Tony Stewart was mum after Sunday's race at Atlanta.
Which, in Stewart's world, usually means he was peeved at someone or something -- after all, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives Tony Stewart's fender a rub while passing him at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (AP) |
Stewart dominated the first half of Sunday's race, leading 127 of the first 177 laps, before he lost the handling on his car and began to fade. Earnhardt Jr. only made matters worse when he damaged the left front fender of Stewart's car making a pass.
Since Stewart, who finished seventh, refused comment, we'll let race winner Earnhardt Jr. explain what happened.
"I got up under Tony, and he had given up a few spots because his car wasn't handling," Earnhardt Jr. said. " Ryan Newman got under me and made it three-wide, which was OK, and I gave him room. I squeezed Tony up a little, and I think Tony wasn't ready to give up the position.
"I didn't think I hit him. I thought the right front tire went flat because it was turning toward the wall. I lifted off the gas, and he was still hooked to me.
"I asked my spotter 'What happened? Who hit who?' I knew right then I'd probably damaged his fender, and I felt real bad about that because I know how precious it is here. He wasn't happy. But he's my buddy, so I'm sure he's not too mad at me."
"Too mad" being the key words. Perhaps if the Earnhardt Jr. incident alone caused Stewart's downfall, there would have been some heated debate.
Unfortunately for Stewart, his day started going downhill before the contact. Even Stewart's crew chief Greg Zipadelli said as much.
"I feel like we beat ourselves for some reason. It's hard. You run so good at the beginning and sometimes that's as good as your car is going to be all day. It's frustrating."
Knowing he had an ill-handling car, Stewart probably could have given Earnhardt Jr. a little more room to finish the pass, but that isn't always the way it works. Earnhardt Jr. should have known he wasn't clear. In fact, he was lucky he didn't spin himself out of contention.
Still, it is probably a good thing Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart are good friends, otherwise Little E would surely have felt the wrath of Tony the Tiger.
