M. Wallace fined, blames TV for punishment

Hmiel not fined for role in Monday's confrontation

Rockingham 200  M. Wallace, Hmiel scrap on track, trade barbs off

LAS VEGAS -- Mike Wallace claims he was inadvertently caught in a mutual exchange of obscenities following a crash in Monday's Busch Series Rockingham 200 at North Carolina Speedway.

But the St. Louis veteran was the one dealt a $3,000 fine by NASCAR officials Wednesday afternoon for his "use of inappropriate language" during the FX telecast of the rain-delayed second event of the season.

	Mike Wallace (left) and Shane Hmiel are separated by officials after the two were involved in a crash during the Rockingham 200. Credit: AP

Wallace's No. 4 Chevrolet was involved in a crash with the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by sophomore Busch Series driver Shane Hmiel, who claimed he had been struck by a third car that was also running laps down, driven by Larry Gunselman.

Wallace and Hmiel, who initially kept his helmet on to confront Wallace, stood nose-to-nose exchanging comments while a TV crew was some 15 feet away, Wallace said.

"Every interview I did -- on radio and TV -- was very polite and proper," Wallace said. "This is an emotional sport (and) when they're not interviewing me I don't expect to get sabotaged from behind like that.

"I blame the television network (because) it was something they picked up from a distance. It was a two-sided conversation -- it wasn't one-sided.

VIDEO CLIPS Hmiel-Wallace: Watch the skirmish Play video

"If somebody is running their mouth toward you and you respond, what do they expect? I think NASCAR knows it (fine) wasn't right. They have a problem with the network and they have got to figure out how to fix it."

Wallace was penalized under Section 12-4-A in the NASCAR Busch Series rulebook for "Actions detrimental to stock car racing."

Last fall, Winston Cup crew chief Chad Knaus was fined $5,000 for using an expletive in a direct interview following the September race at Dover International Speedway.

Wallace said NASCAR told him on Wednesday morning that as a veteran driver, he was expected to keep his emotions in check.

That only struck a nerve with Wallace, who had complained that in many cases younger drivers such as Hmiel were driving over their heads and "out of control" with no thought to the consequences.

"It's their (NASCAR's) choice and they control everything so they're going to do what they want to do," Wallace said of the fine. "They're setting a standard by which you can't say anything they don't like -- anybody that is representing the sport in any way can't."

Wallace admitted he was frustrated by the turn of events, after he scored top-10 finishes in NASCAR's three primary series during Speedweeks 2003 at Daytona.

"After the Speedweeks that I had, now all anybody wants to talk about is the deal at Rockingham," Wallace said. "It's a strange situation that as a human being you can't speak without being penalized, (but) it's over with."