Tony Stewart was always a constant problem for NASCAR back in the day. The three-time Cup Series champion never failed to speak his mind when it came to criticizing the promotion for all its flaws. Unfortunately for the suits in the Daytona HQ, he kept this habit going even into retirement, and his most recent lash-out came in this week’s episode of Rubbin is Racing.
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The icon was discussing with the hosts how fans believe that softer tires and more horsepower in the Next Gen car would solve all the issues with the racing product when he made an observation. He said, “That’s what the drivers have been saying! Where do you think the fans got this? The fans aren’t even smart enough to know that that’s what we need! It’s not their fault. They don’t drive the cars.”
Many, including Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, have pitched for more horsepower in the engines for years now. But NASCAR just hasn’t listened to them. It can be quite disheartening to see their professional opinions go to waste in a game where the stakes are so high for everyone. But these drivers can take solace from the fact that the efforts of their predecessors never worked either.
Stewart said that around 20 drivers, back when he was one, had gone to NASCAR and presented it with five aspects that needed to be improved to make the racing experience more enjoyable for drivers, fans, and everyone. But the response they got from the man in charge was disappointing, to say the least. He narrated the harrowing experience with the pain still intact.
He said, “We all agreed on five things we thought would make the racing better for fans, drivers, and everybody. And one guy told us that all five things we said were the opposite. He goes, ‘Our data shows the other way.’ The guy who said that had never driven a race car. Never worked on a race car.
“He tells us, 20 drivers who have been doing this our entire lives and worked our a** to get to this professional level, that we were all wrong. Not only wrong, but everything we said was the polar opposite of what was right.” Stewart did not reveal the identity of the person he spoke about. However, he did mention him as the man in charge of NASCAR at the time.
Tony Stewart went to launch a scathing attack about the promotion’s refusal to heed the words of its drivers, and thereby fans, is the biggest reason for its downfall in terms of viewership and following. His words are bound to hit a nerve somewhere in the promotion’s building. Hopefully, it will result in change for the better.
