Tony Stewart wants help with his anger management problems, and perhaps the counselors he finds will help him figure out what’s wrong.

But the root of some of Stewart’s trouble is apparent. Too many people are willing to apologize, coddle, cover, defend, protect, shield or otherwise go to bat for Stewart every time he does something he shouldn’t.

Tony Stewart admits he needs help with anger management after last Sunday's incident with a photographer.

It starts at the top.

There’s owner Joe Gibbs, a principled man, left to explain away his volcanic driver’s eruptions.

Tony just wants to win, Gibbs says, and you know that’s true. But so do Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin and Bobby Labonte, and they don’t find it necessary to punch anyone.

Gibbs says Stewart feels a special sort of pressure at Indy, and that’s true, too. But didn’t Dale Earnhardt want desperately to win the Daytona 500 for all those years? And didn’t he usually handle defeat with professionalism, if not grace?

And then there’s Bill France Jr. While saying NASCAR’s investigation is ongoing, the longtime leader offers the opinion that Stewart could have been provoked into punching a photographer after the Brickyard 400.

Well, if that’s what the boss thinks, it’s hard to imagine Stewart drawing much more severe a penalty than the $10,000 slap on the wrist and toothless probation that even he thought to be too soft.

Is France afraid that a suspension would chase the popular, talented and marketable Stewart out of his series? Or is he afraid of alienating Stewart’s sponsor, Home Depot, which pays a healthy sum to be the “official” something-or-another of NASCAR?

Now, the folks at Home Depot deserve some credit for their actions Thursday. The company took the unusual step of fining the driver $50,000, a sum that will be donated to the United Way of Central Indiana.

But until the fine, Home Depot had stood by its man. Maybe if officials had been vocal a couple of indiscretions earlier, they could have helped Stewart realize his problem sooner. Can you imagine a fourth or fifth chance for a sales associate responding to a customer’s request with, “That’s gotta be the dumbest (expletive) question I’ve ever heard,” a Stewart staple.

Now, there’s no doubt Stewart is an incredible talent in the race car. His candor is often refreshing in a day and age when too many of his sport’s personalities have been whitewashed. He is intelligent, and really, honestly, he’s a good guy . . . most of the time.

Stewart just has a problem with his people skills, which are required for his chosen profession. If he’s genuine in his desire to improve, then it will be best for him and everyone around him if he can find help.