Tony Stewart's Actions on Pit Road Dangerous, Further Damage His Reputation

Things got a little wild at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night thanks to a little hard racing between Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth and their tempers bubbling over afterward.

After Kevin Harvick had taken the checkered flag as the race winner Keselowski and Hamlin got into a little banging back and forth before heading into the pits. Upon heading into the pits Keselowski and Kenseth then showed their displeasure with each other after making contact on a restart earlier in the race.

Keselowski’s retaliation toward Kenseth on pit road got a little out of hand and led to the No. 2 driver accidentally slamming into the back of Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet. Stewart, taking umbrage to this, threw his car in reverse, gassed it and slammed into the front of Keselowski’s Ford causing significant damage.

Both Hamlin and Kenseth wanted a piece of Keselowski after the race ended with Hamlin being corralled and taken away by a crew member and Kenseth tackling Keselowski in between haulers in the garage area, before a small fight took place between crew members of each team.

While Keselowski, Hamlin and Kenseth engaged in the “fun stuff” after the race I believe that everything they did fits into what NASCAR likes to call “boys have at it.”

What Tony Stewart did on pit road was a little bit more than “boys have at it” and something that doesn’t help his “hothead” reputation within the sport, especially given the tragic circumstances between him and the late dirt track racer Kevin Ward Jr. in New York in August.

NASCAR likely won’t do anything to punish Stewart, because they are probably more concerned about the actions of Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin, as are the NASCAR media and fans. But, I believe what Stewart did during this post race incident was the most unacceptable moment of the whole melee.

Drivers throwing their vehicles into reverse and gassing them into parked cars behind them is incredibly dangerous and should not be accepted in the sport. Not only is it incredibly dangerous, but this action (whether rightfully provoked or not) shows that Stewart is quick to anger, which is the exact thing that he doesn’t need to be seen as at this moment, even if he wasn’t charged in the death of Ward.

Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin are going to get the headlines after tonight’s race, but it’s the momentary lack of judgment by Stewart that really should take some of the focus.

Stewart Involved in Deadly Racing Incident, Should Remove Himself from Watkins Glen Race

I’ll start by saying it’s hard to report on news that’s so recently breaking and more importantly an incident that’s details surrounding it are murky at best.

But, let’s start with what little facts we know.

On Saturday night, three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart was involved in an incident during a dirt track sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in Ontario County, New York in which 20-year old driver Kevin Ward was killed.

The two were competing against each other in the race when Stewart made contact with and wrecked Ward. An angry Ward exited his wrecked car and attempted to confront Stewart on the track. Stewart’s car made contact with Ward and threw him some distance across the track. Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero announced that Ward was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Povero said “this is an ongoing investigation of an on-track crash” and according to USA Today indicated that Stewart was cooperative with authorities and there were no charges pending at this time.

According to Charlotte Observer reporter Jim Utter on Twitter at 2:04 a.m.: “Sources close to Stewart say at this time, Stewart still plans to compete in Sunday’s [NASCAR Sprint Cup Series] race at Watkins Glen International.”

This is basically were the facts end for the time being.

The incident set fans ablaze on Twitter debating whether or not Stewart intentionally or accidentally hit Ward. Shortly before the announcement of Ward’s death, video of the incident was uploaded onto YouTube, which further incited the online debate. I decided not to review this video due to the graphic nature of its content. Shortly after Ward’s death was announced the video was removed.

Without seeing the video or knowing all of the facts surrounding the incident I can’t make a sound judgment on whether or not I believe Stewart had intent on hitting Ward, but eyewitness reports from both at the track and those who did view the video seems to suggest that Stewart gunned his engine upon approaching Ward which caused his car to swing out and hit Ward.

Whether Stewart intended to hit Ward or whether other reckless actions on either driver’s part ultimately led to the unfortunate death are to be determined at a later date, but what I do know is that Stewart should not be competing in today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen.

According to Sheriff Povero: “[Stewart] is very upset and confirmed his continuing cooperation.”

If Stewart is truly “very upset” I believe he should remove himself from the race that is set to begin in just hours. It doesn’t look good for Stewart or NASCAR for him to be competing in a race while simultaneously being investigated in the death of a local dirt track racer from an incident the night before.

Ideally Stewart will announce later this morning that he is going to remove himself from the race, but if he doesn’t NASCAR really should think about asking him or forcing him to step aside for the time being out of respect for Ward and his grieving family.

Kurt Busch Attempts to Become Second Driver to Complete All 1,100 Miles of 'The Double'

In my opinion, one of the greatest and rarest feats in sports is to attempt “The Double,” racing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s longest race of the season the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the same day.

