Being the defending champion of the Brickyard 400 doesn't guarantee Tony Stewart anything in Sunday's race at Indianapolis.
But no matter the outcome, he has last year's trophy proudly on display in the living room of his Columbus, Ind., home as a reminder.
Given the ups and downs of Stewart's season -- four weeks out of the top 10 in points, rough-driving penalties at Daytona and Pocono, three finishes of 41st or worse to go with two victories -- and questions about his impatience on the speedway, his past accomplishments can be a salve.
But he maintained in a session with reporters Wednesday that he's not looking back, only forward, and he and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team are factors in the championship picture despite his precarious position of 10th in the standings. That's the final qualifying position for the 10-race championship playoff that begins on Sept. 17 at New Hampshire and for Stewart to successfully defend his title and become only the fifth driver in the sport's history to hold three Cups he must be in the field.
What it is going to take to get him through Sunday's extravaganza at the Brickyard and the title hunt itself is the same thing he has been preaching -- but not religiously practicing -- patience.
Stewart has been a vocal critic of what he perceives as impatience and aggressive driving among the flock of young guns in top-flight cars who have continually gotten under his skin but on Wednesday he said there might be a reason.
"I think it is kind of unfair for these young drivers, so much pressure is put on them and unfair pressure at that," he said.
"I think these car owners are scouting these drivers at such a young age so I think it's unfair for the guys who are coming in now. The car owners shouldn't have the right to just trade them out like baseball cards at the end of the year if they're not getting it done. They're putting these drivers in those situations . . . that could be career-ending decisions for a lot of these guys if they don't produce right away."
He went on to single out -- positively -- two drivers with whom he has clashed this season, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer.
"I think guys like Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer are exceptions to the rule but I don't think everybody is that talented right off the bat where they can go out and be in competitive cards and run well right away. I think if the car owners are making these commitments to get these drivers in the car and want to work that hard to get them in there, they need to give them a full three years to prove themselves instead of these one and done years."
After all, that's the script Gibbs followed in bringing Stewart along. And while Stewart's talent was extraordinary enough he finished fourth in the points in his 1999 rookie season, has never finished outside the top 10 and has won 26 races in 268 starts, his seasons have not been without turmoil and that included moments of heartbreaking frustration at Indianapolis.
Last year's victory put a lot of that upheaval and to rest and Stewart is certainly looking forward to getting back on the track where he led three times for 44 of 160 laps in scoring the most emotional and meaningful victory of his career.
But before race day rolls around, Stewart -- in contrast to last year's frenetic schedule -- has some leisure planned, including a fishing trip with fellow Hoosier Ryan Newman with whom he tangled at New Hampshire.
As far as Stewart is concerned, the dust-up with Newman is history as is his run-in with Matt Kenseth in the Daytona 500. Stewart rode motorcycles with Kenseth and his wife Katie in the Kyle Petty charity event and now is looking forward to wetting a few fishing lures with Newman in the stocked pond in Columbus.
How such ill feelings can be put to rest is just part of the game, Stewart explained.
"There's days when you go to work and you may have a disagreement with somebody," he said.
"It passes. When you are on the track you only see it from one perspective. After the race is over you have the ability to see the other driver's perspective. A lot of times its just lack of communication or miscommunication from the driver's standpoint. I think for all of us we're all smart enough to realize that we work with each other 38 weeks a year and it's not a fun feeling being out there running 200 mph and having to worry about somebody each week.
"When you have the opportunity to sit down afterwards and understand what's going on from each other's side, even if you disagree, you at least have the respect for each other and put it aside."
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True Speed Communication For Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release
ATLANTA (Aug. 2, 2006) - After years of getting asked, "What would it feel like to win at Indy?," Tony Stewart can finally speak from experience. The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing secured the victory he had always coveted when he won last year's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
In addition to achieving the goal he had set for himself since he first wheeled a go-kart at age seven on a dirt track in Westport, Ind., Stewart's win at the Brickyard propelled him to first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship point standings. For 14 of the next 15 weeks, Stewart was the point leader, including the final eight races where Stewart laid claim to his second Nextel Cup title following the season finale at Homestead (Fla.).
Stewart returns to the site of his greatest racing achievement this weekend at Indy, as the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard takes center stage on the 36-race NASCAR calendar. While the Columbus, Ind., native comes to Indy in a slightly different point position this year - 10th as opposed to second in 2005 - he is still very much a championship contender, something his two wins and series leading 923 laps led bear out.
