Team Infidel
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#1-Martin Truex Jr. thought he was making a pit stop out of view, in a corner of the county's parking garage, but like a scene right out of "Seinfeld," the wrong person was watching. The bathroom break in the garage connected to the Ocean Walk Shoppes earned Truex a $208 ticket from a Volusia County Beach Patrol officer. "I got a ticket for doing something stupid," Truex said by phone Monday afternoon. It was just after midnight Friday (Jan 12th) and Truex -- in town to test for the Jackson-Hewitt Preseason Thunder Busch Series -- was walking back to his car on the third floor of the parking garage on Earl Street with a group of friends, a police report shows. When the group approached a silver Chevy Suburban, Capt. Rich Gardner noticed that Truex began urinating on the right front tire of the SUV. At that point Gardner, sitting in an unmarked patrol car, called out: "I hope that's worth 100 bucks," a Beach Patrol report states. According to Gardner; Truex then responded, "It is worth 100 bucks," and he held out a $100 bill. Not amused, Gardner told the 26-year-old race car driver that the matter was not a joke, then asked for Truex's identification. The officer also said he doesn't take bribes. "It sounds like you're trying to bribe me," Truex answered, according to the report. "You said, 'Is that worth 100 bucks?' and I said yeah. Did you say that?" After a few more words exchanged, Gardner attempted to handcuff Truex, only to meet with resistance, the report states. After telling him to place his hands behind his back seven times, and ordering him to stop resisting, Truex, cooperated with Gardner, but then offered the captain the $100 bill again, the report states. But in the end, Truex was not charged with urinating in public. Because of all the talking that was done, Gardner smelled a hint of alcohol on Truex's breath and charged him with disorderly intoxication. Truex, who is employed by Dale Earnhardt Inc., denied resisting Gardner, but he did recall urinating on the tire of his vehicle. "I had to take a leak in the corner of a parking garage where no one could see," he said. "It was a stupid mistake and I'll never do it again."(Daytona Beach News Journal)