“The Double” is an extremely rare thing because of the short amount of time between the end of the Indianapolis 500 and the beginning of the Coca Cola 600. It’s also incredibly difficult because few drivers actually have experience in both the open wheel racing world of IndyCar and the stock car world of NASCAR. Novice sports fans might think all motor racing is the same or at least similar, but there are numerous differences between the two.

In the 1960s and 1970s the Indianapolis 500 and Coca Cola 600 were run on different days and allowed drivers to compete in both events rather easier than it would be to do today. Still it wasn’t a frequent occurrence. Cale Yarborough was the first NASCAR driver to attempt both races in the same year in 1968 finishing 41^st at Charlotte on May 28 and 17^th at Indianapolis on May 30^th and 31^st, as the event was completed over two days due to rain.

Jerry Grant, Lee Roy Yarbrough and Donnie Allison would also compete in both races in the same year in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, with Allison having the best of luck winning the NASCAR race in 1970 and then finishing an incredible fourth in the Indy 500 six days later; To this date that’s the best combined finish of a NASCAR driver running both races.

In the mid-‘70s the races started being held on the same day, the Sunday before Memorial Day and drivers were forced to choose between the Coke 600 and Indy 500, with most NASCAR drivers tending to stick to their day job.

“The Double” started in 1994 when John Andretti, a former open wheel driver making his way in NASCAR, announced he would attempt both races on the same day. Andretti would go on to post a tenth place finish at Indy, but blew an engine at Charlotte and finished 36^th. Andretti would go on to run many more Coca Cola 600s and a few more Indy 500s, but never again on the same day.

In 1999, Tony Stewart started his first of what would be two ‘Double’ duties. He would find success finishing ninth at Indy and fourth at Charlotte in his rookie season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series becoming the first driver to post a top 10 in both races on the same day. However, Stewart wasn’t able to complete the 1,100 miles between the two races as he didn’t finish on the lead lap at Indy.

Stewart would later do “The Double” again in 2001 and would become the first and to this date only driver to complete all 1,100 miles in the duo races finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coke 600. It remains the standard performance for drivers running both races and would be the last time Stewart would run “The Double.”

Robby Gordon tried the “The Double” more than anyone else competing in both races on the same day four different times (2000, 2002, 2003 & 2004). The closest Gordon would come to finishing all 1,100 miles was missing it by a single lap when he finished 16^th at Charlotte in 2002 one lap down. He ran eighth that year in the Indianapolis 500.

In the nine seasons since Gordon’s last attempt in 2004 there hasn’t been a driver attempt “The Double,” with many of those years the feat being impossible because of the start times for both races. However, this year 2004 NASCAR champion and current Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch is going to run “The Double” attempting to complete all 1,100 miles by running an Andretti Autosport car in the Indianapolis 500 before flying to Charlotte for the Sprint Cup race.

Busch’s attempt at “The Double” may actually be the most impressive of the four drivers to attempt both races on the same day because unlike Andretti, Gordon and Stewart, who all got their start in open wheel racing, Busch has never had experience in open wheel cars or racing. Unlike Andretti, Gordon and Stewart, Busch has never even started an IndyCar race.

Busch has shown promise in Indy practice and qualified in the top half of the field. He’ll start Sunday’s race in 12^th position. However, he did wreck his car earlier this week in practice, but will retain that starting spot.

Busch has surprised many these last couple of weeks and could continue to do so on Sunday during the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. He’s already proven that his talent as a racecar driver surpasses his full-time career in stock car racing. Will he become just the second guy to complete the entire ‘Double’ by finishing all 1,100 miles in the same day? That’s to be seen. If I had to guess I’d say he likely won’t accomplish that feat having no prior experience in IndyCar racing. However, I know his attempt at all 1,100 miles on Sunday is going to be a blast to watch and something that the Indianapolis 500, open wheel racing and motorsports in general could really use to help infuse some new excitement into the sport.

Tony Stewart's Mortal and He Needed To Learn It

Safety workers load injured Tony Stewart into ambulance

The ever-stubborn Tony Stewart stood surrounded by a group of media and defiantly didn’t seem too concerned about his mortality.

“You mortals have got to learn. You guys need to watch more sprint car videos and stuff. It was not a big deal. It's starting to get annoying this week about that, so that was just an average sprint car wreck. When they wreck they get upside down like that. That was not a big deal." – Tony Stewart speaking to reporters at Pocono Raceway last Friday after flipping his sprint car twice in two weeks.