And just as Indianapolis served as a springboard to his second NASCAR championship, Stewart plans to make similar use of this year's race. As the defending race winner and the defending series champion, no one will argue with Stewart's intentions.
What was it like to finally win at Indy?
"You dream about something for so long, you become consumed by it. When I was in USAC trying to make a living as a race car driver, I drove a tow truck for a guy I raced Sprint cars against. I would drive down Georgetown toward 16th Street, parallel with the frontstretch, and wonder what it would be like 300 feet to the left running 200 mph. I got a chance to do that, and finally, after years of trying to win, be it in Indy cars or stock cars, I got to know what it feels like, to see that view coming down the front straightaway, seeing the checkered flag and knowing that I was the first driver to cross the stripe, versus the second, third or fourth-place guy. I had wanted that moment for so long, and I finally got it."
Toward the end of last year's race, when victory was in sight but Kasey Kahne was still running fairly close behind you in second, you managed to spot your father, Nelson, on the balcony of your suite in turn two. How did you see him from inside your race car and what was he doing?
"For the last 50 laps, my dad never left the front rail of that thing. I thought he was going to fall over once, he was leaning so far over. Our suite is just over the retaining wall level, the first level of suites. It's right in my sight line. I didn't realize it was him until about halfway through the race. But it was unmistakable who he was when I got the lead.
"When I had the lead, I slipped once in (turn) two, and I when I came back the next lap, he's got his headset off and he's pointing to his head just like he did when I was eight years old racing go-karts, saying, 'Use your head.' I'm sitting there thinking, 'Dad, I got here for a reason, because I know what I'm doing. Just let me do my job.'
"That's what made it so gratifying and so special. There aren't very many places you can go and see your family every lap when you come around there. I was looking right at him when I went into turn two looking for my mark. It was just a natural sight line anyway.
"When we got that lead, I don't think dad or anyone else in that suite sat down the rest the race."
What was your first childhood memory of Indy?
"I came with my father. We were in some bus that had a luggage rack in the top of it. You had to get up at o-dark-30 to get on the bus to ride up to Indy for race day. They threw me up in the luggage rack. Somebody gave me a pillow and everybody started throwing their jackets on top of me to keep me warm. The ride home wasn't nearly as cool, because after a long day at the track, everybody but my dad and I were kind of rowdy. I was probably five years old. We sat in turns three and four. We were two rows up, right in the middle of the short chute. The hard thing was you could hardly see anything. The cars were so fast. They were a blur. But to see those cars under caution and smell the methanol fumes and everything, it was still pretty cool."
Explain a lap around Indy.
"You're lifting and braking into (turn) one and into (turn) three. In the short chutes you're back on the gas wide-open. All you do when you're going into (turns) two and four is just lift a little bit. You let the car roll - you really don't have to use the brakes there. It's not a big, demanding track on brakes, but it is a momentum race track and a rhythm race track. You have to get into a rhythm early, and once you get into that rhythm it seems to make things a lot easier for you."
Can you compare a lap around Indy in an Indy car to a lap around Indy in a stock car?
"In an Indy car you just don't lift - if the car's right. But in a stock car, even if it's right, you've got to lift and you've got to brake for at least two of the corners. With the other two corners, you just lift, basically. It's a challenging track in a Cup car. It's a challenging track in an Indy car too, but if you can get it right in an Indy car then you can run it wide-open around there, and that's one less variable you've got to worry about when it comes to getting around the race track."
How important is the team in giving you a Home Depot Chevrolet that's fast at Indy?
"Everybody has a part at Indianapolis because the track is a good combination of raw horsepower and mechanical balance. Every aspect of the team plays a bigger part at Indy versus when we go to Martinsville (Va.), where aerodynamics don't mean anything, or at Daytona (Fla.), where aerodynamics mean everything. Everybody has a role here. Indy is one of those tracks that challenges every aspect of your team."
NASCAR has been coming to the Brickyard for 13 years now. Do you remember how you felt as an aspiring open-wheel driver from Indiana when it was announced that stock cars would race on the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
"I was one of the old guard who wasn't too excited when they said that stock cars would be at Indy, just because of the history of the place. But we've all adapted our attitudes toward it, because in addition to the Indianapolis 500 - which is what Indy has been all about for so many years - they have the Nextel Cup Series - the premiere racing series in the United States, and Formula 1 - probably the most recognized form of motorsports in the world. The speedway has brought all of the major racing series together at one great venue.
"A lot of times people are scared of change, but as the years have gone on people have not only accepted the changes that have gone on at the speedway, but appreciated them as well."
