Stewart meets with and apologizes to Goodyear
Quote selected text Published March 14th, 2008 in NASCAR News
A few hours after saying that he wasn’t too interested in hearing what Goodyear had to say about making the tires better, Tony Stewart, well, talked to Goodyear.
Stewart met with Goodyear General Manager of Worldwide Racing Stu Grant while qualifying was in the process of being washed out by rain.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver delivered a venomous criticism of the tires last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Stewart said his comments were made in frustration and made to get Goodyear’s attention, which they did.
“What I overlooked when I made those comments was that they affected people who had nothing to do with the racing program,” Stewart said in a statement released by his public relation’s firm. “I want to apologize to the people who work in the factories and the union workers at Goodyear. We realize that they’re working hard just like everybody else, and we realize that Goodyear as a whole works hard too.
“But our comments last week were not meant to offend those people, because they’re not the ones making the decisions about the racing tires we use here at the track.”
Grant, in the same statement, called it an excellent, constructive meeting.
“Tony was able to express his concerns and I listened to his concerns,” Grant said. “I was able to explain our process, and we both talked about how moving forward, we can improve the process of developing tires.”
Stewart said he also didn’t mean to offend the Goodyear workers who come to the track weekly.
“A lot of the people that Goodyear brings to the track aren’t necessarily engineers and they don’t make the decisions on what compounds and constructions [of tires] that we’ll race on,” Stewart said. “But they’re the people who are here as early as the teams are and leave as late as the teams do because they’re here mounting and dismounting tires and unloading and loading trucks.
“A lot of those people have become friends over the years, and that’s another group of people we didn’t mean to offend with our comments.”
- Stewart blasts Goodyear once again
- Stewart on Goodyear:’…they should just pull out of this sport’
- Atlanta Goodyear testing postponed
- Goodyear runs new tire codes at California
- Goodyear and NASCAR to use RFID tags to track racing tires
Good going Tony, now that you poked them in the eye you appolige for it.
well at least you got his attention to the fact there was a real problem…
Does this mean you will put the goodyears back on the cars ?
He wasn’t necessarily apologizing to Goodyear about
his comments. More specifically just to the workers
of the tires. Which isn’t Goodyear itself.
I think his PR guy waited a little bit to long to make Tony make this statement…. To much damage has been done to all parties involved.
There’s nothing wrong with Tony’s timing,if everryone kissed and made up Monday or Tuesday it would have
all been swept under the rug as NASCAR would have loved. Allowing things to drag on helps keep NASCAR and Goodyear on the defensive instead of thinking it all will pass. Lets keep them on their toes and looking
over their shoulders,complacentcy has no place when
safety is at stake.
He was apologizing to the blue collar workers… not the execs.
I still don’t understand why it’s okay for the other drivers to complain, but this is “all Tony’s fault.” “too much damage has been done…” Such as…..???
What’s the worst thing that can happen? Goodyear goes back to the drawing board and develops a tire that the drivers are happy with? It that happens… which I believe it will, will Tony still be the bad guy? Just because he’s the only driver with the big enough lugnuts to be vocal about it? It would be one thing if it was as insignificant as an oil filter, but these are the TIRES. When the NFL Quarterbacks weren’t happy with their footballs… guess what? They spoke up about it and something happened. I think something like that happened with the NBA and their basketballs too… I don’t know. Anyway… there are some people that hate Tony no matter what. That’s their choice. Even if he found a cure for a terrible disease he would still get negative remarks from some people. It all comes with the territory of being excellent at what he does………..
