Earnhardt to Busch: learn from error

Reigning Nextel Cup Champion Busch was charged by police for reckless driving following an incident near the Phoenix International Raceway on Friday night.

He refused sobriety tests at the scene and his initial breathalyser test disclosed the presence of alcohol. A second breathalyser machine malfunctioned and he was not charged with any alcohol related offence.

Following consultation with the sponsors of Busch's number 97 car, Roush Racing chose to drop him for the final two races of the season.

Earnhardt, like Busch, drives a car sponsored by an alcoholic beverage company. He believes that Busch has made a mistake, but if he comes back next season with Penske Racing and sets a good example, he could stop fellow racers getting into trouble in the future.

Earnhardt Jr said: "Well, the number one thing that I've been told and what I understand is that, in my situation and how I would feel the same if I was the beer company, is that number one, you drink responsibly.

"You know, alcoholic beverages can be enjoyed and drank and you can have a good time. But you've got to do it responsibly and you've got to know where to draw the line and know how to be able to. Drawing the line is not getting into that area where you make poor decisions, and that's what drinking responsibly is all about.

"So, unfortunately, Kurt made a mistake. Lots of people make mistakes and he'll hopefully learn from it. I'm sure you could tell a man, you could tell me, you could tell anybody a thousand times over about a mistake that you might have made, but some people just have to live it.

"And hopefully Kurt learns something through this and I think that, I'm sure that, some way or another, somebody will be able to put a positive spin on it one way or another.

"If he gets back to full form as a race car driver and, you know, takes care of business and makes better decisions off the race track, he can tell everybody just how close he came to screwing it all up.

"So, hopefully he can put a positive spin on it and keep a lot of other people out of trouble in the future. But, it's a dangerous game, man, when you get behind the wheel of a car, no matter if you just had a couple of Martinis-it don't matter."