Sponsors Slam On The Brakes

Last weekend outside Phoenix International Raceway, Kurt Busch, the 2004 Nextel Cup champion, received a citation for reckless driving in an incident that involved alcohol, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies. Apparently, Busch behaved in a belligerent manner toward the deputies during the incident. Proof of his intoxication, however, is inconclusive.

Given Nascar's decision to allow liquor advertising late last year, even the possibility of impropriety is enough to tarnish the sport's wholesome image.

So, Busch--who drives the No. 97 Crown Royal car--is out. At least for now.

"We did not want to be in a position where Roush Racing and Diageo and Newell Rubbermaid could be viewed as condoning this behavior," Roush Racing's president, Geoff Smith, said in a telephone interview yesterday. "In the end, we decided the only appropriate thing to do was suspend him."

"Diageo does not condone this type of behavior from anyone affiliated with our brands or our business," the company said in a prepared statement. "We fully support Roush Racing's swift actions in this regard."

[via NYT]