Decision That Painted “So Mad” Tony Stewart Red Hot With NASCAR Finally Dries Out

Remember the time when Tony Stewart was mad at NASCAR? Yes, the time when NASCAR fined Stewart Haas Racing for manipulating the results of a race and suspended Stewart Haas Racing crew chief Mike Shiplett indefinitely. Well, now, there is a new update on all of that. Any guesses on how Stewart will feel now?

As reported by NBC, in October 2022, NASCAR officials announced that Stewart Haas Racing driver Cole Custer deliberately held up traffic at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Moreover, the governing body levied a $100,000 fine on Custer and another $100,000 fine on his crew chief, Mike Shiplett.

Apart from this, NASCAR deducted 50 driver and owner points while indefinitely suspending Shiplett. But now, the officials have an update on the penalty. According to NASCAR’s official website, the governing body announced on Tuesday that SHR’s crew chief Mike Shiplett has now been reinstated to full membership.

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Although the monetary penalty was upheld in an earlier appeal, things have started to look better for Stewart and his team. With the latest news of Shiplett’s reinstatement, SHR is now hopeful for a good start to the 2023 season. However, Custer is sailing in a different boat. Reportedly, the #41 driver has switched ranks ahead of the 2023 Cup season. Instead of driving in the Cup Series, Custer will be driving in the Xfinity Series.

How exactly did Tony Stewart react to the penalty?

All of it was obviously tough for Tony Stewart. However, not many were expecting this sort of reaction from the Stewart Haas Racing owner. In his conversation with NBC a week after the Charlotte race, Stewart refused to even talk about the entire situation.

When asked what he thought of the penalties, he said, “I’m not going to talk about it. I’m so mad at NASCAR right now, I’m not talking about it.”

As per NASCAR, Stewart’s team had violated Section 5.5 of the NASCAR Rule Book. The section states that all drivers must race at 100% of their abilities. But with Custer slowing down during the last phase of the race, the governing body accused SHR of ‘artificially altering’ the results.

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Moreover, the replays also confirmed NASCAR’s doubts. And it was established that Custer did slow down to help his fellow driver and teammate Chase Briscoe to accumulate more points.