Posted on 08/06/2013 4:01:59 AM PDT by IamConservative
Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart was involved in a four-car wreck Monday night and left Southern Iowa Speedway in an ambulance. Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Stewart broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg and underwent surgery at a local hospital.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.foxsports.com ...
After his recent sprint car history mentioned in that article one would think that the sponsor and their insurers would have already voiced their concerns to him by now. By concerns I mean tell him to stop with the extracurricular racing.
Video of last weeks crash;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=no5EXYbXGPE
Found this about a sprint car racing death the day before Stewart’s crash. If this history wasn’t enough for his sponsor to come down hard on his non NASCAR activities I don’t what would be.
I think one of the big reasons he left JGR and went out on his own is so he could race whatever, whenever he wanted. He was prohibited from racing other events by JGR.
I’ve seen him race Sprint and Silver Crown in recent years, he is usually carrying Old Spice or Mobil 1 on car and does it gratis. I’m guessing everyone will rethink that for next season.
I think there have been 5 or 6 racers killed this year in Sprint cars nationwide. It’s dangerous for certain, but there are hundreds of events with dozens of drivers in each event every Friday and Saturday night. It’s pretty much the only type of racing I go see anymore. I’ve seen some nasty crashes but have only seen one fatal crash years ago - ‘90 - Rich Vogler. Also had the misfortune of seeing the Scott Brayton crash at Indy in ‘96.
For the NASCAR ping list
To clarify, I've only seen one fatal Sprint car crash. Scott Brayton was killed at Indy in '96 when speeds approached 240MPH.
No one near him, he got out of the groove.
But I never saw a rougher track above the groove, it looks like they plowed it.
I have seen tracks plowed to keep drivers off the inner fence, I never saw one plowed at the top. but the wheel caught in the rough and he went over.
Bad track management to let something that rough go as a race track.
I am surprised that the sponsors put up with Cup drivers (especially the contenders) racing Nationwide, much less non-NASCAR events like sprint cars. They have tons on money invested in drivers like Smoke with the aim of making the chase and winning the championship.
This cannot be a true article. Someone actually taking responsibility for his action? Nah.
A speedy recovery to you Mr. Stewart.
I’m just glad that’s all that happened to him.Damn good wheel man.
People have been after his team owner to tell the driver to stop all that extra racing, especially when trying to get into the Chase. However, the team owner never took the appropriate steps.
OK, so this is a bit of sarcasm, but this is what happens when the driver part overrides the common sense of the owner’s point of view.
Thank you, Roccus.
Not a nascar thread ping, but this is kind of big news!
Does Stewart like the road races anyway? Wonder how long he will be out or how the dr’s will pin up the leg to get him back driving.
On Sprint Cup road courses his average finish is 10.0 for 29 races
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/sprint/drivers/87/splits?time=career
(scroll to bottom)
NASCAR fans are one of the most loyal supporters of sponsors and a sponsor trying to exercise such overreaching control of a driver’s life would not be taken kindly.
Certainly, if Tony or some other driver were involved in some socially unacceptable behavior a sponsor would be well within their rights to walk away. They have left drivers in the past for fights, DUI, drugs... and that is proper.
I remember GM taking a lot of flak when they were accused of preventing Tony and Jeff Gordon from running Indy 500 and the NASCAR 600. I don’t even know if there ever was pressure from GM but they took a lot of flak for the rumor.
It’s Tony’s team and Tony does a hell of a lot for the sponsor. It’s idiots like Kurt Bush (great driver, screwed up brain) who sponsors can and should walk away from without any fear of NASCAR fan reprisal.
Also, there is a ton of skill developed in dirt racing which can help in driving a cup car when it is loose. It is easy to tell which drivers have that skill. While I was never in their league, I learned volumes racing dirt tracks.
Tony absolutely loves to run dirt. He even made, what IMO was the dumbest male statement of all time when he said to a reporter-ett, that he had more fun running a dirt race that night then the entire week he had spent on some island with his girlfriend. Oh, Tony!
Sprint car/World of Outlaws is real racing. Sideways on the dirt at 120+ MPH. "Slide-jobs" etc.
Nascarwreck is just another form of demolition derby.
Yeah, I wonder what his wife thought of that?
5 wins at the Glen...I'd say yes....
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