Stewart still ‘so mad’ at NASCAR

FORT WORTH, Texas — With his team still appealing $200,000 in fines and allegations from NASCAR that Stewart-haas Racing manipulated the finish of NASCAR’S most recent playoff race, co-owner Tony Stewart opted to not discuss that Wednesday.

“I’m not going to talk about it,” Stewart said. “I’m so mad at NASCAR right now, I’m not talking about it.”

NASCAR said Tuesday that a review of data and team communications showed that Stewarthaas manipulated the results of the playoff elimination race at Charlotte.

While still moving forward with the appeal in that case, Stewart-haas on Wednesday dropped its appeal of earlier penalties, including $100,000 in fines, against Kevin Harvick and his crew chief after his Ford failed post-race inspection at Talladega.

That move was announced after Stewart spoke with reporters at Texas Motor Speedway. A few hours later, SHR chief competition officer Greg Zipadelli said in a statement about the race manipulation charges that the team “denies any wrongdoing and will vigorously defend its personnel” in the appeals process.

Stewart, meanwhile, was in Texas for his 13th Smoke Show racing fantasy camp, an event that in its history has raised more than $1.5 million for Speedway Children’s Charities in Texas, but hadn’t been held the past two years because of the pandemic. He will then go about 75 miles for this weekend’s NHRA Texas Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas.

“Super glad I’m going drag racing this weekend,” said Stewart, who has a car in each of NHRA’S top two divisions. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve got a couple of appearances that I have to make, I wouldn’t be in another NASCAR race the rest of the year. Wouldn’t waste my time.”