Tony Stewart apparently will not be penalized for cursing at a cameraman during an ESPN2 broadcast of a Nextel Cup practice Saturday morning at Kansas Speedway.
“We continue to discuss it, but I seriously doubt there (are) going to be any penalties,” said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter. “There were very unusual circumstances surrounding this incident. We don’t condone the reaction, but it was in passing and wasn’t an interview. I think we’re going to move on.”
NASCAR has punished other drivers for using vulgarities in TV and radio interviews, including Stewart for swearing in an ESPN interview after winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Juan Pablo Montoya was fined $10,000 for making an obscene gesture at a camera he didn’t realize was filming live during a Busch Series practice in April at Phoenix International Raceway. Nate Ryan, USA Today
Hunter said the decision not to penalize Stewart is in line with similar decisions when drivers said an obscenity outside a formal interview session.
“That’s our position,” Hunter said. “It wasn’t an interview. But we certainly have had some conversations with Tony. The truth is we don’t want anyone to hear language like that.”
JD Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart’s boss, said he hadn’t seen a videotape on the incident, but he feels Stewart should become more cautious.
“I would say it’s kind of a gray area,” Gibbs said Sunday. “But for us, you want to conduct yourself in way to do the right things, no matter where you are and what the situation is.” Terry Blount and Angelique Chengelis, ESPN.com
NASCAR was wise to not penalize Stewart for swearing at a cameraman during a practice last week. Stewart was leaning into Robby Gordon’s car, talking to Gordon. As Stewart turned to leave, he encountered a cameraman and told him to “get the (expletive) away from me.” Earlier in the season, Stewart was docked 25 points and fined $25,000 for swearing during a live interview. But in this situation, Stewart was not being interviewed and had no way of knowing the audio was live. Some reports suggested Stewart’s comment toward the cameraman at Kansas was part of an ongoing feud between the driver and ESPN, but that’s hard to believe because cameras are everywhere at the track and it’s difficult to know which network is manning which one. SportingNews.com
UPDATE: October 3, 2007 05:52 am
Reporters questioned how Tony Stewart got away with dropping an F-bomb on live television, and how Greg Biffle won the race despite crossing the finish line fourth.
Of course, Tony Stewart—who stayed out during the pit sequence that unfolded as rain fell, coasted to the red flag on fumes, and would have been the Chase for the Nextel Cup leader had it all ended right there—might certainly disagree. David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
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