for saying Danica’s Daytona pole was rigged
NASCAR officials are hoping to get Clements back on the track soon, but the 28-year-old will have to work with Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida, before he’ll be allowed back in his car.
“No secret we did suspend Jeremy," NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell said Saturday from Phoenix International Raceway.
Clements was suspended indefinitely for making what O’Donnell said was an “intolerable and insensitive remark" during the course of an interview before last weekend’s Nationwide race at Daytona.
MTV News reported that Clements made a racially insensitive remark to one of MTV’s bloggers during the interview.
02/28/13 This rumor is downgraded to 'false' today as the unofficial word is that he said a racial slur and not that Danica's pole was rigged for the suspension reason. So NASCAR did not dispute that the pole may have been rigged according to this source – the party line is that it was a racial slur. Clements was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday for using a racial slur in an interview with a writer at Daytona International Speedway, a source told ESPN.com.
NASCAR officials would not verify or discuss what Clements said to earn the suspension, only that it was an "intolerable and insensitive remark'' and violated the sanctioning body's Code of Conduct for actions detrimental to stock car racing.
"During the course of an interview, Jeremy Clements made an intolerable and insensitive remark," O'Donnell said in a release. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that's explicitly spelled out in the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book. We fully expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code."
The rule book prohibits "public statement'' that criticizes, ridicules or otherwise disparages another person based on race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age or handicapping condition.
02/28/13 Clements did release a statement Wednesday, but also refused to elaborate.
"I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team," he said. "NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment."
The conspiracy theorists of course say, in other words he now understands that if he wants to race in NASCAR he will zipper his mouth and play along with the game.
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| Jeremy Clements learned the hard way you never expose NASCAR. Years ago Kyle Petty talked about "The Call" in NASCAR being real and after winning 8 Sprint Cup races he never stiffed victory again and eventually retired |
02/28/13 NASCAR has indefinitely suspended Nationwide Series drive Jeremy Clements for making an “intolerable and insensitive remark" during the course of an interview, according to senior vice president of racing operations Steve O’Donnell.
NASCAR announced the suspension was a violation of its code of conduct, but provided no other details.
Clements finished 33rd in Saturday at Daytona after dropping out with an oil line problem.
The suspension and lack of details from NASCAR created speculation on Twitter as to what Clements said in the unspecified interview, but we found an interview Clements did from last week in which he speculated NASCAR fixed the pole for Danica. SI.com