HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Two days after he climbed to the top of the fence around the NASCAR track during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, James Dennis appeared in Henrico County court.
The 53-year-old Hopewell man addressed the incident that resulted in his arrest.
“I am deeply in regret of what I did. I want to apologize to everyone. It was just stupid,” Dennis said outside of court.
Dennis was charged with being drunk in public and disorderly conduct after he climbed down from the fence over the race. A race fan captured video of the man atop the fence and posted it on YouTube.
While Dennis addressed why he climbed the fence, he did not go into much detail. He said he was advised by lawyers not to speak with the media.
"I was thinking about it when I did it. I got hung up in the moment. Cool race. I guess we never grow up," he said.
Officials at RIR said they would review the incident at their usual post-race meetings.