NASCAR penalizes Tony Stewart for questioning safety
— -- NASCAR has fined Tony Stewart $35,000 for questioning its commitment to safety in comments he made Wednesday when discussing whether NASCAR should return to legislating how many lugnuts are tight when a driver leaves pit road.
NASCAR's behavioral policy allows it to fine drivers up to $50,000 for comments that disparage the sport or its leadership.
"We shouldn't be playing games with safety to win races," Stewart told reporters following an appearance Wednesday. "It should be outperforming the other teams, not jeopardizing drivers' lives by teams putting two [of five] lugnuts on to try to get two more spots off of pit road."
With the debut last year of a new officiating computer software system that alerts officials to potential violations by video, NASCAR decided to stop requiring all lugnuts to be tight. At the time, NASCAR executives said in the previous system it was difficult for the officials on pit road to determine how many were actually tight and that the new system also means that officials don't have to stand on pit road except in special instances.
To compensate for any team trying to push the rules, NASCAR put the penalty for having a wheel come off during the race as a P3 penalty on its P1-to-6 scale and with the potential of a 15-point penalty and a lengthy crew-chief suspension. Teams in recent weeks have tightened as few as three lugnuts on a stop so they can change tires more quickly and gain valuable positions on pit road.
"When you preach about safety, why would you sit there and have cars running that are 200 miles an hour at the end of a straightaway that don't have all the lugnuts on the wheels that should be on it?" Stewart said.
NASCAR chairman Brian France, speaking to members of the Associated Press Sports Editors, said Stewart was wrong with his comments.
"Nobody has led, done more and achieved more in safety than we have," he said. "It is a never-ending assignment and we accept that.
"We do take offense that anything we do is somehow leading towards an unsafe environment, so he's wrong on that."
Stewart said he is "beyond mad" over NASCAR's refusal to legislate lugnut tightness.
"We're putting the drivers in jeopardy to get track position at the end [of races]," Stewart said Wednesday. "It's not bit anybody yet, but I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt.
"You will not have heard a rant that's going to be as bad as what is going to come out of my mouth if a driver gets hurt because a loose wheel hurts one of them."
Stewart indicated that the trend is that someone will get hurt.
"That is going to be one of the largest black eyes I can see NASCAR getting when they've worked so hard, they've done such a good job to make it safe and this one particular area, they are totally dropping the ball on and I feel like made a very grossly bad decision," Stewart said.
