Big Bad Kasey Kahne?
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by Chuck Abrams ~ December 20th, 2007 @ 4:46 pm. Filed under: Chuck Checks In!. 4,575 reads |
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On January 8, just weeks before SpeedWeek in Daytona, Kasey Kahne will appear before a judge and face assault charges stemming from an altercation with a security guard the last race of the year at Homestead-Miami.
Is this a new side of Kasey Kahne? Are the marketing machines behind Kahne behind creating a new mean tempered bad boy image? Does being sponsored by Budweiser in 2008 require an image makeover from the pretty boy chased by middle-aged women to a take-no-prisoners-we-don’t-need no-stinking-badges attitude?
Even if Kasey is out to show us he no pushover, apparently the security guard is.
Kahne started the Busch race in Miami in eighth and finished a disappointing 25th, 1 lap down. Perhaps that is where the trouble started.
I am sure many of you have heard about this altercation already, maybe not. Leaving the Busch garages, Kahne approached the off limits area of driver motorhomes and was stopped by a 62-year old rent a cop. The “security guard”, Archibald Hutchinson, attempted to stop Kahne who did not produce proper credentials. Kahne’s brother presented his own credentials, as Kahne had just exited his car. Apparently, someone decided that Archie was just the kind of Dirty Harry that Homestead needed to keep out small, wiry, sweaty, nervous fans from dressing up like Kahne, arriving on a golf cart after a race with HIS brother from trying to enter the motorhome area.
As Archie attempted to hinder Kahne from entering the area, Kahne told him he was a driver and did not need credentials. Kahne allegedly tried to go around the quick stepping Archie and in NBA drive to the basket fashion, Archie found himself being bowled over by Kahne doing his best Karl Malone impersonation. Allegedly.
It seems that arriving on a golf cart wearing your sweaty race uniform at the time other drivers are all arriving AFTER a race is not credentials enough. I can see that. And perhaps this was Archie’s first race and he has never met the drivers before. Also possibly true. And perhaps he does not own a TV and has never seen the plethora of commercials that Kahne has appeared in over the past few years. Or perhaps he is not a race fan and had it been Martha Stewart trying to get in we would not even be talking about this.
So was this a case of mistaken identity or a case of a stubborn rent a cop who was bound and determined not to let anyone in the area even though he knew it was a driver but the book says he can’t let you in?
In any case, Archie was transported to the track care center and then to the local hospital and is now seeking $15,000 in damages to cover his medical expenses, punitive damages and lost wages. Sounds like his security guard job was a pretty good gig. And it sounds as if Kasey did a number on Archie causing a tear in his lumbar spine and preventing him from working since.
Ouch. I have lower back pain and that can be one crazy trip, especially for a senior acting as a security guard.
Four law enforcement officers back up Archie’s story while Kahne’s brother tells another side. Don’t you wish a security camera was around for this Battle of The Titans?
I am sure this case will get resolved in a nice financial way or young Kasey could do time in the pokey. He could replace Kurt Busch as NASCAR’s Bad Boy flaunting his celebrity status against Johnny Law. I can see him now, a new, harder Kasey with that look that doing time does to a man. Tats. Shaved head. Buff from lifting. Cigarette hanging from his mouth and a cold Bud in his hand. Crushing the can on his head when he is done with it.
I hope Archie gets to feeling better, I really do. He was just doing his job and he ran into a lean, mean, fighting machine. Wrong place, wrong time, and wrong driver.
Carl Edwards had better watch out. There is a new sheriff in town and he is driving a red car. And he doesn’t pull his punches.
Let me know your thoughts.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up. Merry Christmas.
Feel free to send Chuck your thoughts on this and other race topics at chucka@turnleftracing.com. The blog at www.turnleftracing.com is down now due to spammers. We will have that back up as soon as we can.
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December 21st, 2007 at 9:16 am
“causing a tear in his lumbar spine and preventing him from working since” - hadn’t heard about the spine problem in previous articles. The hospital said scrapes & bruises. Archie did state that he was being “killed” on the internet by the fans. Will he sue us next?
December 21st, 2007 at 9:57 am
I hope not!
December 21st, 2007 at 11:21 am
If that gaurd has been on the internet getting killed by fans he knew who Kasey Kahne is
December 21st, 2007 at 11:37 am
what’s a 62 yo doing working security at a track in the first place? and, oh, by the way, appearantly fans have been complaining about “event security” at Homestead for awhile. seems like all them boys take themselves a little too seriously. may be Homestead oughta pay for Dirty Archie’s “pain and suffering”. or maybe ol’ Arch needs a new condo…..?
December 21st, 2007 at 11:39 am
what in the world is a speedway doing hiring a 62 year old man as a security guard. And don’t explain to their guards that drivers don’t carry credentials when they’re on mthe track racing.
I think ol’ Archie is looing for a quick payday and he will probably get it. The cards are stacked against Kasey for putting his hands on the guy. On the other hand, if i were Kasey i file suit again the track for not informing Archie of who the drivers are and to able to reconize them.
