Mike Helton said drivers usually are left to police themselves, but have not been doing as well recently. Credit: Autostock

Helton draws the line on drivers' on-track actions

DOVER, Del. -- NASCAR president Mike Helton, dissatisfied with recent driver conduct, said offenders could be seriously punished for violations in Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway.

"We have reached a point where enough is enough," he said at the prerace driver's meeting. "What that means is that if we see things continue in the direction we've seen the past two or three weeks, then we will continue to ramp up our reaction to be more severe than what we issued on Monday."

His words were heeded, and there were virtually no complaints, a rarity for a Dover race.

NASCAR was particularly upset with actions both on and off the track a week earlier at New Hampshire International Speedway. Those actions led to fines and points reductions for drivers Robby Gordon, Michael Waltrip and Kasey Kahne.

Helton said NASCAR would not hesitate to use its Emergency action rule.

The rule:

"If the act or omission of a member is determined by a NASCAR official or supervisory official to constitute a threat to the orderly conduct of the event, that NASCAR official may take temporary emergency action against the member. Such emergency action may include ejection from the racing premises, suspension of membership and license, or any other action designed to remove the threat created by the member."

Helton said drivers usually are left to police themselves, but have not been doing as well recently. He also cautioned the crew chiefs.

"You need to keep your drivers under control," he said.

Helton said he regretted that his warning was even necessary.

``We wouldn't even have to have this conversation if everyone would just take a deep breath and step back and realize this all starts with respect on the race track, or up and down pit road,'' he said. ``We're not asking you not to be angry. We're not asking you not to be frustrated. That's part of this sport and we realize that.

"What we're asking you for is to understand that, keep it in check and put on a race and put on a show that everybody in NASCAR expects and in the grandstands."

NASCAR also warned drivers about patience prior to the Busch Series race on Saturday, but it didn't prevent some anxious driving in the first few laps of the event, when there was a 14-car pileup. A few laps after the green waved there was another multicar accident, and nearly half the field of 43 was off the track and under repair just 20 laps in to the event.