i didnt see anything about Tony apolagizing on nascar.com
TNT runs that… what do you expect….l0l
Are we done now? Did it solve anything? Are they going to invite toyota to test tires in the future? I dont’ know tony, just dang if you do, dang if you dont. What can I say….I’m glad he is the best at what he does. A competitor who knows, and one who sticks to by his own convictions, wrong or right in delivery it doesn’t matter to me. What does matter - is wasted energy. Someone on the other end has to have their ears on, be willing and able to get it fixed regardless of shoveling it. What a ride the past couple of weeks - first seeing him crash in vegas, and now all this. In the end - what will happen? Will something be done and get Stewart’s stamp of approval - no, it will take years to develop to meet the needs of this car on all those different tracks they race on. In the meantime, watch their hands yank as the rear slides no matter what they do. Maybe they need to slow down - hey maybe that is Nascar’s Point in the first place. Who knows, corporate america is needed in this sport and power is all theirs to take - they do. Why cut off your nose despite your face, unless it’s a safety issue. And it sure in heck looks to me like it is.
Tony stewart, proven and wise about all forms of racing (done it), and I am going to support him knowing he brings more than most of them can. If before me, I would hug him and tell him don’t let it slip away - it needs addressing because his heart is in it. And let’s face it folks, he brings it - RACE ON. Love or hate him, I think most people know of his abilities and when out there where it really matters, where it really counts, he gives himself away to it. And when Tony’s not in the race, please….it’s just not the same. Why people look forward to him each week. Consistant and Capable, if in the back don’t think he’s going to stay there long, watch out. He’s earned this right of passage, what he said is more important than how he said it. I’m now waiting for a formal statement from Mr. Gibbs.
Thanks for the space
My admiration of Tony just increased due to his
apology to the people who do the “blue collar”
jobs at Goodyear. It was a class act.
And George — I see no need for Tony to apologize to NASCAR, and Tony only apologized
to the little guys at Goodyear. Tony has
his priorities in the right place, and deserves
to be recognized as the champion that he is.
One thing for sure- when Tony comes to
Macon, IL dirt track this summer I will be in
line to meet him………
This a load of C#$P, Tony tells it as it truly is, Racing and needing a good safe tire.
Then NASCAR winings sinces their Bank roll is the issue !!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets get real here folks.
Its a TIRE issue…….. It nees to be addressed and Reworked,
No one but Tony had the Ba%%s to say anything !!!!!!!!!!!
I bet, the tires is revamped now and Tony needs to be thanked for saving lives on the track……
THANK YOU TONY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen Mel.However NASCRAP has got to Tony.Everything he says from now on will be scripted by NASCRAP just like all the other drivers do.
everything is scripted by nascar. if they dont get their way they wont let you race. y do u think they increased robbys fine even tho they gave the points back??
“Tony was able to express his concerns and I listened to his concerns,”
WHAT? That isn’t an apology!! And he shouldn’t apologize for his statements. As faras any “offense” to the “blue collar” worker, I think they know what he is stating isn’t a direct reflection on their work. They are only producing it, not engineering it. The other “workers” arethe one’s that certainly need to be hearing what his and the other drivers concerns are.
Nice spin on a non apology meeting.
I’m afraid you might be right Oildealer,kinda like the movie “Cool Hand Luke”. NASCAR is still the big bully
with the ball; If you don’t like their rules you play by ‘em or go home.
I’ve been a TS fan since his dirt track days and I hate the way he gets treated for telling it like it is,I just wish
more drivers would speak out the way he does.
Anyone who thinks Tony is going to be scripted from here on out is crazy! Tony is Tony and he will ALWAYS say what he thinks. It may not always be politically correct but he will still say it. He might possibly think a minute and say some things in a different way…but get him mad and he is bound to say what he thinks and feels! Bravo for that…I get angry listening to him from time to time too, but he does have the cahunas to say it at least. Not many others do. I think if it was up to him conforming to Nascar or leaving the sport…Tony is probabaly the only one who would leave! And this is from someone who used to be a Tony fan until he started showing his anger so badly. I guess at times alittle anger is good from someone with his abilities.
Tony is a rotund bottomed cry baby. Merely my opinion, spoken with the gonads of Tony. Aren’t I entitled? Please, feel free to cast thine own self-righteous ramblings my way. I’ve no doubt you will.