When you raced in USAC you had an eye pointed toward Indianapolis, but only in regard to running an Indy car. Now drivers running in USAC still seem to have their sights set on Indy, but it's in regard to running a stock car. What caused this change?
"Jeff Gordon was probably the biggest influence. He had a lot of success in USAC - won a lot of races. He wasn't just handed an opportunity in NASCAR. He earned his way down there. When he got the opportunity to go to NASCAR, he opened up a lot of opportunities for drivers like myself. And the TV package that USAC had at the time with the Thursday Night Thunder Series on ESPN, it brought guys from all over the country because of the recognition that could be earned from running USAC. We had guys coming from Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Wisconsin and Illinois to participate in USAC races because of Jeff's success and the opportunity that he had to come to NASCAR. Indy cars weren't an option at the time because unless you brought a big-dollar sponsor you weren't going to get a ride. When Jeff had his success down South, it boosted everybody's spirits and helped show everyone in USAC that it was a reality and that if they had the same kind of results that Jeff had on the track, then it could happen to them too."
It's been over a year since you moved out of Charlotte, N.C., and back home to Columbus, Ind. How relaxing is it to be home?
"It's been huge for me. It's probably been one of the biggest factors that's helped me be a lot more relaxed. I'm in the same house I was raised in from the time I was 10 months old. The neighbors on both sides and across the street and behind me are all the same neighbors. They're just older now. They don't treat me any differently than they did when I was a kid. I'm still the kid who used to hit the baseball through their windows. So, I just don't hit the ball through the windows anymore. I've been back home long enough that I'm just one of the guys to most of the people I'm around. Even when I'm out, there aren't a lot of people who ask for anything. I'm settled in and they let me be me. It's paid off huge. It's been a pleasant experience and makes me look forward to going home after the weekends."
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Last edited by mrsmopar12 : 08-03-2006 at 09:33 PM.
I am so glad that you enjoyed those Smoke8! I kinda figured that you and any other Tony fans would like to read them. I collect such things in my daily "travels" around all the racing boards. When I find more I will add them to your 'collection'. Mrs. Ryan ~LOL~ I like that!!~LOL~
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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I am so glad that you enjoyed those Smoke8! I kinda figured that you and any other Tony fans would like to read them. I collect such things in my daily "travels" around all the racing boards. When I find more I will add them to your 'collection'. Mrs. Ryan ~LOL~ I like that!!~LOL~
Yes please, all articles re: Tony would be very cool! Maybe I will call you Mrs Ryan, every time I go to type MrsMoper, see I did it again. My fingers won't behave.
Also if you go to Google News and search for Tony Stewart you can find lots of local driven editorials and stories. Some of it is repetitive but it can be a good source.
Tony Stewart - Get Your Goove On
True Speed Communication For Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release
ATLANTA (Aug. 15, 2006) - Michigan International Speedway has been a favorite among drivers in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series since NASCAR first visited the 2-mile, D-shaped oval in June of 1969.
With its sweeping corners, banked at 18 degrees and connected by a slightly rounded 3,600-ft. frontstretch and a straight 2,242-ft. backstretch, Michigan allows drivers to help themselves by providing multiple racing grooves to suit the handling characteristics of their race car. From the low side of the track's apron to the high side near the track's outer retaining wall, just about any patch of asphalt is fair game.
For Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, Michigan's diverse racing lines have yielded positive results. The two-time and reigning series champion has a win along with five top-threes and nine top-10s in 15 career starts at Michigan. He even has an IROC win on his Michigan resume, having beaten former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bobby Labonte for the prize in 2001.
In the brave new world that is NASCAR in 2006, where parity reigns and even the slightest edge can make a huge difference, the trump card in the pocket of The Home Depot Racing Team is Stewart. Able to drive anything, anywhere, Stewart can use Michigan's multiple racing grooves to put his Home Depot Chevrolet where it performs best.
And as he prepares to make his 271st career Nextel Cup start on Sunday, Stewart is intent on using Michigan's grooves to set his championship groove.
Casual observers seem to say that the racing on D-shaped ovals is boring. But drivers seem to like it because they're able to move around and use multiple grooves. Is that true at Michigan?
"Yes, you can definitely move around at Michigan. The thing about Michigan is that it's been there for so long now that there's no one, specific groove anymore. You can literally race from the white line on the apron all the way to the wall. That's the groove. Depending on how your car is driving, you can move around on the race track and help yourself. That's what makes Michigan such a fun race track for the drivers. The drivers can really help themselves out if they don't have a car that's working right. You can move around on the race track and find a spot that helps your car do what you need it to do."
