Fan arrested after going on the track for Kenseth’s autograph-UPDATED
Quote selected text Published August 13th, 2007 in NASCAR News
UPDATE:
Statement from Watkins Glen International President Craig Rust Regarding Fan on Track during Centurion Boats at the Glen: “During the Centurion Boats at The Glen we apprehended a fan after he climbed a fence in attempt to get an autograph from a Nextel Cup Series driver while the race was under a red flag caution for clean up after an incident in Turn 1. The person was immediately apprehended by WGI Security and Schuyler Co Sheriff’s Deputies and charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor and criminal trespass in the third degree, a Class B misdemeanor. He was arraigned before the Town of Dix Justice where he was committed to the Schuyler County Jail in lieu of $3000 cash bail or $5000 bond. He was later released Sunday night after posting bail. He faces one year in jail if convicted of the endangerment charge. The Schuyler Co. District Attorney’s office is now involved in the on going investigation into the incident. Watkins Glen International is committed to providing a fun and safe environment for fans and competitors therefore we will not tolerate this type of behavior. We feel that it is in the best interest of the track and NASCAR to ban this fan from all future events held here. We are also asking all other NASCAR facilities, including our sister ISC facilities, to also honor this ban at any of their future events.”
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The sports marketing folks will tell you NASCAR has become a Big Four sport in the country because easy access to drivers makes them seem like ordinary people. Very easy access, one fan proved on Sunday afternoon when he simply walked onto the track for an autograph.
During a late-race, red-flag period, a man ran up to Matt Kenseth’s #17 Ford, reached through the passenger window and asked the driver to sign his hat. “He just said, ‘Will you sign this?’” Kenseth was heard saying to his crew over the driver radio. “I’m like, ‘I’m a little busy right now.’” The man, half inside the car window, asked again but Kenseth refused. The man finally gave up and ran — in a far from straight line — back toward the fans’ area. He was soon arrested.
The man apparently gained access to the track by climbing over the large wire fence, ran across the grass, then stepped over the blue barrier at trackside.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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that was freaking hilarious, and broke up the monotony of the red flag. leave him alone!
hahaha i second that
Yeah, it was hilarious and I enjoyed it at the moment, but totally unsafe for the fan and the drivers… What if he had run out there with a handgun tucked in his pants or a bomb taped around his waist? I don’t know about security at the Glen, but here at Atlanta Motor Speedway, that’s certainly not out of the question. They never have checked much of anything when I go to the races, even if I drag in my huge camera bag that carries all my lenses and camera bodies.
What if someone else gets the same idea and runs out there during a yellow and ends up getting run over? They pretty much have to smack this guy down by pressing charges and put measures in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again for the safety of everyone.
THAT WOULD ONLY BE WORTH THE RISK FOR DALE EARNHARDT, JR ~ IF
I EVER GET THE CHANCE TO MEET HIM, IM PROPOSING RIGHT THERE…LOL!
“I’m like, ‘I’m a little busy right now.’” ..lmao!
mat knew the guy was going to get busted! i think that is bull $hit that he dident do it for the guy. that had to be one of his bigest fans to do that. it would of taken 2 seconds to do it , matt your a punk!
I was soooo pissed it made the red flag so much longer!~
nothing obligates matt to sign autographs when he is in his race car. matt is not a punk. i wouldnt sign in that situation, id be focused on the race.
it didnt mkae the red longer. and need to be focused on the race, the guy is already there and everyone is talkign about it just do it for the guy i mean come on
I would like to know how many other drivers would have said
“I’m like, I’m a little busy now” The only one that comes to mind is Dale Jarrett. He refuses to sign autographs behind the pit wall any place so I guess on the track would be the same.
I agree it wasnt the smartest thing to do and more than a few beers played into it some how but what the hell it wasn’t like Matt was doing anything at that moment. Like Hot Rod said the guy knew he was busted so give him something for the effort…
my question: How’d he get over the wire fence?
nice security, watkins. You can at least put up some prison wire or something….not to mention most tracks have officials every 100 feet or so along the fenceline.