December 21st, 2007 at 11:57 am
(comment removed at the discretion of the webmaster)
December 21st, 2007 at 1:12 pm
“He could replace Kurt Busch as NASCAR’s Bad Boy flaunting his celebrity status against Johnny Law.”
HaHa! Exactly what I was thinking, but I don’t think Kasey was drunk and beligerent at the time.
December 21st, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I don’t think a track should hire anybody who wouldn’t recognize the drivers on sight. It should be a courtesy. Also, why the heck are they employing a 62 year-old who can’t hold his own against Kasey Kahne? What if some rowdy Jr fans tried to get in the motorhome lot?!
I don’t think Kasey should have put his hands on him, if he even did, but the rent a cop had no right to touch Kasey either.
December 21st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
kasey kahne did not have to go to jail because of knocking somebody down since he is from washington state and does not have be a bad boy like jeff gordon and jimmie johnson getting away with everying nascar has turned into the jeff and jimmie show and good guys like robby gordon kasey kahne tony stewart kurt busch and all the other good guys get caught by nascar like robby gordon did at pocono by being suspended 1 race for wrecking marcos ambrose and not restarting in 18th place robby gordon and tony stewart and kasey kahne are my favorite nascar drivers and have been for the last 2 years and they rock nascar and should have not getting caught by nascar
December 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pm
The man was just trying to do his job, regardless of his age. Kahne knows the rules but feels he does not have to abide by them. What Jeff, Jimmie and the others mentioned have to do with this episode escapes me. At least nobody brought up #3……
December 21st, 2007 at 5:52 pm
The silliest thing ever, never thought it would go this far, hiring people who don’t know squat about racing is ignorant…maybe he’s related to Brian France!!!!!!
December 21st, 2007 at 9:27 pm
jjfocus, have a question for you. Where should Kasey have had his ID? Is there any place in a driver’s uniform where his valid driver’s license can go? Is Kasey’s name on his uniform?
Did ALL the other drivers have their ID’s with them or was Kasey singled out?
I have no problem with the guy doing his job, but have a huge problem with his sudden desire to sue. He’s near retirement age, he’s working an extra job, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s seeing a cash cow in Kasey.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:29 pm
P.S. It was the sudden development of a spinal tear that piqued my interest. Originally, the hospital said scrapes and bruises.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Don’t tell him, but maybe he should be suing the hospital for releasing him without diagnosing that spinal tear…. Yeah, like they could miss something like that, but catch his scrapes & bruises….
December 21st, 2007 at 9:45 pm
I’ve been with law inforcement for over 30 years. I think the people responseable is whoever hires the guards. I do believe this is just a guard looking for a pay check. Maybe Honestead should give each guard a notebook with all pictures of the drivers in. I’m 67 and I think the guard and the company are both to blame.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I’ve been in law enforcement for twenty years and have over 10 years supervisory experience. I saw the police reports online on another site. A couple of things really stood out. First of all, these officers need to take a course in report writing and spelling. The second thing is a biggie to me. In three of the statements by law enforcement witnesses, there are a couple of lines that are almost word for word. It looks like they were either copying each other’s report or they all talked it over beforehand and decided mor or less what the statements would say.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:39 am
I’ve seen Kasey up close & there’s no way he’s an ounce over 135 lbs dripping wet.
I’ve also observed the physique of most 62 yr. old security guards. How does a guy with at least a 60 lb. advantage end up with scrapes & bruises from a shoving match ?
I’m sorry, but someone this blatant with their “payday lawsuit” should be ashamed.
December 22nd, 2007 at 11:06 am
I think Casey has now officially become afflicked with anger management issues. After a season of anger management classes and “probation” from Nascar, life will go on. For the record, I still like when driver’s “push” reporters who are “just doing their jobs” as opposed to security guards that are just doing their jobs”!
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Maybe Archy’s favorite show is CSI-Homestead/Miami, and he came off with one of those Caruso like intro phrases followed by a scream by Roger Daltrey. Kasey was probably trying to get away from those three women who keep following him and had no choice but to get physical with him. What ever the case that old proverb that says, “He who is looking for trouble will soon find it.”, rings true. I bet if Kasey was with a scantily clad spokesmodel he would have let him in through, and some people think they serve no purpose.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:59 am
Boy, this one sticks to high heaven. I blame two people in this incident. First off I am sure the racetrack has to hire probably about 150 rent-a-cops for each event. You would think that during the meeting that Archy’s meeting with the head of security at the ractract could have ask a simple question, is anyone here familiar with NASCAR and the drivers. You know that out of all those cops someone watches and knows who the drivers are. Gee, lets put him at the motorhome gate! Number two, rent-a-cops are not police officers. If you are going to stand in front of someone who just came out of a hot race truck for three hours, and didn’t do too good, you better be prepaired for an altercation. You lay your hands on someone in a bad mood, someone is going to end up on the ground! Now a few bumps and scrapes have turned into a major back injury. Myself, being someone who is disabled in my back, you don’t get back problems days after you hit the ground, trust me, you will know it then. The gate to the motorhome lot is a high priority place and should have a person from NASCAR standing their instead of someone who does not know one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR now. This can only bring one conclusion, Archy’s started the incident looking to start trouble and make a buck out of the whole thing. This stunk from the start and really stinks now! This is just another mistake by NASCAR not to have priority people in priority places, like a traveling medical team, security dealing directly with the drivers, ect. NASCAR is going to take the cheap way out with everyone paying with their reputation, money, and in some cases their life. Do things right the first time, and things like this won’t happen!
