Last Sunday, the Nextel Cup series visited historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a track where many of auto racing's biggest names have competed and won.
Among those is NASCAR's Tony Stewart, now two-time winner of the Brickyard 400.
In the hours and days leading up to the race, there was no shortage of feature stories and commentaries reminding us just how much winning at the Brickyard means to Indiana native Tony Stewart.
We were regaled with tales of a five-year-old Tony Stewart riding in the luggage rack of a bus on his first trip to Indianapolis 500, and how captivated he was by the sights and sounds and smells of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
When Tony Stewart won his first Brickyard in 2005, he took fans on a carnival ride of happy emotions - rapture, excitement, tears of relief and tears of joy, hugging his dad and climbing the fence, pumping his fist as 250,000 fans cheered wildly.
Nearly everyone became a Tony Stewart fan that day, if just for a few fleeting moments. It was almost impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of the moment.
On Sunday, Tony Stewart won his second Brickyard 400, but there was a decidedly different tone to his post-race celebration.
Looking understandably tired, he exited the car and climbed only partway up the fence, stopping short of the flag stand.
Back on the ground, Tony Stewart was asked by ESPN reporter Dave Burns how this win will be different from the first. "This one is for every one of those fans in the stands that pull for me every week and take all the bullsh*t from everybody else," Tony Stewart told a national TV audience, tuned in to hear the post-race interviews.
Like many others, I was surprised and confused by this statement and by the use of the expletive, which was clearly deliberate.
On Monday's Inside Nextel Cup show, Tony Stewart's fellow drivers seemed just as confused as they tried to figure out what he meant. No one had an answer except Michael Waltrip, who offered the opinion that Tony Stewart's fans are told, "Your driver is mean."
Does Tony Stewart really believe that his fans put up with more animosity than, say, Jeff Gordon fans or Kurt Busch fans? Is it that much harder to be a Tony Stewart fan than it is to be a Michael Waltrip fan or a Kyle Busch right now?
The truth is that fans of every driver deal with a certain amount of hostility from fans of other drivers. It's just part of the game.
They hear that Jeff Gordon is gay, that Kurt Busch is arrogant, that Michael Waltrip is a no-talent hack, that Jimmie Johnson is a boring corporate robot. Even fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. are told that he would still be changing oil at a car dealership back home if his last name wasn't Earnhardt and if he didn't have everything handed to him on a silver platter.
There's nothing unique about the experiences of Tony Stewart fans compared to those of every other driver's fans. The particular charges might be different, but the antagonism is the same.
And whatever criticism Tony Stewart's fans face is largely because of Tony himself. His brash, outspoken, controversial, petulant nature makes him dislikeable in the eyes of many. He himself admits that he is often his own worst enemy.
Of course, Tony Stewart's fans love him for those traits, and as far as I'm concerned, more power to them.
But I have to wonder why Tony Stewart chose that particular time to make his point and why he used the expletive in a moment that should have been one of happy celebration.
Along with a $25,000 fine and a 25-point penalty, Tony Stewart's actions further cemented the opinions of both his fans and his critics. Depending on which side of the fence you're on, Tony is either a colorful rebel who injects real emotion into an otherwise sanitized sport or an uncouth jerk who needs to be taught a few lessons about civilized behavior.
There is very little middle ground when it comes to opinions about Tony Stewart. But either way, would his point (whatever it was) have been any less meaningful if he had simply delivered it at a more appropriate time or in a more tactful manner?
Dedicating the win to his fans was great, but there would be nothing wrong with showing a little class, even if you are Tony Stewart.
