Smoke's Lounge

Fan's Perspective: Stewart-Haas Racing 2012 Preview

By Paula Thompson, Yahoo!

After a slow start to the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing picked things up in the Chase for the Sprint Cup: the team that, in Stewart's opinion, didn't even belong in the Chase racked up five wins in the season's final 10 races and held on to a tie-breaker to win the Sprint Cup championship, Stewart's first since 2005 and third overall. Add to that momentum the return of Ryan Newman, who finished 10th in final points in 2011, and the addition of a third part-time car for the 2012 season, and SHR is now among the teams to beat in the Sprint Cup Series.

Tony Stewart:

The boss, who became the first owner/driver since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 to win the title, has been on a roll since the Chase started, and it hasn't stopped in the off-season. He recently won back-to-back features at the "Rumble in Ft. Wayne" indoor midget races in his home state of Indiana, and he'll next set his sights on the famous Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stewart has momentum on his side, as well as a new crew chief - Steve Addington from Penske Racing - and a new director of competition - his old buddy from Joe Gibbs Racing, Greg Zipadelli. The first challenge on Stewart's plate for the #14 Chevrolet in 2012: a win in the elusive Daytona 500.

Ryan Newman:

Newman returns for his fourth season in the #39 Chevrolet, with a sponsorship package that includes the U.S. Army, Quicken Loans, Outback Steakhouse, Haas Automation and a few associates. Newman has won two races with Stewart-Haas (Phoenix in April 2010 and New Hampshire in July 2011) and with crew chief Tony Gibson (who was a member of Kulwicki's crew during the 1992 championship season); Gibson returns in 2012 as well.

Danica Patrick:

the long-awaited Sprint Cup debut of Patrick could come as early as the Daytona 500, one of 10 races Patrick is scheduled to attempt this season in the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Patrick, who will also race full-time in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports, will have a veteran leader in her corner at SHR, as Zipadelli's other duty with the team will be to serve as her crew chief. Patrick will need to have stamina this season, as she'll be attempting to race more than 40 races, more than twice as many as she used to run in the IndyCar Series; she'll also need patience, as will those around her, as she handles the variety of tracks in both series, some for the first time.

By
Sandra MacWatters,
November 28, 2011

Effective immediately, Steve Addington has been named as the crew chief for three-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart. Darian Grubb, the crew chief who guided Stewart to a championship, looks to be moving on from Stewart-Haas Racing.

Addington, a South Carolina native, is only the third crew chief Stewart has had during his 13-year career in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Addington spent 15 seasons with success in the NASCAR Nationwide Series before moving up to the Cup series.

Stewart said, "I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a racecar. My comfort level with him is already strong. He balances the technical part of our sport with the real-world experiences that we get at the track, and that will allow for a smooth transition as we prepare to defend our title in 2012."

Stewart worked with Addington from 2005 to 2008 when he was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, though he was not his crew chief.

Addington added, "Tony and I are a lot alike and we're able to push each other. He expects a lot and he knows a lot.

Addington continued, "His talent behind the wheel is obvious, but his ability to motivate and get everyone to believe that whatever goal they set is attainable is something every crew chief wants, and I plan to make the most of it."

Stewart's new crew chief has shown he can deal with all types of personalities, including the highly competitive ones like Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch. He has been able to steer both drivers to victory.

Addington has also shown the ability to put a winning car on any type of track from the super speedways to short tracks.

Stewart had told Grubb he would be replaced as crew chief nearly six weeks prior to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

Stewart spoke well of his former crew chief, saying, "Darian was a very important part of the success we've had at Stewart-Haas Racing. He's a great person, and I know he'll continue to be successful in this sport."

All quotes in this article were obtained from an official team press release.

Tony currently owns and drives the #14 Mobil 1/ Office Depot/ Old Spice/ Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS for his own team, Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Darian Grubb. Stewart also drives part-time in the #5 Delphi Chevrolet Impala SS for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. From 1999 until 2008, he drove the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing car, under crew chief Greg Zipadelli, with Home Depot as the primary sponsor. His ten year tenure with the same team, sponsor, and crew chief is a NASCAR record.