Less than four days later Stewart flipped his sprint car once again; this time at a dirt track in Oskaloosa, Iowa breaking his leg – both his tibia and fibula – and was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. Two days later Stewart remains in a hospital waiting on a second surgery. The timetable for his return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is undetermined, with many experts saying he could likely miss the remainder of the season. Despite his win earlier this season at Dover International Raceway and him currently being in one of the two wild card spots for the NASCAR Chase for the Championship playoffs he is certainly going to miss the Chase by falling out of the top 20 in points by missing multiple races.

I wonder if Tony Stewart still thinks he’s immortal.

Racer’s race is a phrase I’ve heard many times this week regarding Stewart both before and after the incident resulting in his injury. I understand this and when the word “racer” is thrown around it is Tony Stewart who comes to mind first, with all due respect to great champions like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. However, I also understand that the more times a racer races the more times he puts himself at risk for injury or worse, especially when the extracurricular races he’s running are in equipment or at tracks that are seemingly more dangerous than the one’s he runs and runs at in his full-time job. It is the business of the driver, his team owner and his sponsors as to whether or not he should or shouldn’t run extra races throughout the season – and either decision is perfectly fine by me. All parties know the risks and should weigh them heavily when deciding. Stewart’s decision to run all of these races on the side is not something I would want to see him do if I were his car owner, which he happens to be for himself, or his sponsors, but that’s ultimately his business.

The part of Stewart’s “that was no big deal” quote to the press that I took umbrage too was “you mortals have got to learn.” Stewart has been no stranger to insert-foot-in-mouth comments over his career in motorsports and his hatred and condescension toward the media has been a recurring theme over his years in NASCAR. However, the term “mortals” – one that was likely flippantly used without much thought – came off as incredibly offensive given the recent sprint car accidents that took the lives of fellow NASCAR driver Jason Leffler and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Kramer Williamson, who granted died after Stewart’s comments were made. I wonder if Leffler even crossed Stewart’s mind during his “mortals” comment? I wonder if Williamson crossed his mind in the days after? They should have.

Stewart knows all too well that wrecks like the ones he was in and walked away from and the one he was in that left him on a stretcher and on his way to a hospital bed are more than just “no big deal.” He knows that every time he puts on his helmet, straps in his belts and fires his engine that it could be the last time he ever does so. All racers know this. Most don’t seem to like to talk about it. However, I’ve never seen a racer as defiantly careless about it.

Tony Stewart will return to NASCAR, knowing him, probably sooner than many people think he will. Also, knowing him, he’ll probably return to sprint car racing at local dirt tracks around the country, too. He’ll probably even end up going end over end again at some point in one of the two. I say good for him. He’s proven time after time over the years that he’s one tough sonuvabitch. It’s a good part of his allure. It’s part of what makes him an all-time great.

I just hope this time spent in a hospital bed and out of the driver’s seat will get him thinking about stupid remarks like “you mortals have got to learn” and “it’s not a big deal.” Stewart was reminded Monday night in Iowa of his mortality – hopefully it’ll take.         

Auto Racing Should Be An Olympic Sport (Just Imagine Jimmie Johnson, Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Vettel & Travis Pastrana All in One Race)

I know this is a pipe dream and something that will never happen, but I think auto racing should be an Olympic sport. 

Just imagine NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson (left) & IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti (right) racing for gold.

Think about it, auto racing is something that is done everywhere in the world and has successful and world champion drivers from a large group of countries. I know that this certainly doesn’t mean a sport will be an Olympics sport, just look at baseball and golf (which will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016).

However, how cool would it be to see the best drivers from around the world, stars of NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 and others, competing in one big race or tournament of races to crown the top driver in the world?

There actually used to be a series similar to that called the IROC (International Race of Champions) Series from 1974 to 2006 where champion drivers from a multitude of series would compete in a four race series to determine a champion. It was mostly dominated by NASCAR drivers on mostly NASCAR tracks, with NASCAR stars (like Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart) winning every year from 1989 until the series folded in 2006, but other racing stars like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Jr. were crowned champions, as well. The series went out of business in 2007 due to financial problems.

While the IROC Series was mostly run on ovals, a potential Olympic event (again this is just a dream) would most likely have to be run on a road course or street circuit because most series around the world are exclusively run on those types of tracks.  

The series would also have to choose what type of car would be used in the event. My suggestion would be to use something like the Daytona Prototypes used in the Rolex Grand Am Series, because most drivers from around the world are already familiar with these cars from running in a race like the 24 Hours of Daytona (which often brings in big names from top series like NASCAR and IndyCar).

