Post-race eruption

Stewart punches photographer after fading at finish

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Tony Stewart's temper got the best of him yet again Sunday when he punched a photographer following the Brickyard 400.

Stewart, who started from the pole, had a strong car most of the day and was running in third when he mysteriously faded over the final few laps and finished 12th. He pulled his No. 20 Pontiac into the garage, hopped out and abandoned the car next to one of the empty bays at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

As he hurriedly walked off, he swatted his hand in the air when approached from behind by a man. Gary Mook, a freelance photographer for The Indianapolis Star, was following and Stewart broke into a trot to get away.

Mook ran alongside him, and Stewart turned to him and threw several punches -- connecting to Mook's chest and stomach -- before he was pulled away.

Stewart, an Indiana native, then sprinted out of the garage area.

Mook, who refused to discuss the incident with the media, approached car owner Joe Gibbs by the team's hauler and told him the story. The two then talked at length next to the truck and were seen exchanging business cards.

"I talked to the gentleman and I feel confident we don't have a problem there," Gibbs said. "We had a good discussion. That's all I really need to say about it."

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said the sanctioning body was investigating the incident and he would not speculate on what, if any, penalties Stewart might face.

"There is no precedent for something like this," Hunter said.

But Stewart does have a history of run-ins following races.

He's been known to push past cameras and reporters as he hurries out of the track following disappointing performances, and he was fined following an altercation at Daytona last season.

After NASCAR tried to black-flag him in the 2001 Pepsi 400, Stewart had to be restrained by Gibbs and crew chief Greg Zipadelli during an argument with a NASCAR official, then slapped away a reporter's tape recorder and kicked it when the reporter tried to pick it up.

He was fined $10,000 for that, had the stint of probation he was already on extended for the entire year and was ordered to publicly apologize to the reporter.

But the temperamental Stewart has been on his best behavior this season, trying hard to avoid controversy. It led him to tone down his remarks, and sometimes simply refuse to speak at all.

That changed this weekend during a hectic homecoming for the Columbus native.

He loves this race track -- he's competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times -- and celebrated his return by setting a track record in qualifying for the Brickyard.

So his spirits had been good for most of the weekend, which he spent signing autographs, mingling with fans, commentating during the broadcast of Saturday night's Busch race and spending time with the media.

When he did talk, the sometimes-surly Stewart was candid and even funny, although most of his sessions were laced with his usual brutal honesty while he complained about everything from poor racing conditions at New Hampshire International Speedway last month to the aerodynamic disadvantages he believes his car has.

And even though he pulled out of Saturday's International Race of Champions event simply because he said the car wasn't running well, he was expected to have a special day in Sunday's Winston Cup event.

Instead, it all went wrong when his car began to fade over the final few laps.

"This place is the No. 1 place he wants to win a race and I'm sure he's bitterly disappointed," Gibbs offered. "I've never been a great athlete and had to deal with that kind of severe disappointment, so I can't speculate why he reacts the way he does."

Nor could the team explain what happened to the Pontiac that cost them a stellar finish.

"Our car just seemed to go away," Zipadelli said. "It got tighter and tighter, frustration set in and it was all over from there. We surely had at least a fourth place car all day and I don't know what happened at the end, other than -- like I said -- frustration set in."

The frustration has apparently spread to the team, which was expected to contend for the Winston Cup championship this season but now sits seventh in the standings -- 211 behind leader Sterling Marlin.

"This team is up, you know what I mean? Some people are just more emotional than others," Zipadelli said. "We just try to stay steady and do the best we can and keep everybody plugging and focused and heading in the right direction.

"That's what we'll do next week. I mean, we should be going [to the next race] with a top-five, not a 12th place finish and it's just disappointing."

 

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