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It’s Not all Tony’s Fault
August 7, 2002
Poor Tony Stewart, he’s been in boiling water so much if he were a lobster he would have been overcooked long ago. The most recent incident turned up the heat another notch. However, I can’t help wondering IF the photographer in question was in an area where the press is permitted, why weren’t there cameras around to record the confrontation? Don’t tell me he was the ONLY one that thought to photograph Tony. I am not absolving Stewart of all blame; he is a passionate man. The curse of the passionate is they tend to act first and think later. However, I do sympathize with the man, fame is a twenty-four, seven job in today’s information age. It’s time for fans to acknowledge the part we have played in the silly-ness we’ve seen so far this season. A perfect example is the Ricky Rudd situation. If there wasn’t a reporter around every corner and a photographer behind every bush Ricky may have been able to keep his mid-life crisis to himself. But the insatiable demand for information has to be filled. So an offhand remark about retirement, probably uttered in a moment of frustration, led to the asinine, ridiculous situation we have today. Frankly, the last time I saw anything even remotely this vile I was on the south end of a north bound male bovine. Considering the small amount of credible information available about the latest Stewart episode an awful lot of blame has been passed around. However, there is a responsible party that has so far remained blame free, the fans. Without a doubt we live in a voyeuristic society. But somewhere along the way many of our number have crossed the lines, the line between adoration and obsession and the line between polite behavior and selfish intrusion. Fans must remember why we became fans. We became fans because we enjoy racing and admire the skill and daring of the drivers. I doubt if there is anyone reading this that became a NASCAR fan to watch Tony Stewart punch a photographer or be a spectator to a childish schoolyard spat between Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates. We are RACE fans, let’s try to remember that and stay focused.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel like it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.
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