Stewart Ends Dry Spell At Talledega
What was up with all the tire problems today? We don’t usually see tire problems at Talladega, so I am wondering what’s up with the tire manufacturers. Is there something they aren’t telling us?
I have to admit, the last 20 laps of the race were pretty exciting, partly because of the “big one” but mostly because of the finish.
Tony Stewart, a six-time bridesmaid at Talladega Superspeedway, finally got to Victory Lane at the 2.66-mile track in Sunday’s AMP Energy 500. But a controversial finish left rookie Regan Smith shouting, “Stop the wedding!”
In a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race two laps beyond its scheduled distance of 188, Stewart was declared the winner, even though Smith crossed the finish line first. With a quarter-mile to go and Stewart protecting the bottom of the track, Smith was forced to dip below the yellow line, which divides the speedway proper from the apron, to complete the final pass for the lead.
Congratulations, Tony! You deserved this one.
Smoke’s Got His Number
Big news in NASCAR, and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that the National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and upheld the penalties against the #1 car.
The big news is that Haas/CNC has applied for the #14 car. There is no doubt that will be Smoke’s new number next season as Stewart-Haas Racing takes to the track.
What an awesome day it has been.
Tony’s An Owner Now
Well, by now you have probably heard that Tony Stewart is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to become a 50% owner of Haas/CNC. It’s going to be quite interesting to see what kind of a team he pulls together, and which driver he might pull in as a teammate. Rumor has it, it might be the Rocketman. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Meanwhile, Greg Zippadelli is staying put with Joe Gibbs Racing. Is that a surprise, really? You know as well as I, that JGR would do everything they could to keep him to help keep things running for the team. It appears he had no intention on leaving either, which is good for everyone, really. Tony gets a clean break to start his career as an owner/driver in the Sprint Cup, and Zippy gets the chance to teach a new driver how to win races.
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Sphere: Related ContentFirst Win For Stewart At Darlington
No matter who the driver is, watching the emotion on their face when they get their first win, is awesome.
All it took was his first Darlington Raceway victory to bring out Tony Stewart’s softer side.
Only two months ago, Stewart angrily blasted Goodyear after the Atlanta race, saying the company had given him “the most pathetic racing tire I’ve ever been on in my professional career.”
But it was a joyful, smiling Stewart who praised Goodyear for its research and hard work in delivering tires that helped the Joe Gibbs Racing star to his first win Friday night on NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway.
“I really want to give Goodyear a pat on the back,” he said. The company made two trips since March to test tires on Darlington’s slick, new surface, repaved at a cost of $7 million for the first time since 1995.
The results were absolutely perfect for Stewart.
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Tony Stewart Wins At Talladega
When Tony Stewart wants his name in the news, it’s in the news. All weekend people have been talking about him “shopping around”. Then he went and qualified first for today’s race. So what did he do next?
Tony Stewart held off Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last-lap charge to win the Nationwide Series race Saturday for his first career victory at Talladega Superspeedway
“This is not like winning a regular Nationwide race,” he said. “To me this is the biggest one I’ve had. To finally win at Talladega, it’s more than I can put into words.”
Stewart started from the pole, led 81 of the 117 laps, and sat comfortably out front in the waning laps with Earnhardt on his rear bumper just biding his time to make a move. Caution came out with five laps to go for debris, setting up a two-lap sprint to the finish.
He won his first race at Talladega. Not only did he win it, he did so by holding off Dale Jr. while doing so.
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The Talk Of Talladega
This is the race I want to go to someday. The spring race at Talladega. We went to Talladega a few years back to see the museum and tour the track. There wasn’t a race that weekend. If and when I do go to a race, it will be at Talladega.
Having said that, this weekend, Tony Stewart is the talk of Talladega. First we had reports of him “shopping around” and now he captures the pole for the Nationwide race on Saturday.
Stewart will start on the pole for Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 after qualifying first on Friday with a time of 51.308 seconds in a Toyota at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 36-year-old, who collected his second Nationwide pole of the season, made national headlines the past several days by declaring that he is looking for other offers from racing organizations instead of extending his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Stewart’s Camry clocked a speed of 185.308 miles per hour to become the seventh Gibbs’ racing car in the last eight Nationwide races to win the pole at an event.
Congrats on the pole, Tony. I’m curious to see how he does in Sprint qualifying.
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Tony Stewart Is Entertaining Offers
I just can’t see Tony Stewart in another car other than that Home Depot #20. Can you?
Tony Stewart has several different offers to leave Joe Gibbs Racing, and the two-time champion is considering every option—including ones that could make him the owner of his own NASCAR team.
“We’ve got multiple offers on the table right now, and there’s a couple in particular that really have caught our interest,” Stewart told reporters Thursday after Nationwide Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway.
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But a pair of internet reports Wednesday said Stewart was in negotiations to purchase at least a portion of Haas CNC Racing in a deal that would require him to leave JGR.
I know this kind of stuff is normal, and people come and go from teams all the time now, but it doesn’t mean that I have to get used to it. Seriously. It took me two seasons to get used to Kurt Busch in the #2, and it’s going to take longer to get used to seeing Dale Jr. in the #88. If a deal happens and Tony leaves JGR, who could you see in the #20?
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Stewart Wins Camping World 300
Most of the race was quite boring actually, at least I thought so, but the last 25 laps or so made up for it. It was a great finish to an otherwise boring race. Is this a sign of what the season is going to be like? I hope not.
The payback was perfect. Tony Stewart turned the tables on Hendrick Motorsports to win the Nationwide Series opener.
Now, if only he can do it again Sunday.
Stewart and teammate Kyle Busch finished 1-2 Saturday, combining to hold off Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished third.
The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates showed they have learned some important lessons about cooperation from the drivers at Hendrick, the team that fired Busch to make room for Earnhardt Jr.
Congratulations to Tony Stewart. Do you think he’ll repeat tomorrow in the Daytona 500?
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Busch & Stewart On Probation
I guess it’s safe to say that Tony decked Kurt in the trailer, else why would he get probation as well?
NASCAR placed drivers Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart on probation for six races Tuesday, beginning with the Daytona 500. The punishment stems from a confrontation between the two former series champions, who wrecked in practice last week and then carried it into the NASCAR officials’ trailer.
While nobody involved in the incident would confirm that Stewart actually punched Busch during a meeting with officials, as is widely believed, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton inferred that Busch’s penalty was for what happened on the track and Stewart’s was for what happened afterward.
“The accident was a racing incident,” Pemberton said. “How they conducted themselves after that, after the accident and coming onto pit road and from there through the rest of the evening is why the penalties were equal.”
I wonder how penalties are going to come down this year? It’s been so quiet we really have no idea yet.
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Tony Stewart Wins At Watkins Glen
It wasn’t the ending I was expecting, that’s for sure, but it sure was good.
Tony Stewart was more stunned than anyone.
With just two laps remaining in Sunday’s Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, Jeff Gordon had a two car-length lead on Stewart. NASCAR’s top two road racers were preparing for a final clash.
It never happened. Gordon spun out on his own heading into the first turn, Stewart zoomed past, held off a late charge from Carl Edwards, and won for the third time in four races.
”Trust me, I was probably the most shocked person,” Stewart said after his 36th career victory, tying him for 19th all-time with Dale Jarrett. ”Our only shot of getting by him was to keep the pressure on him and hope he’d make a mistake.