LONG POND, Pa. (AP) - Here's another four-letter word stirring up trouble for Tony Stewart: ESPN.
Stewart is fed up with the sports network and he didn't even need to curse to express his frustration with the way he believes some of its analysts have unfairly criticized him. Stewart was upset ESPN chided him for saying he was going to drink a case of beer to celebrate his July 15 win in Chicago, and one analyst even said later that Stewart was not a good role model.
Maybe it was the foul language.
When Stewart was celebrating his win last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he cursed in his post-race interview at the finish line. The interview was live on ESPN and NASCAR fined Stewart $25,000 and docked him 25 points this week for the inappropriate language.
Stewart talked to the media behind his hauler after qualifying on Friday at Pocono Raceway, and the former champ made it plainly — and cleanly — clear that he'll pick and choose when to speak with reporters from ESPN.
"If every time we do an interview and you want to stand here and dig up dirt, you might as well go find somebody else because we'll wait until you leave before we do the rest of the interviews," Stewart said, responding to a question from reporter David Amber.
Stewart pointed around him and wondered why ESPN couldn't ask positive, creative questions like the rest of the media. Stewart has had run-ins with the media before, however, but he took this opportunity to turn the tables and bash the network that is televising Sunday's Pennsylvania 500.
"Every time we've got to deal with somebody from ESPN it's a sharp knife trying to dig for dirt," he said. "I'm not saying they're not fair questions. Do we always have to leave with a dagger in our back from ESPN? That's all I'm curious about."
Maybe he's just upset because he didn't win the oh-so coveted "Who's Now" title.
Stewart, who had just won his second straight race when he dedicated the win to all his fans who pull for him and "take all the (expletive) from everybody else," understood why NASCAR disciplined him.
"They needed to do that and you understand why," he said. "It's just one of those deals that you're so excited you're not even thinking about what you're saying. But NASCAR did the right thing."
Stewart, fourth in the points standings, only wished announcers sometimes waited a few minutes before sticking a microphone in his face so soon after a race.
"Obviously, if we had 10 minutes to think about what we were going to say before we said things, it would give us a bigger advantage in not getting in those situations," he said. "But that's why this sport's so exciting. You get to hear the emotion, you get to feel the excitement from drivers or the disappointment, depending on what happens."
Hey, at least ESPN isn't alone in spending the week in a tussle with Stewart. Kevin Harvick is upset with Stewart, who ran into him in the closing laps at Indy and ruined what should have been a second-place finish.
The contact between the two cars with 10 laps to go in Sunday's race damaged Harvick's front fender and ruined his Chevrolet's handling. While Stewart won, Harvick faded to seventh.
"We had more to lose than gain in that situation," Stewart said.
Stewart said he reached out to Harvick on Thursday night to work through any hard feelings.
"I'd have been upset if the roles were reversed, too," he said. "I can't blame him for that. I made a mistake. I let the car get too high. I've heard differences in opinion from people watching tape and I still take responsibility for it. I would never race Kevin like that on purpose. I don't race anyone like that on purpose. I'm big about racing guys clean and having them race clean."
Stewart is fed up with the sports network and he didn't even need to curse to express his frustration with the way he believes some of its analysts have unfairly criticized him. Stewart was upset ESPN chided him for saying he was going to drink a case of beer to celebrate his July 15 win in Chicago, and one analyst even said later that Stewart was not a good role model.
Maybe it was the foul language.
When Stewart was celebrating his win last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he cursed in his post-race interview at the finish line. The interview was live on ESPN and NASCAR fined Stewart $25,000 and docked him 25 points this week for the inappropriate language.
Stewart talked to the media behind his hauler after qualifying on Friday at Pocono Raceway, and the former champ made it plainly — and cleanly — clear that he'll pick and choose when to speak with reporters from ESPN.
"If every time we do an interview and you want to stand here and dig up dirt, you might as well go find somebody else because we'll wait until you leave before we do the rest of the interviews," Stewart said, responding to a question from reporter David Amber.
Stewart pointed around him and wondered why ESPN couldn't ask positive, creative questions like the rest of the media. Stewart has had run-ins with the media before, however, but he took this opportunity to turn the tables and bash the network that is televising Sunday's Pennsylvania 500.
"Every time we've got to deal with somebody from ESPN it's a sharp knife trying to dig for dirt," he said. "I'm not saying they're not fair questions. Do we always have to leave with a dagger in our back from ESPN? That's all I'm curious about."
Maybe he's just upset because he didn't win the oh-so coveted "Who's Now" title.
Stewart, who had just won his second straight race when he dedicated the win to all his fans who pull for him and "take all the (expletive) from everybody else," understood why NASCAR disciplined him.
"They needed to do that and you understand why," he said. "It's just one of those deals that you're so excited you're not even thinking about what you're saying. But NASCAR did the right thing."
Stewart, fourth in the points standings, only wished announcers sometimes waited a few minutes before sticking a microphone in his face so soon after a race.
"Obviously, if we had 10 minutes to think about what we were going to say before we said things, it would give us a bigger advantage in not getting in those situations," he said. "But that's why this sport's so exciting. You get to hear the emotion, you get to feel the excitement from drivers or the disappointment, depending on what happens."
Hey, at least ESPN isn't alone in spending the week in a tussle with Stewart. Kevin Harvick is upset with Stewart, who ran into him in the closing laps at Indy and ruined what should have been a second-place finish.
The contact between the two cars with 10 laps to go in Sunday's race damaged Harvick's front fender and ruined his Chevrolet's handling. While Stewart won, Harvick faded to seventh.
"We had more to lose than gain in that situation," Stewart said.
Stewart said he reached out to Harvick on Thursday night to work through any hard feelings.
"I'd have been upset if the roles were reversed, too," he said. "I can't blame him for that. I made a mistake. I let the car get too high. I've heard differences in opinion from people watching tape and I still take responsibility for it. I would never race Kevin like that on purpose. I don't race anyone like that on purpose. I'm big about racing guys clean and having them race clean."
