Another driver has been called to the carpet for saying what was on his mind. Bad boy Tony Stewart was summoned to the "Big" Yellow truck Friday morning before his car was allowed to be unloaded at the Talladega Superspeedway. I've never heard of NASCAR not letting a team unload a car until handing out a penalty. The reports said NASCAR had requested to see him Friday morning on the rule infraction for leaving the speedway last weekend when he failed to show up for post race media interviews. He was fined $10,000 and put on probation for the remainder of this calendar year. After the meeting Tony said, "It's a little tender for me to sit down right now", referring to the bashing he got for speaking his mind on his radio show.
Tony said he left the track at Phoenix because he was upset with himself for coming in second place behind Jeff Gordon. During his radio show Tuesday he spoke of his displeasure of NASCAR throwing caution flags saying "It's like playing God. They can almost dictate the race instead of the drivers doing it. It's happened too many times this year." Stewart, who co-hosts the weekly Sirius Satellite Radio program with Fox pit reporter Matt Yocum said "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. I can't understand how long the fans are going to let NASCAR treat them like they're stupid before the fans finally turn on NASCAR," he added. "I don't know that they've run a fair race all year.
There has been several races in which the "phantom" cautions have shown up and even the announcers have commented on them. What is happening with all these cautions? Used to, if a car spun out all be itself and got going on its own, no caution was displayed and the race continued. Now, as soon as a little smoke comes from under the wheels the caution waives. I have even heard the race announcers say that some of the phantom flags are thrown as a way of NASCAR making the race better for the fans. Better? For us fans?
When was the last time we had a race that ended with only a hand full of cars on the lead lap? No NASCAR wants as many as possible to make it good for the fans. If a driver and crew gets their car so good that they are leaving the field then great. We should not take that away from them. That's like penalizing them for doing good.
We are in a new age of NASCAR. Their greed is getting in the way of what racing is all about. The best car! Car of tomorrow? Big mistake in my opinion. Every time I hear someone talk about it they change just how long this thing has been in the making. I've heard from 2 to 7 years from the same people. Darn, make up your mind! How long has it been?
Now NASCAR is taking away the drivers right to speak their minds. Kyle Busch won the first COT race at Bristol and spoke of his displeasure of the car and was called to the big yellow truck for that. Every time a driver says anything bad about it they get their hind ends chewed. Now when a driver is asked if they like the COT you can tell they want to say it but bite their lips and say nothing.
I thought that was one of our rights, freedom of speech, but not in the NASCAR community. Stewart said what he did on his own time, his own radio show, but NASCAR has now let it be known for ALL drivers to keep quite, unless you want a big fine!
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