Tony Stewart rips NASCAR

Good for him. It's nice to hear a champion actually speak his mind and finally acknowledge the elephant that's been in the room (or on the track) all season long. Although I do wish he'd have spoken to the media in Phoenix...that could have been classic.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2007-04-25-stewart-radio_N.htm?csp=34

 

"At what point does NASCAR get the hint? I guess NASCAR thinks, 'hey wrestling worked, and it was for the most part staged, so I guess it's going to work in racing, too.' "

Awesome. I knew he was my favorite for a reason.

 

And this is why the NYT writer should have interviewed him instead of Kyle Petty.

 

When did Tony gain the ability to know what the NASCAR big wigs are thinking? That's pretty impressive.

 

Soo...it's boring and fixed?

Seriously, I don't know much about racing. Is this something others actually see or is this a self-serving conspiracy theory? Personally, I didn't care for the part about it being a priviledge for the media to talk to the drivers. Truth is, it seems to me that he saved the controversial comments for his own show out of self-interest. It is better for the show if he first says it there than if it has already been all over the news.

 

So, it's OK as long as it's fixed and he's winning?

Look, the competition caution is bullshit, no doubt. At the same time, if there's a chance something's on the track, don't you have to throw it? Because my guess is the first time NASCAR looks the other way, someone will roll over it, shred a tire, hit the wall ... you follow the progression.

 

I'm sure NASCAR will stop throwing superfluous yellow flags right around the same time the drivers stop dropping stuff out their windows to draw one.

And since his "anger management" punishment in 2002 for punching a photographer, Tony mostly pops off now when it's safe to do so.

"The aggravation for me was I didn't want to go in the media center and bash NASCAR," he said. "I don't mind doing it on my own radio show. Anyone who thinks this debris caution stuff is the right direction for NASCAR, I think you're crazy."

NASCAR requires its top-three finishers to do interviews on pit road and the media center, but Stewart said it wasn't his obligation to comply. He's not expected to be penalized.

"The thing with the media is they think it's our obligation to do those things," Stewart said. "It's a privilege that they get to (talk to us). That's the way it's always been. Maybe it is in some of these other guys' contracts, but it is not in my contract that says I have to go do any interviews after the race is over."

Nothing but class.

 

That's always been Tony's problem: He says something good that makes sense, then follows it up by stepping on his dick. He IS supposed to talk to the media when he finishes in the top-three. That's everyone. Personally, I think Tony's a good guy, but he cracks me up when he starts ripping on the media with the "it's YOUR privelege to cover ME" and then bitches about how he's portrayed in the media. A lot of people have compared him to Earnhardt, but Dale was a helluva lot more media savvy than Stewart. Part of Stewart's charm and allure is doing things his way, but he really needs to think before he opens his mouth sometimes. Having said that, I still give him kudos for saying what he did about the cautions.

And as for drivers throwing things out the window, there really isn't a whole lot of that anymore, since there are cameras everywhere and it's easier to bust the driver for doing it. Reed Sorenson found that out the hard way a few years ago...

 

Question for those of you who cover NASCAR full-time: Does Tony Stewart not have a PR rep who knows what the hell he or she is doing?

A good friend of mine used to work for Hendrick drivers in PR and he was telling me that part of his job was to police, advise and monitor a driver's public comments.

I agree with skippy... Tony has some legit comments, but then he kills his mojo when he lets loose some stupid remark. Where is Tony's PR guy/gal to say hey, that's something you might not want to say again??!!?

Don't get me wrong - I love it when drivers go off because we get to see their personalities, however, on the flip side, isn't a PR person supposed to corral some of these rants as part of his or her job?

 

I knew I liked Smoke, and I've made no secret that if I ever thought NASCAR was worth following, he would be the guy I'd pull for. He said exactly what I've been thinking for a while - and I suspect I'm not alone on this board.

That being said, I do agree with Skippy. Problem is, he doesn't want to sound like the other parrots who toe the NASCAR line no matter how stupid it may be. It may be a flimsy excuse not to talk, but it sounds like Smoke's reason for occasionally being a pain in the a_s.

 

When I was out there, it was a very nice young man named Mike Arning - the busiest man in NASCAR that year. He's a very able publicist, and he did his best, but Tony is Tony. Which means that he cycles from quotable to boorish to abusive and back in the course of a single question and answer. Tony has about half a dozen personalities - 4 of which can be very charming. The other two just want to punch you in the face.

 

Mike still does Tony's PR. He's a good dude. But as was said previously, Tony is Tony. His PR reps basically write the releases and head the media off at the pass when Tony doesn't feel like talking. Tony isn't going to listen to any advice re: what he should and shouldn't say to the media. Stewart went to the A.J. Foyt Personality School for Racers and nothing and nobody is going to change what he learned there.