Officials placed on leave
Two officials named in a $225 million racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against NASCAR have been placed on administrative leave for violating company policy, The Associated Press has learned.
The officials, who were not immediately identified, were sent home from Kentucky Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday evening, a person familiar with the NASCAR investigation told the Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because NASCAR’s investigation is ongoing.
Mauricia Grant filed her suit Tuesday, alleging 23 specific incidents of sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of racial and gender discrimination during her time as a technical inspector for NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series.
Grant, who is black, claims her October 2007 firing was retaliation for complaining about the way she was treated on the job from her January 2005 hiring.
NASCAR sent a team of investigators from its human resources and legal offices to Kentucky this weekend to interview those named in the suit. Of 27 interviews conducted away from the track Thursday and Friday, two officials were found to have engaged in behavior that violated NASCAR policy.
Their leave is indefinite, but paid.
“We take this issue very seriously, and we’re going to always do everything we can to maintain a professional work place,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.
NASCAR chairman Brian France has not addressed the validity of Grant’s claims, but said the former official never made a formal complaint or followed NASCAR policy in reporting harassment.
Investigators have failed to uncover a single instance where Grant complained to her supervisors or other NASCAR employees about the way she was treated, and NASCAR plans to continue defending the organization against the lawsuit, the person familiar with the investigation told AP.
Grant has said she followed the chain of command all the way to Nationwide Series director Joe Balash, but stopped short of telling human resources because she was reprimanded by that department for a separate incident two weeks after lodging her complaint. She said she viewed the reprimand, which included a threat of termination, as retaliation for complaining to Balash.
Named in the suit are Balash, assistant series director Mike Dolan, two supervisors, NASCAR’s senior manager for business relations, the human resources director and 17 officials who were Grant’s co-workers.
The two employees placed on leave were among those 17 officials. Balash, Dolan and the two supervisors remained on site in Kentucky for tonight’s Nationwide Series race.
Busch gets pole position
Kyle Busch will start from the pole Sunday in the LifeLock 400, thanks to rain that washed away qualifying at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.
The rain began pelting down after 11 of 45 drivers had completed qualifying attempts on the 2-mile oval and NASCAR was forced to fill the race field by points, giving series leader Busch his third pole start of the season. He will be joined on the front row by Jeff Burton, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and defending race winner Carl Edwards in row two.
“It’s probably going to be like what we’ve seen the past couple of years, with starting up front paying dividends,” Busch said. “I’m going to try to get the five bonus points for leading a lap and then go on and try to have a solid day running up front.”
Hendrick racers in funk
So much for Hendrick Motorsports lapping the competition again this year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears are winless through 14 races, while Jimmie Johnson has picked up the lone victory for the star-studded team that won half of the 36 races last year.
“We don’t know exactly what is going on,” Johnson acknowledged.
Earnhardt, with six top-five finishes, ranks third in the standings. Johnson is sixth, Gordon eighth and Mears is lagging at 26th with just two top-10 performances.
Credit – or blame – for Hendrick falling back to the pack seems to be tied to the Car of Tomorrow being used exclusively in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series this year, creating parity today.
“Right now, we’re just trying to catch up,” said Johnson, the two-time defending Cup champion.
“There are guys that have figured it out and are doing a great job with it. We’re working hard to try to figure it out.”
Biffle nears deal
Gregg Biffle and Roush-Fenway Racing are nearing an agreement on a three-year contract.
“The reality is we’re really close,” said Biffle, who has been trying to complete this deal for several weeks.
Biffle said last week at Pocono that he hoped to have his deal done by Sunday’s Lifelock 400, but now expects it to be completed next week.
Biffle, who has five top-five finishes, is seventh in the standings.