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closeStewart unloads on NASCAR on radio, ridicules debris cautions
'I don’t know that they’ve run a fair race all year,' two-time champion says
DAVID POOLE / The Charlotte Observer
Thursday, Apr. 26, 2007
Two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart equated NASCAR to professional wrestling, charging its officials with throwing cautions for debris when there’s no actual debris on the race track.
“I don’t know that they’ve run a fair race all year,” Stewart said.
While he stopped short of accusing NASCAR of trying to predetermine who wins races, Stewart said the sanctioning body does manipulate competition.
“It’s like playing God,” Stewart said. “They can almost dictate the race at that point instead of the drivers doing it.
"It has happened too many times this year. ...At what point does NASCAR get the hint? I guess that NASCAR thinks, ‘Hey, wrestling worked and it was, for the most part, staged. So I guess it’s going to work in racing, too.’ ”
Stewart, who drives the No. 20 Chevrolets for Joe Gibbs Racing, made his remarks Tuesday night on a show he hosts on Sirius Satellite Radio.
The comments came when Stewart was asked by co-host Matt Yocum why Stewart skipped postrace interviews following his second-place finish to Jeff Gordon in Saturday night’s Subway 500 at Phoenix.
“I didn’t want to go to the media center and bash NASCAR,” Stewart said.
“...Anybody who thinks this debris caution stuff is the right direction for NASCAR, I think you’re crazy. …I don’t know how long NASCAR thinks it can treat the fans like they’re ignorant before the fans finally start turning on the officials and say, ‘Listen, let these guys race.’ ”
Jim Hunter, vice president of corporate communications, responded Wednesday afternoon in a statement.
“To hear that Tony Stewart said these things is very, very disappointing,” Hunter said. “NASCAR has been running races since 1948 and ... the safety of the drivers is our first priority. It has always been that way and will continue to be that way.”
Stewart led 132 laps Saturday. But the timing of a late-race caution flag made Jeff Gordon the leader after Stewart made a pit stop. Stewart later passed Gordon to take the lead, but Gordon came back to pass Stewart and earn the victory.
On his Tuesday radio show, Stewart said losing had nothing to do with why he skipped postrace interviews. Since it’s NASCAR policy for him to do those interviews, Stewart said he decided to express his frustration by skipping them.
“It’s about the integrity of the race and the integrity of the sport and when I feel like our own sanctioning body isn’t taking care of that, it’s hard to support them,” Stewart said. “It’s hard to feel proud about being a driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series when they’re throwing debris cautions.”
Hunter addressed that in his statement, saying: “There are thousands of talented race drivers out there who would consider it an honor to compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.”
NASCAR’s official race report lists debris as the reason for four of the six cautions in Saturday’s 312-lap race.
“They don’t mind us running around with crap on the track in practice, but as soon as there is one piece of rubber off a tire on the track they’re all more than willing to throw the caution to bunch everybody up and keep guys on the lead lap,” Stewart said.
“I thought ... what racing was about was being better than the rest of the guys.”