It was HILARIOUS, reminded me of seeing Sterling get out of his car during the 500 and pull on his fender. That cracked me up!! I’m torn about Matt not signing, he’s a great guy, I’ve known him for years, and he would sign anything for anyone, but I don’t think he wanted to reward the man for breaking the rules.
But yeah, on what Steve said, Security? Ok, I’m in the infield all the time, and they don’t have any security just walking the fences, they drive around occasionally in golf carts, but they don’t really cramp the fans, but still, there are cameras everywhere, how did they miss seeing a man climbing a large fence!?
Just another clip for the highlights reel at the end of the season!!
amazing… its hard to get to the track where he was, been up there myself a few times
im really surprised that kenseth didnt sign it though
What a freakin’ moron. Someone should have run his @ss over. I go to 3 or 4 NASCAR races a year and always get stuck next to some idiot like this fool. What a waste of air. They should treat him like the @ssbag beer can throwers at Talladega and just ban him from the races, period.
It reminds me of the track rescue worker that asked for Richard Petty’s autograph when crashed (I dont remember
the track) the year he retired.
as for the guy who said that matt was a punk for not signing … you need to take a closer look into what all happens INSIDE a car. it’s not they are just sitting with one finger on the wheel. not to mention what happens if he did decide to give it to him and then on the next race and more fans think that it’s ok to do it … om, no, not safe for the fans, the officials or the drivers by any means. As a dedicated Kenseth Fan, I must agree with what he did. I am probably one of the biggest of his fan as he actually raced with my dad in wisconsin and that was completely uncalled for even from a fans’ point of view. GO MATT for taking into your hands and saying no. You are a true driver that knows the rules and the race!
Matt Kenseth did the right thing. He’s out on that track doing what he’s paid to do. There is a time and place for the fans to interact with the drivers. Running out on the track was just STUPID and the dummy should have been arrested! I agree that track security needs improvement.
omg people. if you were actually go to a race, see it all for yourselves, and see that EVERY car is stopped on the track COMPLETELY, theres not gonna be any harm in a poor little guy askin for an autograph. It was funnier than hell, and he should have signed it. If it was my favorite driver, it would be worth the punishment to be on TV and get his autograph.
I can see the guy before he climbed the fence say, ” Here hold my beer and watch this”
Well if Matt DID SIGN IT, then whats to stop the fans (most likely drunk) from trying
to climb over onto the track again hoping to get lucky??
Im glad he didn’t.
But that was funny.
Could you imagine the mob going after drivers like Junior, Tony, Gordon ect… this weekend at Michigan if Matt had signed it…? He did the right thing.
That man was deffinatly not the brightest crayola in that box!!! Wow!
Yes lets not start a trend. I remember when Ayrton Senna would win in F1 the crowd would pour out on the track and surround his car and he would have to leave it there and get a police escort to the victory podium. We dont need that in nascar.
What got me was that Matt Kenseth Would NOT sign, !!! Shows he’s true colors……………
He is a LITTLE BUSY> ROFL> He was sitting there picking his nose during a Red Flag and one of his biggest of his Five Fans runs out for an Autograph. NO>
I agree I think he was a total jerk,busy busy doing what it would take 2 seconds total jerk.
Lola michigan alot different theres no way a fan could climb that fence an get onto track.
Hey ChrisZ28, if you really think it would be worth the year in jail and fines this guy is looking at to get your driver’s autograph, you might want to re-think your priorities.
What if Matt did sign it? Like Andy said, it would put the idea in every Jr, Gordon, or Kahne fan’s heads that they could do the same thing at their local track under red. Eventually it would be like a baseball game where as soon as the inning is over, the cops come out and line the field to stop yahoos from running onto the field.
And all you people that think this is a good idea… What about when a member of Al Qaeda runs out on the track with a bomb strapped to his chest and blows your favorite driver to bits? Still a good idea to encourage idiotic drunk fans to run on the track seeking an autograph? If you do that, you’re opening the door to this type of potential situation. The track is absolutely correct to do everything they can to limit the access fans have to the track and drivers during an event. It’s not just for the safety of the fans, but the drivers as well.
