Stewart: Be patient with NASCAR

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) _ Tony Stewart, of all people, called for patience in the wake of chaotic races at Dover and Pocono. <br/><br/>Most of the problems grew out of the changing rules governing freezing

Friday, June 18th 2004, 5:50 am

By: News On 6

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) _ Tony Stewart, of all people, called for patience in the wake of chaotic races at Dover and Pocono.

Most of the problems grew out of the changing rules governing freezing the field when the caution flag flies and when the pit lane will be open to the competitors.

``In NASCAR's defense, the first time we were told as drivers about freezing the field, they said it would be a work in progress,'' said Stewart, perhaps NASCAR's most impatient driver.

``As frustrating as it's been for everybody, I think we have to be realistic about making rule changes.

``This wasn't just whacking a quarter-inch off a spoiler or changing the size of a restrictor plate. It was a pretty drastic change. And any time you change a rule like that you're going to run into a situation that somebody didn't think of, because there's only so many different scenarios you can think of.''

Former series champion Rusty Wallace said he hopes racing Sunday at Michigan International Speedway will have a calming effect on the situation.

``I really think things will calm down a whole lot this week at Michigan and I'll be totally shocked if they don't,'' said Wallace, the leader among active drivers with five wins and 15 top-five finishes at MIS. ``The last two weeks have produced enough weirdness, controversy and torn-up race cars for a quarter of a season, let alone just the two races.

``I'll tell you, it must be a situation where the moon is aligned with some of the evil stars or something weird like that. Man, with all the crashes, controversial calls and unusual stuff going on, you just wonder what could happen next.''

Wallace himself had some misadventures over the past two weeks.

At Dover, he was able to avoid serious damage in the crashes but a stop-and-go penalty late in the race relegated Wallace to 13th when he appeared headed for a top five finish.

Then, at Pocono, he had a brake failure and crashed hard into Michael Waltrip, finishing 32nd.

``I can't believe that happened and I hate it for him and us,'' Wallace said. ``We've had some brake problems in the past at places like Watkins Glen and at Martinsville, but never at Pocono. It just shows you how weird things have gotten.

Wallace figures, though, that Michigan's wide, high-banked track should be the cure for what has been ailing the Nextel Cup series.

``Michigan has always been a pretty calm place, with all the excitement centered around fuel mileage, pit strategy and track position,'' Wallace said. ``It's just not a place where all the crazy stuff happens.''

In the 10 races run at MIS beginning with Dale Jarrett's victory in a caution-free event in 1999, only 269 of 1,956 laps have been run under yellow.

Most races on the big track lend themselves more to fuel economy runs than fender-rubbing skirmishes.

Whatever the rules, though, Stewart said he and the other drivers just have to work with NASCAR.

``My job is to take the rules they give us and try to win races with them,'' he said.