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By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
April 18, 2002
10:27 AM EDT (1427 GMT)
Were Tony Stewart whisked off to Winston Cup, circa 1987, via some Dr. Emmett Brown-esque time transportation device, he would engage in heated weekly battles with a fabled gang of racing Alabamans.
This week, in Winston Cup 2002, he is set to face a far more ferocious gang of Alabamans.
The whole damn state.
In the April issue of FHM Magazine, a British gentlemen's magazine that to me appears the equivalent of our beloved Maxim here in the States, released a question-and-answer column with Stewart. In said article, the fiery driver was queried on which track hosts the most obnoxious crowd. His answer?
"Talladega. No brainer."
When prodded for reasoning, Stewart responded with an answer that ignited a firestorm in the heart of Dixie:
"It's in Alabama. Enough said."
From Huntsville to Mobile -- with a quaking epicenter in Talladega -- folks perceived Stewart's remarks as a slight of the utmost degree, a verbal kick in the groin, if you will. That's how we Southerners operate -- say whatever you please about me, but badmouth my family or my zip code and it's on like Donkey Kong.
When the team pulled into the track for testing, they were greeted with signs of discontent towards their driver. Stewart was scheduled to work at the tests, but the rain delay at Texas and recurring back pain from a wreck at Darlington disallowed his driving the car.
Hence, this weekend's Aaron's 499 marks Stewart's first trip to Alabama since the article ran, and some think he'll have a target on his back the size of the one on Jimmy Spencer's hood. But should he? Did he really stoop so low as to infer that Alabamans were inferior? Judging by your email responses, many of you seem to think so.
Stewart however, is adamant that he did not.
He said he meant no ill will whatsoever, that he was in fact giving 'Dega its due. He meant what he said, just didn't say enough to clarify his true intent.
"Nine times out of 10, when I get myself in trouble, it's because I say too much," Stewart said in a damage-control teleconference last week. "This is one time where I didn't say enough, and I got myself in trouble.
"Keep in mind, this was a guy who didn't know anything about NASCAR at all. When he said, 'who are the most obnoxious fans, who are the craziest fans?' Well, Talladega's got the best fans out there. It's like Mardi Gras. It's the biggest party of the year. That's why I said Talladega.
"If I'd said the same thing (to the reporter) that I said to you guys, I don't think we'd be talking about it today."
So what gives with the Alabama reference?
"Alabama is one of the hearts of stock car racing," Stewart said. "That's why they're some of the craziest fans we've got. It didn't mean annoying. What I was trying to say was it's the best place to go to, for the atmosphere."
When interviewed, Stewart was in a hotel room in Manhattan, hastily outfitting himself for the Winston Cup Series banquet and admittedly supplying shallow answers. I give him no remorse for that. You said it, Smoke. Deal.
At the time, the interview was lighthearted, funny, humorous. Stewart joked often, and laughed heartily with the reporter. When the story published, the laughter stopped.
"It was a fun interview to do, I had a really good time," Stewart said. "The guy asked some really funny questions and I gave some really funny answers. I've worked really hard this year to try to focus on racing, to keep myself out of trouble, to do the right thing and say the right thing.
"When the article came out, a bunch of friends called me … and when they told me about it I thought 'you gotta be kidding me.' An interview I did in December is going to ruin everything I've tried to do this year? And now it's gonna set me back. That's the part that upset me."
It shouldn't set him back too much. Being a journalist of the Winston Cup genre, I've seen some of Stewart's outrageous tirades first hand. I am certain he is a different man today than he was even a year ago.
When his motor puked just two laps into the Daytona 500, he took a moment to collect his thoughts before exiting his car. Upon doing so, he was uncharacteristically calm. In years past, he'd have hopped out of there and popped off a regretful sound bite for the ages.
Right then, I was convinced his preseason vow to change his attitude was genuine, be it by his own doing or a kick in the tail from Joe Gibbs and Home Depot. He was at least trying, and that's really all you can ask for.
Stewart has a golden relationship with the Allisons. His roommate hails from Birmingham. He describes the raucous Talladega infield as a Woodstock/Mardi Gras hybrid, and "the coolest thing I've ever seen."
Does this guy really believe that Alabama is that pathetic? An FHM reader would likely say yes. Stewart? He seeks forgiveness so bad he might consider confession.
"I apologize from the bottom of my heart to anybody that took that the wrong way," he said. "I hope you guys understand I wasn't trying to upset anybody. It's the exact opposite of what came out.
"I didn't say Talladega was bad, didn't say Alabama was bad. None of that was said in the article. But I can see how it could be mistaken that way. I hope you guys realize that this was not done with any malicious intent at all."
We may not be seeing him flip the coin at the Alabama/Auburn game anytime soon, but it's a start, I guess.
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