Stewart, who had just scored his second victory in three years at his hometown race track, was soaking up the adoration from the throng of orange-clad fans when he dedicated the win to them.

"This one's for every one of those fans in the stands who pull for me every week and take all the (expletive) from everybody else," he said.

The curse came on ESPN's first Nextel Cup broadcast since 2000.

NASCAR, which called the language inappropriate and said Stewart's actions were detrimental to stock car racing, also docked car owner Joe Gibbs 25 points. It follows a precedent that started in 2002, when crew chief Chad Knaus was penalized for cursing on TV.

The penalties escalated over the next few seasons, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked out of the points lead when he was docked 25 points for cursing after his 2004 win at Talladega.

The penalty doesn't hurt Stewart in the standings. He is currently fifth in the points, and the deduction didn't drop him.

But sixth-place Carl Edwards is now only 17 points away from him. The top 12 drivers in the standings after the Sept. 8 race in Richmond make the Chase for the championship.

The curse spoiled ESPN's return to NASCAR. Stewart is feuding with the network, which criticized him two weeks ago for saying he was going to drink a case of beer to celebrate his July 15 win in Chicago.

An ESPN analyst said later that Stewart was not a good role model, and Stewart has been reluctant to do interviews with its announcers. He participated in the post-race interview at the finish line, but it ended after he used the expletive.

He later criticized the network when asked if he would be celebrating the Indy win with another case of beer.