Entertaining Fight at ARCA Race

If it wasn't for the Bill Clinton interview video, the video of this fight at an ARCA race in Toledo would probably be number one on the internet (from WTOL):

A dispute that erupted during a stock-car race after one driver's car went into the wall led to a wild fight in which the driver took a running leap through the plastic windshield of another car. The fight began on the 112th lap of Sunday's Great Lakes Chevy Dealers/Budweiser Glass City 200 at the Toledo Speedway when a car driven by Michael Simko went into the wall after dueling for position with Don St. Denis.

Simko got out of his car and began running toward St. Denis' car, which by that time was stopped on the track, according to a video and an account on the Web site of the Automobile Racing Club of America. The club sanctioned the race.

At a full run, Simko jumped through the plastic windshield with both feet. Simko then fell from the vehicle to the ground, got up and hurled his helmet at St. Denis, who was still in the driver's seat.

After race officials ordered Simko away from the vehicle and into the infield, St. Denis jumped out and rushed him. The two threw several punches at each other before they could be separated.

Both drivers have been suspended from ARCA-sanctioned events indefinitely, Scott Schultz, general manager of Toledo Speedway, said Monday. "Any fighting is an automatic suspension with us," Schultz said.

Sanctioning bodies like ARCA or NASCAR have done everything in their power to sanitize racing and try to knock off some of the rough edges, and both bodies come down hard on racers who get into fights. I guess they don't want to look uncivilized, but NASCAR owes it's leap to prominence partly to a fight.

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first live televised NASCAR race on network TV. On a day when much of the Northeast was socked in by a blizzard (it was February) and most other sports were dormant, many people had nothing to watch except the 500. During the last lap two of the leaders wrecked each other and just after the race ended, a fight broke out between the two wrecked drivers and another driver who stopped to defend his brother. That scene was televised live all across the country, and the ratings for NASCAR immediately started climbing.

Now, NASCAR really frowns on fighting and issues tough penalties to any driver or crewman who doesn't comport himself properly, but secretly, you have to know that they like those shows of fiery emotion because it keeps the fans tuning in.