TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart backed off recent comments questioning the validity of debris cautions after being chastened by NASCAR officials in a meeting early Friday morning at Talladega Superspeedway.
"I know I did a lot of damage," Stewart said. "I'm a lot of times my own worst enemy."
Frustrated by four debris cautions that hampered his chances of winning last weekend at Phoenix, Stewart ducked the media after finishing second to Jeff Gordon. He vented on his satellite radio show Tuesday, comparing NASCAR to professional wrestling and implying that results were staged.
"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,'" he said on his radio program Tuesday night. "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."
The remarks infuriated image-conscious NASCAR officials, who called Stewart in to address the issue at 6 a.m. Friday, the hour the garage opened. "It's a little tender for me to sit down right now," Stewart quipped.
But it wasn't a joke to NASCAR, which was expected to announce penalties later Friday. Series officials watched from the back of the media center as a humbled Stewart made his comments, which contrasted starkly with his remarks Tuesday.
"To be honest, the group that I spoke with this morning is a group of peers that I trust. If they tell me the stuff is out there, I believe them," he said.
"I should have went to them instead of just saying it out in public. That's frustration that's been building up with all these debris cautions

AND JUST THING NASCAR SAID WEDNESDAY THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE ANY PENALTIES. SO MUCH FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH......
HE ONLY SAID WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE TO BE TRUE.

SO I GUESS THE REST OF US THAT THINK WHAT HE SAID ON TUESDAY IS TRUE WE WILL GET SOME TYPE OF PLENTY TOO.....

 

i told you he'd be in trouble for that...you can't say that stuff and think your actually gonna get away with it...he's going to be fined big time...

i think he needs to learn when to say something...and when not to...if he's doubtful just dont say anything...

i mean i like him, i think he's an awesome driver..i just think that he should be in trouble for what he said a couple days ago...

 

here is what is on speed tv

ony Stewart’s day began early at Talladega – 6 a.m. to be precise, which is when the two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion was summoned for a high-level confab with NASCAR official over some comments made by Stewart earlier in the week on his SIRIUS radio show. NASCAR refused to let Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing team unload his No. 20 off the hauler Friday morning until Stewart met with officials from the sanctioning body.

And Stewart was properly contrite afterwards. “You can’t fix stupid a lot of times,” he said. “I’m getting better about not saying stupid things at the wrong times, but I’m not totally cured yet.”

NASCAR will announce what action it will take with regards to Stewart later Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, said NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter.

Stewart appeared in the Talladega media center Friday morning, when he apologized for comments he made on his radio show. Five hours earlier, at 6 a.m., he met with a group of NASCAR officials who he declined to identify, but Stewart made it clear that the tone of the meeting was intense.

“The meeting this morning was a good meeting,” Stewart said of the NASCAR sit down. “It’s a little tender for me to sit down right now, but I’m semi-confident that by the time practice starts, the medication that I’ve got will numb it up enough that I can go out and do my job.”

Stewart’s radio comments on Tuesday were highly inflammatory, questioning NASCAR’s credibility and suggesting that debris cautions were being thrown not because of debris on track, but to bunch the fields. “To me it's not all about the money, it's about the integrity of the sport, and when I feel our own sanctioning body isn't taking care of that, it's hard to support them and feel proud about being a driver in the Nextel Cup Series when they're throwing debris cautions,” Stewart said. “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. You get so frustrated ... But enough of it's gone on that fans are writing in and talking about it. 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.’ … 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. I don't know that they've run a fair race all year.”

But after the NASCAR meeting Friday morning, Stewart had a different perspective. “They assured me that the debris cautions are for things that are out there,” he said. “They say that there are things that are out there and to be honest, the group that I spoke with this morning is a group of peers that I trust. If they tell me stuff is out there, I believe them.”

Stewart, who finished second at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday night, also skipped the mandatory post-race press conference, which NASCAR requires of the second- and third-place finishers at each race.

“We tried to learn from our mistakes before, and I’ve went to the media center and been furious before and said things I didn’t want to say,” Stewart said. “Tuesday night I was sick and still ended up saying things I didn’t want to say, or shouldn’t have said, and got in trouble for it. I should have went to them (NASCAR) instead of saying it in public.”

 

So if you say things about a big parts company about how they kick the price of parts to help there pockets (which we all know all to well that they do)
You should get in trouble for it......

and if I wore my Fed Ex hat into the place that I work which is UPS
I should get into trouble for not susportting Dale......

THIS IS CALLED FREEDOM OF SPEECH......

 

[align=center]I think Tony has freedom of Speech, he still wants, [/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Freedom to keep making Money [/align][align=center] [sm=badbadbad.gif][/align][align=center]To me it's all a $ Money Game $[/align][align=center][sm=badbadbad.gif] [sm=badbadbad.gif][/align][align=center]Mrrench, I think Tony back peddled to stay in the Game[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Play by their rules[/align][align=center]or find another Game.[/align][align=center][sm=badbadbad.gif][/align][align=center]How much is a soul worth ?[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Michael, thanks 4 your update...It said a lot....[/align][align=center][/align][align=center][:-]Click below2 Make Tony more Big/Rich/Powerful [:-][/align][align=center][IMG]local://upfiles/714/5B6C3DD20DB4461AB74ACBB58FD46D5E.gif[/IMG] [/align][align=center]Look'in 4 recruits [/align][align=center][:-]
[IMG]local://upfiles/714/75B06B1078F8422E9038BF0C90EA4C83.jpg[/IMG] [/align][align=center]Click on me 2 Make me Bigger [/align][align=center][sm=badbadbad.gif][/align]

 

It's like my boss says at work when management intimidates someone or makes up some stupid new rule or procedure...

"IT'S THEIR YARD AND THEIR TOYS,SO WE HAVE TO PLAY HOW THEY WANT US TO"

I think Tony is in that situation where freedom of speech doesn't matter.

 

Speed TV

Just said NASCAR fined Tony the following

$10,000.00 grand
Propration until the end of the year

Was fined for not what he said on Tuesday but what he did not do after the race Saturday night and not showing up for post race interviews

 

the 10,000 fine is in line, its just pocket change to them...but for the reason for not showing up to the interview is a little wierd...should have been for what he said...but maybe they're just saying that...so it doesn't make nascar look bad for fining him for voicing his opinion

 

tony will get fined and maybe punished more....

but i agree with what he said and someone needed to say it. i am getting sick of all the debris cautions and the COT is going to cause even more. races will never again be run without a caution. remember bobby hamiltons win in 01 at dega? no cautions. there are more debris cautions then anything anymore.

i dont blame tony for saying it, and maybe it will wake some of the nascar officials up.

just my two cents....

 

I'm a huge Tony fan & one of the biggest reasons is his often times 'controversial'attitude. He'smore about racing thanjust about anyother driver out there today.And though his forum for expressing his feelings about 'debris' cautions was not the best place to air his frustrations, I for one, am glad it came up. For the past couple of seasons it seems there have been more & more debris cautions, especially in the later stages of the races. As a fan I want to know for sure that they are legitimate & not just a means to "even up the playing field" near the end of the races.
I actually find hisoccassional rants refreshing.It's like holy cow amodern day driver withactual personality thathasn't been turned into a corporate robot!HellI know I've open my mouth & inserted my foot based on emotion on many occassions & I'm sure I'm not alone. Eventhough they are highly paid entertainers, these guys are human in the end. I don't think Tony's rants are really going to hurt "image conscious" NASCAR. Any fan of the sport knows Stewart's tendency towards controversy. The truehaters are going to continue hating no matter whatimage NASCAR is trying to project.
Just my .02
Cheers,
Glenn

GO TONY!!!