Tony Stewart has been medically cleared by Doctors and will be racing today at the Richmond International Raceway. Before he even hit the track, Tony was fined $35,000 by NASCAR for "actions detrimental to the sport."

Last weekend at Bristol, the hot topic has been lug nuts. New for 2016, NASCAR is allow teams not to tighten all 5 lug nuts on each wheel and some teams chose only to run 3 to speed up their pit stops. This is not sitting well with team owners and drivers. I agree with the team owners and drivers. This is not safe. You cannot predict where a wheel will fly off at because in time, it's going to happen and someone is going to get seriously hurt whether it be the drivers, crew, or fans in attendance.

Tony spoke after the Bristol race last weekend. Tony spoke with the fire he's always had. "I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt," Stewart said. "You will not have heard a rant that's going to be as bad as what's going to come out of my mouth if a driver gets hurt because of a loose wheel that hurts one of them. With all the crap we're going through with all the safety stuff, and for them to sit there and sit on their hands on this one ... this is not a game you play with safety and that's exactly the way I feel like NASCAR is treating this. This is not the way to do this." Stewart said NASCAR overall has done a fine job on safety -- such as mandating safety changes to superspeedway cars in technical bulletins -- but said "in this one particular area, they are totally dropping the ball and I feel like really made a grossly bad decision on."

NASCAR fined Tony $35,000 but Tony didn't pay it. Instead, the Sprint Cup Drivers Council said the would cover the fine. Denny Hamlin, one of the members read a statement on behalf of the council. "We as drivers believe Tony has the right to speak his opinion on topics that pertain to a sport that he has spent nearly two decades helping build as both a driver and an owner. While we do not condone drivers lashing out freely at NASCAR, we do feel Tony was in his rights to state his opinion. We as a Council support him and do not agree with the fine. Therefore, we fellow council members have agreed to contribute equally to paying his fine."

Beside's Hamlin, other members of the group include: Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Stewart, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.

Go get em Smoke!!!

[VIA Jayski]

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