Saturday, September 29, 2007

NASCAR mum about Stewart's on-air obscenity

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- NASCAR officials have yet to comment about Tony Stewart uttering an obscenity during the ESPN2 telecast of the Saturday morning Nextel Cup practice session at Kansas Speedway.

Stewart was talking to driver Robby Gordon when he walked by an ESPN camera operator. Stewart turned and started to walk away when he looked at the camera operator and said: "What? Get the [expletive] away from me."

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said he would discuss the situation with NASCAR officials before making an official statement.

Stewart, who hasn't commented about the incident, has had several conduct-related problems this season. He was placed on probation by NASCAR in April for failing to fulfill in media obligations after the race at Phoenix.

Two days later in his radio show, Stewart questioned the integrity of NASCAR, implying that race officials sometimes throw phony debris cautions. He equated NASCAR to professional wrestling.

Stewart was called to the NASCAR hauler at Talladega later that week. After that meeting, he apologized for his comments.

Stewart again found himself in trouble with NASCAR officials when he uttered an obscenity on television after winning the Allstate 400 on July 29. Stewart was fined $25,000 and docked 25 points for that incident.

Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.


Source: ESPN.com

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