NASCAR Fines Piquet For Twitter Comment

Nelson Piquet Jr., driver of the No. 30 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been fined $10,000, required to participate in sensitivity training as directed by NASCAR and placed on indefinite probation for violating the sanctioning body’s Code of Conduct policy. 

On September 25, Piquet violated Sections 7-5 (Code of Conduct) and 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2013 NASCAR rule book. 

“Nelson Piquet Jr. recently communicated an offensive and derogatory term that cannot be tolerated in our sport,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “NASCAR’s Code of Conduct explicitly spells out in the 2013 rule book our position regarding the use of disparaging terms. We expect our entire industry to abide by this Code.”

Piquet directed what can best be described as a homophobic comment toward fellow driver Parker Kligerman on Twitter recently. Sources close to the Brazilian driver say the comment was made between friends, and not with malicious intent.

Piquet’s Turner Scott Motorsports team issued a written statement today, saying, “We have spoken to Nelson about his insensitive comment and he understands that such remarks will not be tolerated at Turner Scott Motorsports. TSM expects those associated with the team to uphold professional standards that we can all be proud of.  Nelson has assured the team that he has learned his lesson and he knows what it means to represent TSM.”