Tag Archives: Kevin Grubb

Mark Martin was able to gap Jimmie Johnson on the final restart with an old school approach of braking early and accelerating hard out of the corners... a lesson I’d guess Johnson isn’t going to forget anytime soon.

Disregarding the multitude of speculation out there regarding his death, what is known for sure is that the NASCAR community has lost Kevin Grubb, a former Nationwide Series driver. Grubb, 31, was discovered dead in a Richmond, VA-area hotel, reportedly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. There has been nothing reported regarding a motive for Grubb’s suicide; the only definitive, that Grubb’s death is a true tragedy. To have any person, especially one of Grubb’s young age, take their own life, is both shocking and troubling. And for the racing community, to lose one of their own, a race fan who like so many out there lived their life one lap a time and a driver striving to live the dream, is truly a difficult pill to swallow.

Every once in a while, something happens that puts things in perspective. Something that reminds you why you’re here in the first place. It’s not necessarily a big event--it can be something as small as a child’s thank you or the smell of spring and fresh cut grass. But it’s a reminder of what is important, and right, and good. It was that kind of week. A couple of things happened to put my racing life into perspective.

The Busch Series has long had a reputation as a starting ground for new teams and young, upcoming drivers, but the huge influx of Cup wheelmen into the series in recent seasons has had an effect on that philosophy. Fewer seats have been available to drivers looking to prove themselves, and for startup teams, it has been a difficult road to find the funding necessary to compete with the Cup powerhouse organizations that have accompanied the Cup drivers into the Busch Series. Now, we have a sponsor willing to tell us why.

Following the September 8th Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway, driver Kevin Grubb refused a random drug test request, resulting in a suspension for an indefinite period of time by NASCAR. In doing so, the 28-year old Mechanicsville, Va. native may have effectively ended his career as a stock car driver within the sanctioning body, despite the controversy surrounding his latest suspension. Unfortunately for Grubb, it's a career NASCAR had every right to grind to a halt.

Hidden behind the big story to come out of Richmond this past weekend, it was announced Tuesday that Kevin Grubb had been suspended indefinitely from NASCAR a second time for failure to follow the sport's drug policy.

It was another chapter of the same story Friday night, as Kevin Harvick chalked up his sixth Busch Series win of the year at Richmond International Raceway. Harvick was once again the class of the field and clearly dominated all night, leading 154 laps en route to the victory. Greg Biffle finished a distant second followed by Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, and Reed Sorenson rounding out the top five.