With comments from: RindaLynn

You go to a race and spend hundreds of dollars to attend one of the most popular sporting events. A NASCAR NEXTEL cup race. You sit next to a variety of fans. Fans of all ages, makes, and sizes. You are seated in the middle of Jeff Gordon fans. When Jeff comes out for introductions, the reactions are a surround sound of boos. You find it not too shocking considering people love to hate him for his winning ways. The thing is, you are not there for Jeff, you are there for another guy. So you come all decked out in your driver’s gear and keep in mind; you are sitting next to Jeff Gordon fans who are also adorned in their respective gear. Next comes out a guy wearing a similar orange Home Depot suit that you are currently wearing for intros and all you can hear are more boos. Why? Well, because your guy wronged their guy last week.

That Earnhardt guy is next, and to your surprise he gets a fair share of boos as well. For whatever reason, you have no clue. But nonetheless, deep down you know that comes with the territory of being the most popular driver. Does that make sense? The most popular driver getting booed? Oh, did I forget to mention this is the first race you’ve ever attended?

Let me give you a little background here. I am NASCAR fan through and through but I do pull for certain drivers on a weekly basis. My favorites just happen to be Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. I respect both of them for their respect for one another.

In saying that, intros end, racing begins. I guess my race to defend my guy.

I am flabbergasted by the media always attacking Tony Stewart. There are others drivers out there just as aggressive but the target seems to be on Tony. He is a passionate person who sometimes gets over assertive, but for critics to say he is out to ‘kill’ someone is not only pathetic but on the border of unlawful. He’s done his fair share of ruffling feathers, I won’t argue, but don’t forget there used to a guy of higher caliber not too long ago doing similar things. Do you recall a white number three on the side of a black car? Now you might be asking why I am comparing a guy very well alive to someone who is not. One reason, the talent. Don’t fool yourself, you know Dale Sr didn’t ever hold the Golden Benny when it came to ‘clean’ racing. Video and interviews will vouch that. Also take a look at these statistics, Dale Earnhardt who raced 21 years in the Winston Cup series, dented more fenders, caused more controversy than any dozen drivers you could find. When asked about Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip himself once said, “He took advantage of you. He would take a lot more than he would give. The idea was if you hit me once, I will hit you twice. He was very moody. Sometimes you would bump into him and it would be just racing. Sometimes he was out to get you.” To me that sounds a lot like Smoke’s doing now. So let me ask you this - if Tony reminds so many people of the late great Dale Earnhardt, (which seems to be what writers say.) Why has he been harassed the way he has? This is a new generation but not a new sport! Fans never seem to be satisfied no matter what he does.

Let’s start with the beginning: Tony came into this sport aggressive and maybe held a reputation of a ‘dirty’ driver at times. He has engraved a spot in the penalty box, no question. However he still won the Championship in 2002. Probably best noted as his worse media year. It just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Following the 2004 season, he changed his ways and became more mellow, and less angry. On top of that, he moved back to Indiana where he currently lives in the same home he grew up in. Tony did it mainly for himself, sponsors and his team, but fans might have had a hand in that too. Were the lasting results making the fans happy? Of course not. People starting thinking that he lost his edge and Will to win because he wasn’t behaving in the same matter as he did coming in nor winning as many races. Let the articles and letters pour in. They wondered what the heck was wrong with Tony Stewart. They seemed to have missed the old ways of Smoke (his nickname in his USAC days.) But Stewart was set in his new direction, and didn’t want to be angry at the world anymore. He won the Championship again in 2005 as the ‘new’ Tony Stewart. He also joins Jeff Gordon as the only active fulltime drivers with multiple Championships.

