Stewart Praises NASCAR for ‘Bump-Drafting’ Stance

Tony Stewart on Wednesday applauded NASCAR’s decision to start policing “bump-drafting” after the defending Nextel Cup champion had said the racing move was dangerously “out of control.”

Bump-drafting refers to a car pushing its nose into the car ahead, a move that’s common but especially dangerous in the corners of such high-banked tracks as the Daytona International Speedway.

NASCAR officials said Tuesday that they would put spotters in designated zones along the turns of the 2.5-mile Daytona track to watch for penalty-incurring bump-drafting.

Stewart had loudly complained about how severely drivers were shoving into his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet in the Budweiser Shootout sprint race Sunday.

“It was a big enough deal that I felt we needed to say something,” Stewart said Wednesday before practicing for the Twin 150-mile qualifying races today that lead to the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

But other drivers said they were troubled by the new policy because NASCAR officials would be making judgment calls that could be wrong.

“You could be penalized for good racing, and that’s the problem with the judgment part of it,” said Ryan Newman, who drives a Penske Racing Dodge.

-- Jim Peltz