Via Rumors And Rants:
Finally, there’s a NASCAR driver who understands the sport’s roots. Or a former NASCAR driver who does, anyway.
Tyler Walker, who I never heard of until this sentence, was arrested Wednesday after leading police through a high-speed chase that covered ground in three (3!) different states.
Cops in Nevada started chasing Walker for a speeding violation — and what race car driver worth his salt wouldn’t be ? — before he led them into Arizona. The awesome chase continued through the northwest corner of Arizona, where state troopers were also unable to apprehend Walker.
It was the Utah State Police who finally had the know-how and the gumption to slow Walker down, laying down a spike strip on the highway to prevent him from getting any further. (By the way, this would be an awesome addition to NASCAR races. In fact, it is the only way to assure I would watch every race. Or, well, any race. Just have one random lap be the “spike strip” lap when a certain flag comes out. They’d have the thing pop out of the ground for like 10 seconds and wipe out half the field).
Showing the heart of a champion, Walker made it four more miles before all his tires finally gave out. As is the tradition on every episode of Cops, he was apprehended while trying to flee on foot.
Unsurprisingly, Walker wasn’t trying to get away from these guys just because he didn’t feel like paying a speeding ticket. Police uncovered meth, marijuana and open alcohol in the vehicle, the latter of which is probably the most illegal thing to have in Utah.
Walker was suspended by NASCAR in 2007 for violating its substance abuse policy, though by this time you probably could have guessed that.
I’m guessing Walker will never set foot on another race track in his life at this point, but I think NASCAR needs to give him a second chance. This man is living by the very principles this sport was founded on when a bunch of moonshiners and rum runners decided to race their souped-up rides against one another rather than the Feds.
Tyler Walker is the embodiment of the NASCAR dream. He doesn’t belong in jail. He belongs in a race car.
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