IRL puts all its drivers on probation

Indy Racing League chief steward Brian Barnhart put all of the drivers on probation for the final four races of the season, beginning with Saturday night's Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway after the aggressive driving at Michigan last weekend. Of course the IRL's 100% throttle equal horsepower makes it almost impossible to pass so drivers must take unnecessary risks.

"I disagree with the notion that any PR is good PR," Barnhart said after the spirited pre-race meeting. "Yes, Dario (Franchitti's) flip showed up on Larry King and all sorts of national shows, but that type of accident does more to set us back than anything we can do.

"The drivers don't seem to understand that those things do us absolutely no benefit. We can't have that."

"All of that happened on straightaways," Barnhart said. "That means (the moves) were people's choices, people's decisions."

The drivers said Barnhart was as mad as they've seen him this season, and he had a right to be, they said.

"We play with risks so much that sometimes we take it for granted," Michigan winner Tony Kanaan said. "We're all very good, very capable and we drive fast cars. And sometimes it takes ugly accidents to get your attention, kind of like when you're driving down the highway and see a bad wreck. It slows you down a bit."