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
My father is almost 65 years old and he is a security guard. Age has nothing to do with the persons ability to guard a gate. Sounds like this guy is milking a situation that he created in the first place.
December 23rd, 2007 at 8:11 pm
You’ve got an error in your story …
The incident in question happened on Friday night (11/16 about 7:30pm) after Busch Happy Hour … NOT on Saturday after the Busch race … However, Kasey was arrested on Saturday 11/17 at 13:30 hrs …
The bad command of the English language & grammar by the officers in the reports is pretty sad … The writing is hard to read …
With the exception of the actual arrest affidavit, Kasey’s name is misspelled by the DHS/ICE agents, the Monroe County Sheriff’s detectives and the so-called “victim” … Did any of these people ever look at Kasey’s back to see how his last name is spelled?? What about the cop who handcuffed Kasey?? If they put the cuffs on him with his hands behind his back, why did they fail to see his name??
None of the reports (arrest affidavit or victim/witness statements) ever mention anything about the so-called victim ever being taken to the hospital … The news reports mention that he was treated & released from the infield care center …
There’s inconsistencies between the witness statements and the victim’s statement as to exactly what time the incident happened … The female detective says it happened at 7:30pm and the victim says it happened at 6:30pm … They need to get their act together … Based on the times listed, the victim says it happened before the Busch Happy Hour and the detective says it happened after the Busch Happy Hour … Who’s correct?!?!?
This whole thing sounds very fishy … especially the claims that Kasey was beligerent and showed no respect towards law enforcement …
December 24th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Thanks for the clarification on the alleged event timing. I caught that after posting and in fact, another fan pointed it out to me as well. So Kasey’s possible anger/frustration had nothing to do with any actual racing even except for perhaps Busch qualifying which he did OK in. Maybe he was just having a bad hair day. Thanks to all the fans who took the time to read this and post comments here or back to me via email. I appreciate it.
chuck
December 26th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
It sounds to me like a 62 yr old security guard, who had NO business at the gate to the drivers motorhome lot, is looking for a payday! Anyone that has been to the infield and has any type of credentials has had to deal with rent-a-cop. What a joke! Most, if not all, don’t have a clue about what is going on. I find it highly irresponsible of the track management to have someone “guarding” the gate to an exclusive area of the track that is not trained and/or qualified to do so. I guarantee I am better qualified to do that guards job than he was. If you can’t recognize virtually any driver by sight you probably don’t have any business guarding that particular gate. Old Archie, track management and NASCAR ought to be ashamed of themselves for putting any driver in this position. Whether or not Mr Kahne really assaulted Old Archie I don’t know. I know if some some wanna be rent a cop tried to keep me out of my million dollar motorhome after I climbed out of a hot racecar, he’d be scoopin’ dogsh** with a soup spoon for his next job. Which is maybe what Old Archie was really qualified to do in the first place.
December 27th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I just wanted to say I love your take on the situation. I’ve read alot of reports and they all make Kasey sound like he really did a job on the security guard, except for the fact they also state at the infield care center they said he just had scrapes and bruises. Now he’s suing for missed time off from work! For scrapes and bruises? If he’s got lumbar issues it was probably already a pre-existing condition, not caused by this.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Issue one Nascar should have there own personel guards at all tracks watching the gates.They should know about the sport,know the drivers that being the case this would not have happened.
Issue two the guard there in that case is looking for a big payday so he can retire early and
sit on a boat off the coast.Its a waste of court time let the Nascar police deal with this non issue……..
December 30th, 2007 at 2:16 am
They need to send some of California Speedway’s security guards over to Homestead. They like to party just as much as the rest of their fellow infielders. I just think the old guy got nudged a little, and PURPOSELY fell backwards. It’s not that hard. I do it all the time. He just needs a little financial aid to keep up with the rent for his prized Beach Front retirement home. LET KASEY GO!
January 8th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Someone mentioned and I think it bares repeating….Wasn’t Kasey’s name on his suit? Only drivers have their names on their suits, right?
January 9th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Kasey’s name isn’t on the front of his suit but if I remember right its on the back at the very top. Good eye, I never noticed the time error
January 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I thought they all had it on their belt area?
January 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Kasey’s belt says goodyear
January 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Is nobody but me suspicious of a “tear in the lumbar spine”? How do you TEAR your spine? The only thing in your SPINE to tear is the SPINAL CORD. If that happened, wouldn’t he be paralyzed?????