The format for auto racing in the Olympics is really something that I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into, but could easily be anything from just one big race with a qualifying process of either fastest laps or heat races or could be a series of races. The number of racers per race or the length of the race is also something that I haven’t put any thought into. As long as auto racing was involved in the Olympics I honestly wouldn’t care so much about many of the particulars.  

I have, however, compiled a list of 50 world class drivers from 19 different countries as proof of why auto racing in the Olympics would be such a great idea. Can you imagine some of these guys going up against each other for the gold?

1.       Fernando Alonso (Spain) – Formula 1 – 2x Formula 1 Champion, 30 wins

2.       Marcos Ambrose (Australia) – NASCAR - 1 Sprint Cup Series win, 2X V8 Supercar Champion

3.       Max Angelelli (Italy) – Grand Am – 1x Grand Am Champion, 17 wins

4.       Joao Barbosa (Portugal) – Grand Am – 2010 24 Hours of Daytona Champion, 3 Grand Am DP wins

5.       Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) – IndyCar – 11 Formula 1 wins, 1^st driver to have 300 starts in F1 history

6.       Sebastien Bourdais (France) – IndyCar – 4x Champ Car Champion, 31 Champ Car wins

7.       Ryan Briscoe (Australia) – IndyCar – 6 IndyCar wins, 3 American Le Mans Series wins

8.       Kyle Busch (United States) – NASCAR – 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, 105 total NASCAR wins, 1x Nationwide Series champion

9.       Jenson Button (England) – Formula 1 – 1x Formula 1 champion, 13 Formula 1 wins

10.   Helio Castroneves (Brazil) – IndyCar – 3x Indianapolis 500 champion, 21 IndyCar wins

11.   Mike Conway (England) – IndyCar – 1 IndyCar win, 1x British F3 Champion

12.   Ryan Dalziel (Scotland) – Grand Am – 1X 24 Hours or Le Mans winner, 3 Grand Am wins

13.   Simona de Silvestro (Switzerland) – IndyCar – 5 Atlantic Championship wins

14.   Scott Dixon (New Zealand) – IndyCar – 2x IndyCar Champion, 29 IndyCar wins, 1x Indianapolis 500 winner

15.   Ron Fellows (Canada) – NASCAR – 3X 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, 6 total NASCAR wins

16.   Dario Franchitti (Scotland) – IndyCar – 4X IndyCar Champion, 3X Indianapolis 500 winner, 20 IndyCar wins

17.   Jeff Gordon (United States) – NASCAR – 4X NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, 86 Sprint Cup wins (3^rd all time)

18.   Lewis Hamilton (England) – Formula 1 – 1X Formula 1 Champion, 19 Formula 1 wins

19.   James Hinchcliffe (Canada) – IndyCar – 2011 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, 8 IndyCar Top 5s

20.   Ryan Hunter-Reay (United States) – IndyCar – 6 IndyCar wins, Currently 2^nd in IndyCar Points

21.   Jimmie Johnson (United States) – NASCAR – 5x NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 58 Sprint Cup wins

22.   Tony Kanaan (Brazil) – IndyCar – 1x IndyCar Champion, 14 IndyCar wins

23.   Matt Kenseth (United States) – NASCAR – 1X NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 22 Sprint Cup wins

24.   Steve Kinser (United States) – World of Outlaws – 20X World of Outlaws Champion, 555 World of Outlaw wins

25.   Tom Kristensen (Denmark) - Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters – 8x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (most all-time)

26.   Andy Lally (United States) – Grand Am – 2x Grand Am class champion, 3X 24 Hours of Daytona class winner

27.   Sebastien Loeb (France) – World Rally – 8x World Rally Champion, 73 Rally wins

28.   Andre Lotterer (Germany) – FIA World Endurance – 2x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

29.   Jan Magnussen (Denmark) – Le Mans – 4x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

30.   Allan McNish (Scotland) - FIA World Endurance – 2x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner

31.   Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) – NASCAR – 1x Indianapolis 500 winners, 7 Formula 1 wins, 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins

32.   Simon Pagenaud (France) – IndyCar – 1x American Le Mans Series Champion, 5 IndyCar top 5s (this season as a rookie)

33.    Miguel Paludo (Brazil) – NASCAR – 2x Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil Champion, 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series top 10s

34.   Max Papis (Italy) – NASCAR – 3 Champ Car wins

35.   Travis Pastrana (United States) – Rally Car/NASCAR – 4x Rally America Champion, 10X X Games gold medalist

36.   Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brazil) – NASCAR – 1 NASCAR Nationwide Series win, 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Top 10s

