Stewart fined $10,000, gets more probation for post-race blowups

Jenna Fryer

Thursday, July 12, 2001 | 8:12 a.m.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tony Stewart avoided a costly suspension Wednesday when NASCAR fined him $10,000 and extended his probation through the end of the season for separate blowups with a Winston Cup official and a reporter following the Pepsi 400.

Stewart, who was already on probation through August for spinning out Jeff Gordon on pit road earlier this season, could have received a stiffer punishment ranging from suspension from races to a loss of championship points.

Instead, NASCAR said Wednesday that Stewart would be subjected to those punishments should he violate his probation again this season.

Stewart, who attended his grandfather's funeral in Lafayette, Ind., on Tuesday, was not immediately available for comment.

In its ruling, NASCAR called Stewart's post-race behavior "detrimental to stock car racing" and ordered him to formally apologize to reporter Mike Mulhern of the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal and racing fans.

Stewart was not penalized further for ignoring the black-flag he was given during Saturday night's race.

Stewart was running in second place with four laps to go when his car went below the yellow line on the race track, which drivers had been warned not to do in their pre-race meeting.

NASCAR immediately black-flagged Stewart, but he ignored the call into the pits because he believed he had been forced below the line by a pack of cars running four-wide.

After the race, he headed toward the NASCSR hauler to argue his case. When Mulhern approached him to ask a question, Stewart slapped his tape recorder out of his hands and kicked it under a nearby hauler.

Once at NASCAR's trailer he angrily confronted Winston Cup director Gary Nelson and had to be restrained by car owner Joe Gibbs and crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

Stewart left the track without commenting as NASCAR reviewed tape of the on-track incident. After a 90-minute review, the sanctioning body moved Stewart's official finishing order from sixth to 26th, a decision that cost him 65 points in the standings.

Stewart, who went into the race trailing series leader Gordon by 89 points, is now 201 points behind him.