About the Nickname "Smoke"

Tony Stewart told NASCAR.com of his nickname: "I wasn't very good about not slipping the right-rear tire, initially. So it started as 'Smoker,' then it got shortened to 'Smoke.' Then when I got in the Indy Racing League it was 'Smoke' because one of the guys on the crew who was my roommate, and knew the nickname, carried it over to the IndyCar team. But then when I started blowing engines, 'Smoke' really stuck. I've had it ever since."

During his NASCAR career, Tony Stewart once was told by #20 team owner Joe Gibbs that he could no longer compete in races outside of his Sprint Cup obligations. Stewart worked around this by entering a USAC National Midget race under the pseudonym "Smokey Jones" with the crowd at the track none the wiser. After winning the feature, "Smokey Jones" got out of his car and revealed himself to the crowd as Tony Stewart. He also once entered himself in a race, driving the infamous "Munchkin" midget chassis, as "Mikey Fedorcak Jr." after buying the Munchkin from Mike Fedorcak during a card game.

Racetrack owner:

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart owns Eldora Speedway speedway located near Rossburg, Ohio.
He purchased it in late 2004 from Earl Baltes.
Tony Stewart is also a co-owner of Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY.
He also co-owns Macon Speedway in Macon, IL along with Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Bob Sargent.

Tony Stewart Foundation:

Founded in 2003 by Tony Stewart, the principal purposes of the Tony Stewart Foundation are to raise and donate funds to help care for chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and to support other charitable organizations in the protection of various animal species. The Tony Stewart Foundation will raise and donate funds to charitable interests, specifically those that support the aforementioned groups.

Tony Stewart gets a new sponsor

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010

10/12/10 - A sneak peak of the 2011 version of the Chevrolet Impala that will be used in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.

Tony Stewart got a new sponsor and everybody else got a sneak peek of the 2011 version of the Chevrolet Impala that will be used in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.

Stewart on Tuesday announced his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team had signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Mobil 1.

The deal is for 14 races as primary sponsor and associate sponsorship the remainder of the season on the cars of Stewart and his teammate, Ryan Newman.

"We're excited we've been excited this deal and have a partner that is not only committed to brand marketing but at the same time, making our cars and our program better," Stewart said during a news conference at the Stewart-Hass Racing shop.

SHR had prepared two cars with different Mobil 1 paint schemes for the presentation and by chance - or not - both cars were designed with the new nose of the Chevy Impala, which is expected to be used next season.

Until Tuesday, there had been few opportunities to see what the new design - which is akin to the new Nationwide Series design - looked like in person.

"We've actually done only our research and development aero cars. These were done for show car purposes and for this deal today," said Bobby Hutchens, SHR's director of competition.

"I think it looks really neat. It's a lot like the Nationwide Series car. It's a little different from an aerodynamic balance standpoint and that's what we are working on right now."

Stewart's crew chief, Darian Grubb, said he expects NASCAR to release the official production parts to the suppliers and teams next week, but SHR decided to build their own versions for the time being.

"These are all first-off fiberglass prototype pieces. We have had some time in the wind tunnel with it and we're starting to learn a few areas we can tweak on.

"We got a little head start just so we have some idea what to expect when the rules come out."

Office Depot will continue to serve as primary sponsor for the other Cup races on Stewart's No. 14 2011 season.

Races Won:

Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup (37 career wins, 2 championships and a Sprint All-Star Race)

2009:
(4 wins) Pocono 500 (Pocono) Coke Zero 400 (Daytona) Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen (Watkins Glen), Price Chopper 400, Kansas

2008:
(1 win) AMP Energy 500 (Talladega)

2007:
(3 wins) USG Sheetrock 400 (Joliet), Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Indianapolis), Centurion Boats at the Glen (Watkins Glen)

2006:
(5 wins) DirecTV 500 (Martinsville), Pepsi 400 (Daytona), Banquet 400 (Kansas), Bass Pro Shops 500 (Atlanta), Dickies 500 (Texas)

2005:
(5 wins) Dodge/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma), Pepsi 400 (Daytona), New England 300 (Loudon), Allstate 400 at The Brickyard (Indianapolis), Sirius at The Glen (Watkins Glen), Nextel Cup Championship!

