Political Correctness Bites NASCAR Reporter

In a sport that now cringes at the sight of the Confederate flags that used to be a staple of every track infield, and whose participants have always been known as "good old boys", political correctness is becoming more and more common. One NASCAR TV reporter has been suspended for making "insensitive" remarks:

Speed officials have confirmed that reporter Ray Dunlap has been suspended one race for inappropriate on-air remarks. Dunlap has been a pit reporter for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at the network since 2004.

Dunlap will not appear on during Saturday's broadcast of the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

The remarks were made during a taping of the network's show "Trading Paint." The Charlotte Observer reported that Dunlap made disparaging remarks toward Hispanics when he and Nextel Cup driver Michael Waltrip were talking about minority interest in the sport during the show, which was taped.

"As a guest on 'Trading Paint,' you try to be edgy, controversial and entertaining," Dunlap said in an e-mail statement. "In a failed attempt at humor, I obviously crossed the line between funny and insensitive. For that, I am deeply sorry.

"I am a huge supporter of NASCAR's diversity initiative and am very proud to work in today's more progressive garage area. I look forward to seeing the fans at the race in Atlanta."

Speed did not comment on the nature or content of Dunlap's remarks in an e-mail statement from Speed spokesman Erik Arneson.

"Ray Dunlap has been suspended for one race (Martinsville) for making comments on-air that the company found inappropriate," the statement read.

Unfortunately, nobody will tell us what he said. I'll bet it was pretty funny.

However, the idea that anything in NASCAR could be considered "insensitive" is a sure sign of trouble for the future of the sport. They're constantly trying to sanitize out anything that might offend someone, such as rough language or overt displays of temper. They better be careful or before long NASCAR racing will be about as exciting and controversial as "Dancing with the Stars".