American race car driver Kyle Busch at the NASCAR Cup playoff game Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021.Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty
NASCAR has mandated sensitivity training for race car driver Kyle Busch following a derogatory remark he made Sunday about rival Brad Keselowski, the racing organization said in a statement.
After the NASCAR Cup playoff race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on Sunday, the driver was speaking to reporters about his opponent Keselowski, who finished in third behind Busch, 36.
Specifically addressing an on-track incident in which Keselowski’s and his car made contact, Busch said, “He was trying to do a Harvick is what he was trying to do.” (The comment was in reference to driver Kevin Harvick, who attempted to spin Busch out of a race a year ago at Martinsville,according to Yahoo! Sports.)
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“For what? For second place? To do what? He wasn’t going to transfer through with that. Freaking [R-word]. So stupid. I don’t understand these guys,” Busch continued. The R-word is a slur used to refer to people with disabilities. The Special Olympics lists the word as a form ofhate speech.
Busch — who did not advance for title contention in the Cup Series playoffs — later apologized that night, writing on Twitter, “In one of my post-race interviews I used a word I should never use, and I want to apologize for that.”
And on Monday,NASCAR issued a statementin response to the incident and confirmed the mandatory training for Busch ahead of the 2022 season.
“The two-time series champion used a term that disparages those with intellectual disabilities when describing an on-track incident with Brad Keselowski. Both drivers were eliminated from title contention ahead of the Phoenix Raceway finale,” the statement posted on NASCAR’s site also said.
Read More:19-year-old NASCAR Driver Hailie Deegan Apologizes for Using Slur About People with Disabilities
Keselowski, 37, also did not advance to the final, with only winner Alex Bowman moving on.
This is not the first instance where NASCAR has required a race car driver to undergo sensitivity training over offensive remarks.
Last year 19-year-old NASCAR Driver Hailie Deegan issued a public apology after using a slur about people with disabilities. She was recorded using the slur while taking part in an online race through Twitch.
At the time, Deegan said “It was inappropriate slang and a stupid thing to do.”
source: people.com
