In recent days, Russian race driver Nikita Mazepin was fired by Haas F1.
This followed the issuing of a code of contact by the FIA in which Russian drivers will still be allowed to race internationally but they won’t be allowed to wear the Russian logo on their uniforms, display the Russian logo on their cars, make reference to Russia (particularly when talking about Ukraine) on social media and in newspapers, radio and television.
Mazepin was furloughed Saturday morning and immediately complained that while he had agreed to the new rules, he was let go anyway. Owner Gene Haas, who can afford to pay the bills all on his own but prefers that somebody else do it, in this case Mazepin’s father, has remained silent but is expected to name a replacement this week.
(My guess? Nico Hulkenburg. He’s not a winner but he’s a steady performer and easy on the equipment. In short, he knows his place).
Now, while Formula One and other sports leagues have taken a stand on Russian aggression, the NHL has not, and you have to wonder way. Forty-one Russian-born players are playing in the NHL, including one of the best in the league, Alex Ovechin, who freely admits to admiring Putin and acknowledges campaigning for him in the last election.
Okay, perhaps at this point in the season, with the playoffs looming (although Washington, Ovechkin’s team, likely won’t make it in), it wouldn’t be fair to kick the players off their teams. But there would not be anything wrong at the end of the season and the players back home for the NHL to declare their future contracts null and voice.
I Tweeted about this on Friday night and a guy replied that athletes shouldn’t suffer for the actions of their elected leaders. First, like Ovechkin, some of these athletes are quite happy with their country killing people, particularly children. So, they don’t deserve to play a game on this side of the ocean that pays them millions of dollars. Second, while the First World War might have started by accident, the Second World Way sure didn’t. Like a guy named Hitler, who wanted to rule the world, we now have Putin, who has similar aspirations.
If those Russian hockey players want to stay here, renounce their citizenship and become a Canadian or American, so be it. Otherwise, at the end of this season, sayonara. You are not wanted here.
Gene Haas is to be congratulated. He did the right thing.
NASCAR
When you’re a NASCAR Cup racer, you have no idea what will happen between green and checkers.
Take Kyle Busch, for example. Busch had a crappy weekend. He spun and hit the wall Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then had a terrible race, starting last. But by the final 20 laps, he was ahead and holding off Martin Truex Jr. He looked certain to cruise to the finish.
And then there was a spin, putting the field into overtime. When the dust cleared, the winner was Alex Bowman (looking remarkably like mid-1950s sprint car and IndyCar racer Pat O’Connor) with Kyle Larson second and Ross Chastain third. Busch wound up fourth.
“Not my day,” he said, simply.
OTHER NEWS (racing and otherwise)
Elon Musk is another one who puts his money where his mouth is. He has called on the United States to increase its oil and gas production. Acknowledging it would hurt his Tesla electric car business. Musk said that “extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.” Germany has also said its EV evolution would be delayed because of the war. It is buying tons of coal to keep its power plants generating.
Joe Gibbs’ grandson Ty Gibb won another Xfinity Series race Saturday at Vegas. Noah Gragson was second and Daniel Hemric third. . . . Wally Dallenbach and Danny Sullivan will be inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in May . . . . Chandler Smith beat Zane Smith and Kyle Busch in Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas . . . . Monster Energy’s Eli Tomac won his record-setting sixth Daytona Speedway Supercross at Daytona Saturday night. . . . And that’s it for this week.
The post Russian driver fired; so, should NHL hockey players appeared first on WHEELS.ca.
from News – WHEELS.ca https://ift.tt/vqODIZ7
via IFTTT