The beginning of 2006 started out a great year, he was probably just as shocked as us fans were by his success early in the season. Most of you know Tony normally starts winning in the summertime. So we were all shocked at his status in the spring. However, May came and everything went wrong. I mean how do you normally spend your birthday? In a hospital? Not me, but for Tony that was the case since he had a horrible wreck in Charlotte. He could’ve been really hurt but luckily that wasn’t the case. He fractured his scapula and was basically out for a week. (With the Nextel chase the way it is, you are eliminated from a chance to win it if you miss a race. You have to at least start a race to be considered for the points, you do have the right to have a relief driver.) To simplify, he had a bad month of May. Of course that couldn’t be the talk of the town because it isn’t dramatic enough. June didn’t treat him much better, so it became crunch time for what we call The Race To The Chase.

Here is where we come to the problem. I’m not saying take out every driver you can and I don’t believe that is his way of thinking either but the Rookies seem to be his achilles’ heal. Stewart has not shied away from telling the media and the NASCAR world that he isn’t too happy with the respect they show on the track to the veteran drivers and that they should be taught not to mess with the masses of experience. Many times he has been right. Some he hasn’t, and it happen to be at Pocono last week that he got the most attention when he spun (Rookie) Clint Bowyer which also involved Carl Edwards, who was the innocent victim. And you might have felt for Carl until he retaliated on his own by spinning Tony on pit road. A story for another time. Early example - people will argue that he did wrong at Daytona (Feb) by taking Matt Kenseth out of the race. As I always have and always will, I can defend him on that too. You see the TV coverage failed to show the before math of Matt banging into Tony which resulted him going sideways in turn two before the incident happened. Do I agree with him spinning Matt? No, but he had an explanation and video proof when they showed it many weeks later as part of a highlight reel. There are good sides of his racing too but I’m not going to showcase that because it really is not needed. If you know, you know.

This is the racing side of him, take it or leave it, but don’t expect the guy to change. You certainly wouldn’t want him to change his empathy. Which seems to be the one thing people forget about him or lack coverage on. He is all heart no matter if its racing, family, life or kids. Why is this side of Tony always absent when authors write about him? Or if it’s not why don’t they spotlight this part of him more often? The work he has done for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, (he is a founding member of the camp for terminally ill children, in honor of Adam Petty, who was killed in May of 2000.) speaks volumes of his compassion, and all the charity work he has participated in, shows how much he cares for others. The world knows that Pattie Petty was deeply touched and speechless to his contribution. "I think that Tony has a heart that's bigger than his driving talent, if that's possible," Pattie said as tears began flowing.

So is she wrong, too?

That is only half of the caring side he has shared with us. Even that seems to never make up for his mistakes. It's funny how the fans dwell on his actions more than the drivers when its the fans it least affects.

Tony Stewart wasn’t born to be a loser. He has won and lost his fair share of races. More the latter than anything. So right there shows he is able to accept defeat. Automatically you think I condone everything he does, right? Not the case, and I do get upset with him occasionally but a loyal fan, such as myself, doesn’t jump from ship to ship. I always believed fans stuck around for the good and the bad and saw the person through it all. This sport is unique because you become so attached to the drivers that you look at them as a family member, and when they are wide open on the bigger tracks you get nervous. No one here can argue against that, if you are a fan of NASCAR. So am I wrong to follow what I feel? Do I lack the understanding of what being a fan really means?

In closing - Tony is passionate. You can’t fault the guy for that. He races and will be racing for a long time. Get used to it. He’s a Champion, two times over. Smoke is a wheel man. No one will argue. He is only human, just like the rest of us. Expect mistakes.

My last question - if I was unable to change your way of thinking and your opinions, why do you feel you can change mine?

Feedback? luv70s@yahoo.com

RindaLynn had some great ending thoughts, too.

Tony is now our connection to the past where Dale Sr. left off. Unfortunately, some out there only keep their eyes on the future and completely forget the past is important to learn from as well.... One can not walk forward, if they are afraid to look behind them. And, we all know Tony is not afraid of looking either way. But the young drivers eyes are totally focused on the future. Yet, they are undeveloped. They will learn. Tony will be among to teach them.

luv70s@yahoo.com