12/21/24
July 24, 2006
Column: Stewart not following own advice : Tony Stewart is many things, but the Emily Post of NASCAR etiquette is most certainly not one of them... Does anyone else think a one lap penalty isn't enough?
posted by ayrehed to auto racing at 09:42 PM - 21 comments
What really sucks is I firmly believe Tony Stewart is the best American racing driver right now. You only had to see his drive in the Daytona 24 hour race a few years back, lapping faster than the second place car with only 3 wheels. (One of the rears was useless due to suspension damage.) The guy is a fantastic driver, but stuff like this just tarnishes him. Very Schumacher like. (Only I think Schumacher is an asshole. Michael that is. Not Tony Schumacher:))
posted by Drood at 12:05 AM on July 25, 2006
Two words: Pro Zack...
posted by wingnut4life at 12:27 AM on July 25, 2006
tony is an awesome driver. if you watch him everyweek , he always ends up at the front. he just needs to frickin grow up and be a man. sooner or later if your taking people out at 190 mph someone is going to get killed.hard driving, yes. reckless driving, no.
posted by ptluigi at 05:19 AM on July 25, 2006
Tony's just doing the same stuff that everyone seemed to like about Earnhart, only a lot less of it.
posted by bkennamer at 07:55 AM on July 25, 2006
i have to agree with bkennamer whendale sr. ramroded his way to the front he was a hero .as far as practicing what u preach i seem to remember sr. not doing the same
posted by briredd61 at 08:12 AM on July 25, 2006
Dale Sr. Drove hard and aggressive. Tony Stewart (when he gets angry) drives recklessly. there is a huge difference in the two. I agree Stewart is a great driver but lets not confuse agressive hard driving with wreckless driving. The one person I feel for the most in this particular incident is Carl Edwards, he was not even involved in the squable and got screwed. Probably ruined his chance to make the chase.
posted by T.C. at 08:24 AM on July 25, 2006
Back in the day, "payback" was a part of racing each and every week. Because Nascar is wanting to be so squeeky clean, anything that stands out is going to catch a bunch of flack. Tony is an incredible talent who wants to win at anything and everything. Jeff Gordon whines and complains about everything but since he doesn't spin anyone out, it doesn't get that much coverage. Tony is no different than Dale Sr. was in his day. Is what Tony does dangerous? Yes it is but it was also dangerous back in the day. Maybe even more so back then because of the lack of safety then they have today. Maybe Home Depot should paint his car black. If you're going to intimidate, you might as well do it right.
posted by dbt302 at 08:47 AM on July 25, 2006
Tony Stewart is no Dale Sr. he has a lot of growing up to do before he should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Dale Sr. Dale may have drove hard and aggressive, but he was not wreckless. Tony reacts out of anger, he is a hot head who needs to grow up. I will freely admit that he is an extremly talented driver and if he can grow up a bit he may one day earn being spoken of the same way as Dale Sr. However he is a long way from that right now, he simply doesn't carry himself with the same class.
posted by T.C. at 09:37 AM on July 25, 2006
"Jeff Gordon whines and complains about everything but since he doesn't spin anyone out" ..except Matt Kenseth...
posted by mr_crash_davis at 09:46 AM on July 25, 2006
A thought experiment: Stewart is up with Jeff Gordon as one of the top drivers on road courses. If he were in a road-course series akin to the World Touring Cars, which isn't averse to contact, would you see the same kind of niggly stuff from him? From what I've seen, he appears to be a far more disciplined (or perhaps 'composed') driver when he's off the oval.
posted by etagloh at 10:27 AM on July 25, 2006
I watched the video of the wreck many times and Tony keeps talking about give and take and how that is not taught in the busch series. The thing that got me is that has nothing to do with any thing. He should not have hit Bowyer and deffinately should not have given Carl the bird. Carl is a good guy I don't think he deserved that.
posted by buffalo will never win at 11:31 AM on July 25, 2006
Tony Stewart is no Dale Sr. he has a lot of growing up to do before he should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Dale Sr. Tony Stewart has won in Indy cars, sprint cars, sports cars, Champ Cars, IROC, midgets,Busch, NEXTEL CUP and go carts.He had won eight racing chapmionships before he started running in the Busch series at the age of twenty eight. The only thing he has not won in is F1, and given the right car Im sure he could. Dale Sr. has reached almost Saint Hood like status sense his death. People have forgotten the booing during driver intros and the shirts that said Gentlmen start you engines, you to Dale. The only fair comparison to Tony Stewart at this point in his career is that Dale Sr. was no more popular than Tony is now. Two big changes have taken place sense Dale Sr. started in NASCAR. First, NASCAR wants the whole sport to be a milk commercial. This year NASCAR put Jeff Gordon on probation for a little push of Matt Kenseth. At the end of first televised Daytona 500 there was a fist fight between three drivers. Second, Dale Sr. did not have to race with children. Dale Sr. himself did not attempt a full season in NASCAR until the age of twenty seven. Now guys like Kyle Busch are considered stars at the age of twenty one. Last week a nineteen year old was started.Yes Jeff Gordon was twenty one when he started, but he was a prodigy, and I don't think the same can be said for Stephen Leicht. Yea Tony Stewart has a temper, but not nearly as bad as A.J. Foyt had as a driver. Maybe if some of these drivers had a few more years under their belts thay would not run someone into the wall at lap 32 of a 500 mile race.