I hope they bang this moron for the max punishment they can, and then actually make him do the time. That should hopefully send a message to any other yokels that might consider this BS.
i definately agree it was quite the hilarious (and drunken) event of the race…but…absolutely unsafe!!! anyone familiar with an old F1 race in Kyalami
South Africa where someone was cut in half by a racecar?!?! yeah i know not quite the same but that is one possibilty and as for any terroristic intentions i think it would have happened already if it was gonna!!! but lets not make it any easier for those fools right?! the real terror would probably be some fool or another that does something horrible to a driver they don’t like(i think it was Monica Seles that was stabbed right?) so in short fans should stay in the fan area and driver in their cars etc…and if all you want is an autograph well get one at a signing!!!! i am sure it looks the same as one gotten by these actions!!! and they will probably be the last nascar event that dude ever sees…but on the flipped side…nice to see the Glen is still as nutty as ever…
like i said it would of taken 1 minute. the guy could get all the fines and jail time if he would of did for the guy atleast the guy would be able to ebay the hat and get sum cash back! lol!!! by the way matt your still a punk!!
At least the guy could have brought him a bottle of water.
GEEZ PEOPLE! MATT CAN’T SIGN IT BECAUSE THAT DELIVERS A MESSAGE TO EVERYONE ELSE
THAT IT’S OKAY TO HOP THE FENCE AND RUN ONTO THE TRACK AND GET THEIR AUTOGRAPHS!
If he HAD signed it, I guarentee you people would be trying it again this weekend !
And for you people to say that they ARE NOT busy in the car?? Are you kidding???
They have so much running through their minds about what they have to do further
in the race. They’re not just sitting their kicking back. It’s common sense guys, c’mon.
Matt did the right thing.
One time, when Jeff Gordon was at the hospital waiting for
the birth of his daughter, I used a crowbar to open the door
to his private room and asked for an autogragh. He just
said, “Um, like, my wife’s about to go into the delivery room.”
Then he refused to sign my shirt and hat. It would have
only taken a minute. What a jerk!
That’s pretty funny Michael. I just laugh at the replies above that say he should have signed the autograph. *rollseyes*
Michael, I bet you were outraged when JG wouldn’t sign your shirt!!! He OWES it to you to sign your shirt, especially if you went to that much trouble! What a pompous jerk. I probably would have punched him in the neck if he did that to me!
First of all, my family along with myself has experienced to many times about getting autographs from the drivers! Just about all of them are so hocked on themselves that they do not have time to do this. Jr is one of them (even though he is my favorite driver). He walks away before he will sign, especially at Daytona, Florida!
Second, if NASCAR had the right officials doing what they were suppose to do, that man would have never gotten over the fence. Don’t blame the man who all he wanted was an autograph, blame NASCAR for not having the security in the proper places to keep the people where they need to be. If you ask me NASCAR should take most of the blame on this one, not only NASCAR, but the drivers who most of the time forget who pays to watch them so they have a job.
So if a person hops the fence and runs onto the track and gets himself killed
by a car going 190mph its Nascar’s fault right? No. What if 10 people
hopped it at once, can’t stop them all. Still the peoples fault, not Nascar.
And of course not every damn driver is going to sign EVERY autograph, are you
joking. They sign one and guess what, 10 more come, then 30, by then they
can’t get out. Especially someone like Dale Jr. That’s why they have
autograph sessions, so getting an autograph by walking up to them
is just lucky.
Did you forget that the cars were not driving at all they were red flagged? You are saying something totally different that what has been stated. Of course you would. and second why should people have to pay to get an autograph? we pay them as it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you tell all af them sherry!!!
I second the comment that Carl Edwards made on a radio interview,..he said that he would have gave the fan an autograph, cause he probably knew he’d be arrested, so at least Matt could have made it worth his trouble. *Now this is Not an exact quote from Carl, but pretty close.*