37.   Will Power (Australia) – IndyCar – 16 IndyCar wins

38.   Scott Pruett (United States) – Grand Am – 3x Grand Am Champion, 4x 24 Hours of Daytona winner

39.   Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) – Formula 1 – 1x Formula 1 Champion, 18 Formula 1 wins

40.   Memo Rojas (Mexico) – Grand Am – 3X Grand Am Champion, 21 Grand Am wins

41.   Takuma Sato (Japan) – IndyCar – 6 Formula 1 top 5s, 5 IndyCar top 5s

42.   Michael Schumacher (Germany) – Formula 1 – 7x Formula 1 Champion, 91 Formula 1 wins

43.   Oriol Servia (Spain) – IndyCar – 1 Champ Car win, 17 IndyCar top 5s

44.   Tony Stewart (United States) – NASCAR – 3x NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, 1x IndyCar Champion, 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins

45.   Alex Tagliani (Canada) – IndyCar – 1 Champ Car win, 6 IndyCar top 5s

46.   Paul Tracy (Canada) – Grand Am – 1x Champ Car Champion, 12 Champ Car wins

47.   Sebastien Vettel (Germany) – Formula 1 – 2x Formula 1 Champion, 22 Formula 1 wins

48.   E.J. Viso (Venezuela) – IndyCar – 3 IndyCar top 5s, 1x National Class British F3 Champion

49.   Mark Webber (Australia) – Formula 1 – 9 Formula 1 wins

50.   Justin Wilson (England) – IndyCar – 3 IndyCar wins, 4 Champ Car wins,

Nice to See Nice Guy Dale Jr. Win Again

One-hundred and forty-three races is an eternity to go without winning if you’re the biggest star and name in NASCAR. But that’s exactly what Dale Earnhardt Jr., the face of the sport, had gone through in the last four years. 

Luckily for Dale Jr., NASCAR and NASCAR fans that streak came to an end at Michigan Speedway on Sunday afternoon in dominating fashion as Dale Earnhardt Jr. just blew away his competition. When Junior crossed the finish line and received that checkered flag his next closest competition, Tony Stewart, was a whopping five-plus seconds behind him. 

I know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be the most overrated athlete in sports and I know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is probably not one of the best 10 drivers in his sport. However, I’m thrilled for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Junior Nation and really the entire sport of NASCAR in general. 

Why? 

Because Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be the nicest guy in NASCAR. 

Sure, guys like Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards have done a lot of winning over the last four years when Junior was struggling and not even close to Victory Lane, but if given the chance to spend an afternoon or have a beer with any of those guys I wouldn’t take it. I seriously wouldn’t. They all come off as jerks … which, unfortunately, means that many of NASCAR’s biggest names or stars are jerks. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never once come off as a jerk, even amidst an epic losing streak that gave him every reason in the world to be one. He’s friendly. He’s humble. He’s down to Earth and fits a good ole boy mode that once was commonplace in the sport, but doesn’t seem to exist much anymore. Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a lot of his fans because of the family name. But, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is his own man, he’s not as arrogant or hard-headed as his father was, he’s more of the nice guy next door that you’d love for your daughter to date. Dale Jr. is good people and in a sport that seems to be lacking sometimes in good people it’s refreshing to see him succeed.

Double Duty at Indy, Charlotte Should Be Back in Play

Tony Stewart scored top 10s in both races in 1999.

This upcoming Sunday is my favorite sports day of the year with the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and the Coca Cola 600 (NASCAR’s longest race) in the evening. That’s 1,100 miles of great racing action in one day. 

It wasn’t all that long ago when drivers could attempt both races in the same day and the likes of Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and John Andretti did. The most spectacular result was win Tony Stewart scored top 10 finishes in both races in 1999 (meaning he completed all 1,100 miles).   

However, a few years ago the Indy 500 pushed back its start time to where it would pretty much be impossible to run the Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Ind. and then get in a helicopter or plane and fly to Charlotte, N.C. in time for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. 

Since then people have been talking about how great it would be to see drivers compete in both races on the same day again and how the Indy 500 should move ahead the race in order to entice drivers to do so. 

There are many drivers in both sports with seat time in both IndyCar and NASCAR: Stewart, Robby Gordon, Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Danica Patrick, Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti among the notables. Seeing one or more of those big names try the double duty would be well worth getting up a little bit earlier for the Indy 500. 

Hopefully sometime in the near future we’ll have the opportunity and pleasure of seeing the double duty at Indy and Charlotte completed again.