posted by CB900 at 11:47 AM on July 25, 2006
Tony is a great driver with the exception of his temper. I thought that awhile back he had to take some type of anger management classes? Apparently they must have pissed him off too, so he slept thru the remainder of them. My problem with Tony is just like Carl said in an interview I saw: When we were exiting pit row, I pulled up beside him and gave him a look asking hey what was that about. Tony just gives me a finger in reply, so I retaliated by spinning him out later. ....Carl had every right to retaliate. During my lifetime, anytime you or anyone else gave you the finger, you usually got your ass kicked. This guy has some major angry issues. Plus maybe his greatness has gone to his head. He must remember, he is a race car driver, not superman!
posted by GoHorns at 11:58 AM on July 25, 2006
A lot of people seem to forget that when Dale sr. was winning races and championships he was booed all the time. It wasn't until later in his career, when he wasn't winning much anymore that people started to cheer for him. As for Tony Stewart , the guy is an exceptional talent but dosen't want to take responsibilityfor his actions. Just listen to his post race interview, he blamed Bowyer. It wasen't until monday that he took the blame when the video evidence was clear. Regarding Jeff Gordon, he and Stewart are probably 1-2 in terms of talent in NASCAR right now (note; road coures and restricter plate racing ability). I dont hear him crying any more than anybody else.
posted by Cubfan276 at 12:54 PM on July 25, 2006
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart 1 & 2? What about the guy who is leads in points week in and week out Jimmy Johnson? I think he has every bit as much talent as Tony Stewart. I will however give you the nod for Jeff Gordon, he is not my favorite driver, he is however one of the best that has raced NASCAR. Also just an FYI, I was never a Dale Earnhart fan but you can't watch the films of his racing and not see that he was a very gifted racer. Personally I always rooted for Mark Martin, I think he is one driver who always handled himself with class.
posted by T.C. at 02:48 PM on July 25, 2006
I am a Tony Stewart fan, but I feel that he should be put on probation for the remainder of the season. If there is another on track incident, have him sit out a race. It probably wouldn't happen with sponsorship money and all at stake, but it is just a thought.
posted by stonehanz at 03:09 PM on July 25, 2006
You guys and girls make it seem like Tony is the ONLY one with a temper. Didn't Jeff give Matt a shove after a race? Kasey Kahne cut Kyle Busch off after Kyle wrecked him last year. Kevin Harvick isn't the calmest guy in town either. The object is to win. The stakes are high in Nascar. Sponsors want their car in Victoy Lane. That in itself is going to make people even more edgy than usual. Is it smart for Tony to do what he did? No. Is it great for the fans to see? Damn right. Was it smart for Carl to spin Tony on pit row? No. Was it great entertainment? Damn right. I'm not saying everyone should start spinning everyone. I'm saying these drivers are human and they get pissed just as we do when some a$$hole cuts us off on the Interstate or in traffic. Lets face it. How many off us would spin someone out if we could?
posted by dbt302 at 03:35 PM on July 25, 2006
Second, Dale Sr. did not have to race with children. Dale Sr. himself did not attempt a full season in NASCAR until the age of twenty seven. Now guys like Kyle Busch are considered stars at the age of twenty one. Now CB i checked NASCAR.com and they say Clint Bowyer was born in 1979 meaning he is 27 just like Dale Sr. when he got his first ride. Now I admit Hiendrick probably should have waited to put Kyle Busch in a ride but I mean look at Kasey Kahne. He's 25 and he hasn't gotten any bad press all year and has the season high 4 wins. Times have changed, the Busch series is no longer the minor league system for these cup teams. Clint Bowyer did get up too high on Tony but I mean come on it's not like he totally destroyed his car. It was uncalled for and he deserves what he gets.
posted by buffalo will never win at 05:00 PM on July 25, 2006
dbt302; First of all Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth don't seem to get into near the trouble that Tony Stewart does. One or two incidents over the past couple of years is not the same as getting into it with somebody every couple of weeks. Kevin Harvick has defintely cleaned up his act recently, whereas Stewart always blames somebody else for his problems. I'm not saying they should suspend him but i agree with stonehanz that he should be put on probation the rest of the year.
posted by Cubfan276 at 06:17 PM on July 25, 2006
What about the guy who leads the points week in and week out Jimmy Johnson? I think he has every bit as much talent as Tony Stewart. Jimmy Johnson is good stock car driver. Dale Sr. was a great stock car driver. Tony Stewart is a great race car driver. Whats the difference you say? The good driver with a great car can contend for a win in any given race. A great driver with a good car will contend in most races, and the great driver with a great car will contend in every race. What makes Stweart a great race car driver is that he can contend to win in any type of car he gets into. Clint Bowyer did get up too high on Tony but I mean come on it's not like he totally destroyed his car. He didn't just get up to high, he ran him into the wall. I don't condone what Tony did next, but alot of drivers would have lost control comming off the wall and taken out half the field. I will admit I am a big Stewart fan. I have been following NASCAR for forty years (sense I was 9 yrs old) and I think he is one of the best ever. That said, I could see probation for what he did, he was out of line. I can also see why he lost his temper. This was the second time in as many races he's been put in the wall. I do have to laugh, this reminds me of Dale Sr., every time Geoff Bodine crashed it was Sr's fault. After a while every crash was his fault, no matter where he was on the track.
posted by CB900 at 08:20 PM on July 25, 2006
The article seems pretty accurate. I think he has a big heart, but his temper is a problem. When somebody gets him a little tweaked, he's like a bull in a china shop. He's gonna get a little payback, regardless of who else it may affect or how dangerous the situation may become. Every time he does it, he has less standing to complain about anyone else, no matter how good a point he may have at the time.