Ryan Newman surprised by fine for negative comments, understands NASCAR’s attempt to curb criticism

By Bob Pockrass

Friday, July 30, 2010

Ryan Newman was fined in April for making negative comments about the sport following a crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jim Fluharty
NASCAR Illustrated

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LONG POND, Pa. – Ryan Newman, one of two drives recently fined by NASCAR for damaging comments made about the sport, said Friday he was “frustrated” with the penalty at first because he didn’t understand why he was fined.

But he said he understands why NASCAR needs to try to protect its brand and supports NASCAR's decision not to disclose the fines.

Speaking Friday morning at Pocono Raceway, Newman would not reveal which comments led to the fine or the amount he was fined. Denny Hamlin, the other driver fined, declined comment until his scheduled media session Friday afternoon.

Newman, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, spoke prior to Sprint Cup practice. He said he wasn’t embarrassed by the fine but just didn’t want to talk about it publicly and bring more attention to negative comments about the sport.

“I was not happy about it,” Newman said. “I was frustrated about it, mostly because I didn’t understand what it was and why it was.

“I’m over it. It’s behind me. It’s behind Denny right now.”

The fine was apparently for comments Newman made following a crash in this year’s April race at Talladega. He said restrictor-plate races shouldn’t be points races, that “this was something different besides racing” and the events are more marketing tools than competitions.

Newman was frustrated after being involved in a big crash, one of several he’s been in at restrictor-plate tracks.

“It was something negative for the sport, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to get you guys [in the media] to quit doing, too,” Newman said. “There’s no point in repeating it because that’s what got me in trouble in the first place.

“We all need to be positive about the sport in every aspect of it. It’s not [for] the local newspaper; it’s not [for] the local news. It’s something we make our living on, its something we enjoy. Let’s sit back and think about something before we say it and NASCAR reminded us of that.”

NASCAR officials met with teams and drivers in January and showed drivers a video of comments they were told to avoid.

“I was surprised by a fine that I got, but in looking back at it and understanding it and talking about it, my question was, ‘Was I warned?’ They assured me I was warned and I understand that I was warned,” Newman said.

“It’s behind us all now. The whole concept of nobody knowing about it is because it is not good for the sport. It’s not what we want to talk about and everybody has to understand it.”

The money from the fine will go to the NASCAR Foundation, Newman said. He will not appeal.

“It’s not a black-and-white fine, it’s a gray fine and those fines aren’t appealable in my eyes from a common sense standpoint,” he said.

Newman pled with the media to give drivers more time to gather their thoughts before putting microphones in their faces after races.

“When you’re running 200 miles an hour, you get crashed by somebody else, you end up upside down and you can’t get out of your car for 12 minutes, there are times that you want to say some things that you probably shouldn’t say,” Newman said. “When you get a microphone stuck in your face when the adrenaline is still running, don’t expect everything to be positive.”

Is Newman clear on what he can and can’t say?

“I don’t think anybody’s ever clear,” Newman said. “I don’t think that you necessarily won’t ask us questions that won’t get us in trouble. As media, it’s your job to try to stimulate some of that stuff.

“We need to stimulate the positive things and not the negative things. That’s what NASCAR is trying to say.”

What NASCAR wants is to be able to air their grievances about the sport in private. Newman said talking about the fine just brings more negativity to the sort.

“I don’t know if they were wrong, but I can’t say if they were right, either,” Newman said. “It’s just a tough situation nobody wants to talk about, and that’s why it’s kept private.

“Everybody can voice their opinion. What NASCAR is telling you is be careful how you voice your opinion and where you voice it and the impact it has upon voicing it. The things we are complaining about aren’t things we should complain about on air per se. We need to go up in the truck and have a private conversation.”