Where does Michigan rank in terms of all the 1.5- to 2-mile D-shaped ovals that are on the Nextel Cup circuit?
"It's so wide and there are so many lines that you can run - that's what makes Michigan fun for drivers. You have to figure out how to gauge your momentum and know where you want to be on that race track when you enter those corners. Michigan's layout gives the drivers the flexibility to really make a difference in their car's handling."
At what point do you start to move around on the race track to find a better handle for your race car?
"As soon as you feel like you're not where you need to be. If you feel like you're slower than the pace you need to be running, you're going to move up the race track and find a place that helps balance your race car. Really, from the drop of the green flag, you do it from there on out."
What percentages would you put on a comparison between the importance of horsepower and handling at Michigan?
"It's probably about 50/50. You need to have an aerodynamic car, but you've got to have the horsepower to pull it, too. You can't have one and not the other and expect to go to Michigan and win the race."
How big a role does drafting play at Michigan?
"It's big since Michigan is such a momentum track. You can work the draft pretty well, and if there are some guys racing up in front of you, it'll help you catch up to them. It's a place where you really have to watch and pay attention to the draft."
There are only four races before the chase for the championship begins Sept. 17 at New Hampshire. With you being seventh in points, is there any sense of urgency to get a more secure spot in the top-10?
"In all honesty, we just take it one race at a time. That's the only way you can take it, because you can't predict anything that's going to happen or how things are going to work. You always have to just take it one race at a time.
"Our attitude and approach has always been to just go out and try to win the race. And if you win the race, the points take care of themselves. So if we can go out and do that, we don't have to worry about the rest of it.
"As far as we're concerned, it's just a matter of going out and doing what we do every week and trying to get ourselves in a position to win every single week that we go on the race track."
With roughly two-and-a-half years of the revised point system under your belt, what's your impression?
"I think it turned out fine. I liked it the way it was, but with the old system I would've been worried every week about where we stood. But now? I can't even tell how many points out of the lead we are because I don't even know. The good thing about the new point system is that it gives the good teams that have historically been in the top-10 the flexibility to try things, knowing that if you have a bad week it's not going to be that dramatic. But the moral of the story is still the same - if you get into that top-10 you better have your stuff ready to go for that last 10-week stretch and not have any mistakes, because mistakes in that final, 10-race sprint will cost you big."
Do you feel that for drivers in your position, instead of point racing at the end of the year you're point racing now? Because the way the point system is designed for the final 10 races, you have to go out and try to win each and every race to gain as many points as possible. That wasn't always the case in year's past.
"We've got a couple of weeks here where we can try things and have that flexibility. But the good thing is that we're not struggling and having to try new things. We have the ability to do that if we want to because of where we are in the points, but regardless we're in a good spot. Our performance the last couple of weeks has shown that we're finally hitting our marks. For us, it's just a matter of going out and doing our thing now."
You'll be competing in the NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday prior to the Nextel Cup race on Sunday. How much does running the Busch car help you on Sunday when you climb into your Home Depot Chevrolet?
"I think that running the Busch car gives us a bigger start on Friday because we have a lot more information to work with as we get ready for qualifying. Before we even start Cup practice I'll have been out on the track in the Busch car for two hours, so we'll have a good understanding as to what we need in our Home Depot Chevrolet when we we're out there getting it ready for qualifying. As far as the race goes, running a Busch car doesn't hurt, that's for sure. Michigan is a track where if you find a spot that you like, sometimes it'll make your car handle better. But sometimes it won't. Running the Busch car will give me a good idea as to where those spots are on the race track, and it'll let me know whether it helped or hurt the car."
Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Aric Almirola will be making his fourth career NASCAR Busch Series start at Michigan. For a young driver with very little Busch Series experience, he's run up front in all of his races. What are your thoughts on him and what are his chances at Michigan?
"I'm really impressed with him. His attitude is good. His approach to what he's doing is good. I think he's doing things the right way. He's got a good head on his shoulders and it seems like every week he just keeps getting better and better and better. The fun part for us is that he's kind of sneaking up on everybody. I don't think everybody quite realizes how good he really is yet. To see his Busch races at Dover and Indy and to see how well he did is proof of that. I think Michigan will be a track he'll like. He's been there with the Truck Series once already, so he's got some experience, and with the Busch car I think he'll have a lot of fun."
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IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR POSITION IS FAIRLY SECURE RIGHT NOW, BUT HOW DO YOU LOOK AT IT?
