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The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
By Jan Bazen
Not having read any online NASCAR articles for a couple of days, I spent Saturday trying to get caught up on the news. One story in particular caught my eye . . . "Tony Stewart: Exclusive Interview" by Rob Faiella at Speedway Media.com. I am not a big Tony Stewart fan, but there are a lot of drivers (Stewart included) that I like and cheer for when they win. I've always given Stewart credit for being a good driver, but I mainly read the article to see if he was up to anything new. It came as no surprise to me that he isn't; more importantly, Stewart is just doing more of the same that he has become famous for this season . . . throwing temper tantrums, putting people down and complaining. After seeing the interview with Stewart during the Dura Lube 500 pre-race show two weeks ago, I had every intention of giving him the benefit of the doubt . . . I thought it (the pre-race interview) was a great interview. Now I know it was just sugarcoating used in an attempt to improve Stewart's tarnished reputation.
Faiella's article was written from comments made by Stewart during a question and answer session at a Tampa, Florida autograph signing. When asked about the dealings between him and Jeff Gordon at Bristol earlier this year, Stewart's comment was "Jeff always whines about something. I like the guy but he's always complaining."
When asked about the meeting with NASCAR drivers and owners about restrictor plate racing, Stewart said that he didn't go to the meeting. He said he didn't want to hear 42 other guys sniveling and whining when he knew what the outcome would be.
When asked about the head and neck restraints and whether he is becoming any more comfortable with them, Stewart admits that he has the restraint improperly installed so it will not work correctly and that the straps make his "rear end so sore, that (he) is complaining over the radio before the race is half over."
Excuse me Mr. Stewart... just who did you say is doing all the complaining? You have been complaining all year . . . about being wrongly penalized for crossing the yellow line at Daytona, about the tires Goodyear provides, about the media and how you are so misunderstood, about NASCAR fans booing you and how hurt you are by it, about how restrictor racing just isn't racing and about how disappointed and disillusioned you are with NASCAR racing. And yet, you didn't go to the meeting because you didn't want to hear other guys sniveling and whining? Maybe you did them a favor by not showing up, but you will now have no right to complain about whatever rule changes are made because you didn't bother showing up to add your valuable insight to the discussion.
The next time you decide to complain about the whining and complaining of others, Mr. Stewart, maybe you should take a little time to ask just who is calling the kettle black.
Jan is aN RN who lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband, three children and her dog. When not watching or reading about NASCAR, she enjoys fishing...any kind of fishing. She also enjoys gardening and reading. Although Jan is new to the sport of NASCAR, she was exposed to NASCAR from the early, tender age of 5 by her older brother, Fred, who has always been a diehard NASCAR fan. Jan welcomes any comments or opposing views. You can contact her by clicking on the North Carolina tag above.
2001 Car Guy of Benchfield