NASCAR fines Tony Stewart $35,000 for questioning safety

On the same day Tony Stewart announced his return from a serious back injury, he also found himself the recipient of a $35,000 fine for comments that questioned NASCAR’s commitment to safety pertaining to loose wheels and the number of lug nuts teams are using.

Stewart criticized NASCAR Wednesday for its rule that does not require all five lug nuts to be secured on a wheel before a driver leaves pit road. NASCAR can fine a driver up to $50,000 for comments deemed disparaging towards the sport or its leadership, under a revised behavioral policy unveiled in February.

“I’m P.O.‘d at NASCAR about it, to be honest,” Stewart told reporters for USA Today and NBC Sports. “For all the work and everything and all the bulletins and all the new stuff that we have to do to superspeedway cars and all these other things that they want us to do for safety, but we can’t even make sure that we put five lug nuts on the wheel. It’s not even mandatory anymore. It used to be mandatory. Now all the sudden, it’s a smart thing to not dictate.”

Stewart’s fine came just hours after he announced he would compete for the first time this season Sunday at Richmond International Raceway. He had missed eight races following a broken back sustained in a January all-terrain vehicle accident.

The Sprint Cup drivers council said it would collectively pay Stewart’s fine in a statement to NBC Sports Thursday night. The nine-driver committee, which includes Stewart, was formed last year and regularly meets with NASCAR on issues pertaining to safety and competition.

“We as drivers believe Tony has the right to speak his opinion on topics that pertain to a sport that he has spent nearly two decades helping build as both a driver and an owner,” the statement said. “While we do not condone drivers lashing out freely at NASCAR, we do feel Tony was in his rights to state his opinion. We as a Council support him and do not agree with the fine. Therefore, we fellow council members have agreed to contribute equally to paying his fine.”

As part of an overhaul on how it officiates pit road, NASCAR no longer penalized teams for not applying all five lug nuts. To save time and gain valuable positions on the track, teams frequently use four and in some instances just three lug nuts, resulting in several loose wheels and raising concerns about safety.

NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France, speaking to members of the Associated Press Sports Editors Thursday, said Stewart was “wrong” and defended NASCAR’s safety efforts.

“Nobody has led, done more and achieved more in safety than we have,” France said. “It is a never-ending assignment and we accept that. We do take offense that anything we do is somehow leading toward an unsafe environment.

“Safety ... that’s the most important thing we have to achieve and we’re going to continue to do that.”

But Stewart disputes France’s contention that NASCAR is doing everything it can to protect drivers best it can. He believes the lack of wheel securement will eventually lead to someone getting injured.

“We’re putting the drivers in jeopardy to get track position at the end,” Stewart said. “It’s not bit anybody yet, but I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt.”