"Well, we're just going week-to-week right now. It's not something that we're looking at. I mean, our goal is still the same each week. It means the same thing it did the first time I was asked. We're taking it one week at a time right now and we're doing the best we can and hopefully it's going to be good enough."
BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE - ESPECIALLY LAST YEAR WINNING THE TITLE - DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE THAT ARE BATTLING FOR THESE FINAL QUALIFYING SPOTS?
"I don't know that it is an advantage. It's just strictly a matter of having two fairly decent weeks to make sure we get ourselves locked in and once we get locked in, we've got to have 10 good weeks in a row and have 10 weeks that are better than everybody else. It's not rocket science. It's a matter of doing numbers and math. That's what it really boils down to. You've just got to do a better job of adding up the points better than everybody else does."
YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. SOME GUYS DON'T HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE. HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WILL AFFECT THE RACING IN THE NEXT TWO RACES?
"I don't think it'll change. How you get into the Chase is the same way you win the Chase. So, you've got to go out there and you've got to be good. You've got to be good in 26 races to get in the Chase, and now you've got to be good for 10 after that to win the Chase."
DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE?
"No, not really. You just go out and do the same things you always do. It's what I've been doing for eight years. It's no different today and it's not going to be any different next week."
HOW DO YOU FEEL, HEALTH-WISE, AFTER THE FLIP THE OTHER NIGHT?
"Oh, it's fine. It wasn't any different than any other time. Trust me, Sprint Car drivers flip all the time. We just had a problem with a steering gear break so it was just bad luck. It's tough because I wanted to run the whole night. I was having a lot of fun. It was a neat race track. That was the smallest track that I've ran with on Sprint Cars. It was a lot of fun."
ON YOUR QUALIFYING RUN, WAS WHAT YOU GOT OUT OF THE CAR WHAT YOU EXPECTED?
"I think I know what you mean by that. We picked up three-tenths, which is what we were hoping to do. So I'm not unpleased with that."
HOW IS DENNY HAMLIN, AS A ROOKIE, COPING WITH THE PRESSURE OF THE CHASE?
"He has just got a lot of talent. He doesn't worry about..he is very focused on what he does every week. That is the whole teams mindset. Keeping that mindset in mind is keeping him from having to worry about it. It is not a pressure deal. It is just going out doing what we love doing."
HOW DO YOU KEEP FROM LETTING THE PRESSURE BUILD?
"I don't know to be honest because I have never fell in to it. All eight years we have been here in the points, we have just strictly dealt with one week at a time. That it is the easiest way to approach it I think. What you do this week is this week. Then once this weekend is over, this weekend is done and you worry about the next one. It is literally that simple for us."
IS THERE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BEING IN THE CHASE? HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING SPECIAL FROM HAVING BEEN THERE BEFORE?
"Obviously, the last ten weeks, you are racing nine other guys. You aren't worried about the rest of the field. But at the same time you know that everybody on that race track is racing for position and every position is worth points. That is the mindset you keep with it. You know there are still 43 guys on the race track. But out of the other 42 other guys you are racing, only nine of them really matters. You focus more on those nine guys which is the only thing that is really different. And even with that, if you beat those nine guys and in fact beat all 42 that are out there, you still get the most points for that day."
IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND THAT WONDERS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED LAST WEEK.
"The only thing in the back of my mind is what I am going to do on my next day off. I just try to keep it real simple, I really don't' try to over think it. I don't try to over calculate everything. I am worried about Sunday, then once Sunday is over with then I will worry about what we are going to do for Richmond next week. I literally take it a seven-day cycle at a time. Bristol was last week so it really doesn't matter what we did at Bristol, we are at a totally different track and race this week. So no matter what happened last week, we can't change any of it. We are better off taking all of our energy and focusing on this coming week instead of focusing on something we can't change the outcome of."
DID THE INCIDENT THE OTHER NIGHT CAUSE YOU TO STOP AND THINK ABOUT TAKING IT A LITTLE EASY OR NOT DO THINGS LIKE THAT?
"No, because I had to drive on the interstate to get here today. That wasn't anything compared to driving on the interstate here."
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Tony Stewart - Hoosier Daddy
welcome
I kinda figured that you and any other Tony fans would like to read them.
I collect such things in my daily "travels" around all the racing boards. When I find more I will add them to your 'collection'.
Mrs. Ryan ~LOL~ I like that!!~LOL~
Behind The Hauler Chat With Tony Stewart
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