NASCAR plans to review Stewart’s latest incident
"It's unfortunate, but there's a lot of other noise when you see the tape," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications. "If you run it over and over, you get it. But if our viewers and ESPN's viewers are sitting at home watching it, there's a chance they might not have heard that."
Hunter said the decision not to penalize Stewart is in line with similar decisions when drivers said an obscenity outside a formal interview session.
"That's our position," Hunter said. "It wasn't an interview. But we certainly have had some conversations with Tony. The truth is we don't want anyone to hear language like that."
09/29/07 NASCAR officials plan to review an incident Saturday when Tony Stewart uttered an obscenity during the ESPN2 telecast of the Saturday morning Nextel Cup practice session at Kansas Speedway.
Stewart was talking to driver Robby Gordon before walking toward two ESPN camera operators. Stewart looked at one camera operator and said: "What? Get the [expletive] away from me."
Jennifer Powell, NASCAR's senior manager of broadcast communications, said NASCAR officials would review the videotape before making any decisions about a possible penalty for Stewart.
George McNeilly, senior director of communications for ESPN/ABC, said the broadcast team handled the situation properly.
"It was an unfortunate incident," McNeilly said. "Immediately after the words were spoken, Dr. Jerry Punch [lead announcer] apologized to the viewers on ESPN2. In our view, the photographer was doing his job."
McNeilly was asked why a tape-delay was not used on the telecast.
"We use a tape-delay system for two-way radio conversations, much the same way you would use a tape delay for a radio talk show with random callers," McNeilly said. "We don't feel the need to use a tape-delay system when working with professional athletes."