NASCAR Hits Childress With $150,000 Fine

NASCAR fined Richard Childress $150,000 for hitting driver Kyle Busch after last Saturday's Trucks trace at Kansas Speedway. He was also placed on probation. Childress, the owner of Richard Childress Racing, was apparently upset that Busch bumped one of his drivers, Joey Coulter, after the race. He put Busch in a headlock and hit him several times. Childress accepted responsibility in a prepared statement, but did not apologize, the Associated Press reports. "First of all, I'm responsible for my actions, plain and simple. As you know, I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing. I believe passionately in defending my race teams and my sponsor partners. In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me. "I accept the penalty NASCAR announced today and, as a company, we will now focus on this week's races at Pocono Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway," Childress said. Busch was also in a much-publicized dispute with another Richard Childress Racing driver, Kevin Harvick, last month in Darlington, SC. NASCAR fined both drivers $25,000 and placed them on probation. But in this latest incident, NASCAR says Childress is completely at fault.