Decisions, Decisions
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by K Walker
As we all know Tony Stewart won the Brickyard 400 last yesterday at Indy. I see it fit to talk about the past ...... unlike Mr. McGwire I have nothing to hide. I do not want to talk about the race in general just one specific instance (and no not the one where Jimmie Johnson went up in flames, even thought hilarious because he was ok) I would like to discuss Mr. Stewart's choice of words in the post race interview. Personally I would have said the same thing, I will never win the Brickyard in my life but I know if I did I wouldn't be able to keep my emotions or words in check either. I know a certain J_Cunningham might like to chime in right here and ask me am I saying that it is ok for winners to use that language and drivers that have had an accident not to swear. I'm not saying that but I think that it was funny. Such as the time that Kyle Petty dropped the F-bomb over the radio and I quote "What the F-bomb was that?" I feel that NASCAR will not take this situation with a soft hand and will lay the hammer to Tony; especially since NASCAR's golden boys of Hendrick did not pull off a victory. I am personally sure that Tony will get points deducted and a lump sum per letter of the word but I think he is ok with that because at the end of the day he can look back and say got ya NASCAR.
But the fact is, there are people who do get bent out of shape over a the s'bomb, so Tony will get fined. I doubt the FCC will do it -- nothing was done about Kyle Petty's f-bomb during the Infineon race, and cable's standards of decency are different from those of network TV (NBC, FOX, etc.).
But NASCAR has already set a precedent. A few years ago Dale Earnhardt Jr. uttered the same word in Talladega Victory Lane, and NASCAR slapped him with a points deduction and a fine. So NASCAR has no choice but to punish Tony for this; if they don't, NASCAR risks a credibility issue and gives the impression they're playing favorites.