NASCAR bad boy Tony Stewart could just as easily be nicknamed “bad mouth.”
There are plenty of inappropriate words that can speak to Stewart’s stubborn personality, but using them in the media, as we all should know, is idiotic and inexcusable.
But Stewart can’t even drive a great race and then speak with respect.
As expected Tuesday, Stewart became NASCAR’s top story – not for winning Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard but for his inappropriate language during a live ESPN postrace interview.
The temperamental driver was fined $25,000 and docked 25 points for using a profanity to describe what his fans have to go through to pull for him. Car owner Joe Gibbs, who has to be on his last nerve with this guy, was also docked 25 points.
Stewart, 36, remains fifth in the Nextel Cup standings and the financial punishment is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Perhaps his penalties should have been more severe, but NASCAR was acting on precedent. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team absorbed the same penalties after saying half that same word in a postrace interview in 2004 after winning at Talladega. The difference is that Earnhardt, a genuinely good guy, slipped up while comparing his winning ways at Talladega to his late father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt.
Stewart knew NASCAR doesn’t tolerate that language, but not playing by the rules mirrors his driving. He’d rather wreck a guy out of anger than remain in contention to win, and it’s always the other guy’s fault.
Stewart, who also was reprimanded at the 1997 Indianapolis 500 for cursing during a live ABC interview, was not about to apologize for what he said Sunday.
“Little late to be concerned about it now, isn’t it?” he said at the postrace news conference. “It pretty much is what it is. Whatever happens, they still can’t take this trophy away from me today. So, whatever happens, happens.”
Stewart’s cursing came during ESPN’s first broadcast of a Cup race since 2000, and fanned already existing flames between the driver and the network. After winning the previous race July 15 in Chicago, ABC-owned ESPN criticized Stewart for saying he was going to celebrate by drinking a case of beer.
Stewart has since declined some interviews with ESPN, and the controversial interview on Sunday at the start-finish line ended right after he spewed his profanity.
“I don’t want anybody from ESPN giving me a bunch of grief about how irresponsible I am, even though it’s legal to do everything that I did,” Stewart said. “Heaven forbid, you actually have fun in life.”
Can you tell that this man has no children and happily leaves the role modeling to stock car’s real superstars like Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, among others?
Thumbs up
Carl Edwards, who dislocated his thumb in a July 22 dirt-car accident during an off weekend, had no problems making left turns at Indy, where he started 35th and finished 18th.
This weekend, however, he has to turn left and right – and shift gears much more often – in the inaugural Busch Series road-course race at Montreal’s famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Edwards, who leads the Busch Series by 852 points, could afford to miss a race and concentrate on the upcoming Cup event at Long Pond, Pa. But he said in a Tuesday conference call he’s committed to Montreal.
“I feel like we’re prepared the best we can be. I feel good,” he said. “There would have to be some spectacular problem to keep me out of the car.”
SPOTLIGHT: KEVIN HARVICK
Friendship on the rocks?
It will be interesting to see if Kevin Harvick continues to ask Tony Stewart to drive his Busch Series cars. Stewart, who has made nine Busch starts for Kevin Harvick Inc. this year, overtook Harvick to win Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis, with the winning pass coming in the form of Stewart sideswiping Harvick in a drag race down the backstretch. Harvick’s car was damaged, and he fell from second to seventh during the closing laps. Harvick was upset after the race and called into NASCAR’s hauler for sideswiping Stewart during the cooldown lap. Stewart referred to Harvick as one of his best friends and said his winning pass was just hard racing.
ON THE MOVE: JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
Experience key to rookie
The high-profile rookie finished second at the Brickyard, his career-best NASCAR oval-track result, to gain two spots in the standings, to 18th. Montoya is now just six spots from playoff position and continues to improve with experience. The former CART and Formula One driver has already captured a road-course victory (Sonoma, Calif.) and produced his best oval result at Indy while becoming the first driver to race in three circuits at the track.
THIS WEEK’S RACE: PENNSYLVANIA 500
Second straight trip to a 2.5-mile oval
11 a.m. Sunday, ESPN
Where: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. (2.5-mile tri-oval, 14 degrees banking turn one, 8 degrees turn two and 6 degrees turn 3).
Distance: 500 miles, 200 laps
Qualifying: Friday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Last year: Denny Hamlin capped a season sweep at Pocono; Jeff Gordon won earlier this year.
Points standings
(Driver Pts. W Top 5s Top 10s)
1. Jeff Gordon 3,076 4 13 18
2. Denny Hamlin 2,705 1 7 11
3. Matt Kenseth 2,699 1 7 14
4. Jeff Burton 2,633 1 6 11
5. Tony Stewart 2,599 2 6 13
6. Carl Edwards 2,582 1 5 7
7. Kevin Harvick 2,488 1 4 10
8. Kyle Busch 2,479 1 5 11
9. Jimmie Johnson 2,469 4 9 11
10. Clint Bowyer 2,405 0 1 10 11. Martin Truex Jr. 2,335 1 4 7
12. D. Earnhardt Jr. 2,217 0 3 7
13. Kurt Busch 2,204 0 3 5
14. Ryan Newman 2,158 0 3 8
15. J. McMurray 2,104 1 3 7
16. Greg Biffle 2,089 0 2 5
17. Mark Martin 2,045 0 4 8
18. Juan Montoya 2,017 1 3 4
19. Casey Mears 1,979 1 4 5
20. Bobby Labonte 1,952 0 0 1
21. J.J. Yeley 1,917 0 1 1
22. David Ragan 1,859 0 1 1
23. Elliott Sadler 1,817 0 0 1
24. Reed Sorenson 1,790 0 2 3
– Top 12 qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
