FWIW.......
STATESVILLE, N.C.PUBLIC APOLOGY FROM KEVIN LEPAGE – “As a child my dreams had always been to race on Superspeedways. Racing in NASCAR has allowed this to happen and I have a career that I love. However, on Saturday afternoon every racer’s concern was realized, as I caused “The Big One”. After reviewing the tapes of the accident I realize I need to apologize to NASCAR, the car owners, my fellowcompetitors and most importantly the fans. I made a huge driver error by blending onto the racetrack in the wrong area. This caused a multi-car accident and changed the outcome of the race for many teams. I’m so thankful that no one was hurt considering the number of cars involved. In over 25 years of racing this was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made behind the wheel of a stock car and I promise that it will not happen again. It is such a terrible feeling knowing that NASCAR, the car owners, fellow competitors and NASCAR fans think this was a “bonehead” move and I certainly don’t want anyone thinking of me in these terms. Speaking yesterday before reviewing the tapes of the accident made me look like a “heal” and there is not a single person to blame for this huge mistake except myself. I have worked very hard over the years to gain the respect of NASCAR, the owners,competitors and the fans and it will take a long time to gain it back after what happened. Once again I want to apologize to everyone involved. If I could replay the race, I would have used better judgment and let the pack go by before blending onto the racetrack.”Sincerely, Kevin Lepage