2004:
(2 wins) Tropicana 400 (Chicago), Sirius at The Glen (Watkins Glen)

2003:
(2 wins) Pocono 500 (Pocono), UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte)

2002;
(3 wins) MBNA America 500 (Atlanta), Chevy American Revolution 400 (Richmond), Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen (Watkins Glen),
Winston Cup Championship!

2001:
(3 wins) Pontiac Excitement 400 (Richmond), Dodge/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma), Sharpie 500 (Bristol)

2000:
(6 wins) MBNA Platinum 400 (Dover), Kmart 400 (Michigan), thatlook.com 300 (Loudon), MBNA.com 400 (Dover), NAPA AutoCare 500 (Martinsville), Pennzoil 400 presented by Discount Auto Parts (Homestead)

1999:
(3 wins) Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 (Richmond), Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500 (Phoenix), Pennzoil 400 presented by Kmart (Homestead)

Busch/Nationwide Series (8 career wins)

2009;
(1 win ) Camping World 300 (Daytona)

2008:
(5 wins ) Camping World 300 (Daytona) Stater Brothers 300 (Auto Club Speedway), Aaron's 312 (Talladega), Diamond Hill Plywood 200 (Darlington), Camping World RV Sales 200 (New Hampshire)

2006:
(1 win ) Hershey's Kissables 300 (Daytona)
2005:
(1 win ) Hershey's Take 5 300 (Daytona)

Craftsman/Camping World Truck Series (2 career wins)

2003:
(1 win ) Virginia Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)

2002:
(1 win ) Richmond Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)

International Race of Champions (4 career wins plus championship)

2006:
Crown Royal IROC 30 (2 wins) Race 2 (Texas), Race 3 (Daytona Road Course), Crown Royal IROC 30 Championship

2002;
True Value IROC 26 (1 win ) Race 1 (Daytona)

2001:
True Value IROC 25 (1 win ) Race 3 (Michigan)

IRL IndyCar Series (3 career wins plus championship)

1998:
(2 wins) Indy 200 (Walt Disney World Speedway), New England 200 (Loudon)

1997:
(1 win) Samsonite 200 (Pikes Peak), Indy Racing League Championship

2009 Season:
Split from JGR and Debut of Stewart-Haas Racing

On July 8, 2008, it was reported that Stewart had been granted a release of the last year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, a decision based primarily on the fact that JGR had switched from running Chevrolets to Toyota.

Stewart was very vocal about his loyalty to Chevrolet (which sponsors his USAC Midget, Sprint Car, and Silver Crown teams), and would make the move over to Haas CNC Racing to drive one of Haas' Chevrolets, which will be co-sponsored by Office Depot and Old Spice. Stewart will also own half of the team, renaming it Stewart-Haas Racing.

The reports also indicate that the deal will make Stewart the highest paid driver in NASCAR. The expected announcement of his departure from JGR was planned on Wednesday, July 9, and announcement of deal with Haas on July 10. It was announced on July 21 that Stewart will drive the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet car next season for Stewart-Haas Racing. To date, he is the most successful driver for Joe Gibbs with 33 wins and two championships (2002 and 2005).

On August 15, 2008 it was announced at Michigan International Speedway that Ryan Newman signed a multi-year contract to drive the number 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing and will be a teammate to Stewart who will wheel the above mentioned 14 car for SHR. On his radio show on August 18, 2008, Tony Stewart surprised guest Ryan Newman with the announcement that he would not be driving the number 4 car, but rather the number 39 car (his number in USAC racing). It was then revealed that Newman's sponsor will be the U.S. Army that comes over from Dale Earnhardt, Inc..

Daytona Speedweeks:

Tony Stewart formed the racing team Stewart-Haas Racing, which also owns the #39 U.S. Army car, driven by Ryan Newman. Stewart drives the #14 Old Spice car. In the Budwieser Shootout Tony Stewart finished 3rd. Teammate Ryan Newman wrecked three times, the last one taking out the #14 with him. Ryan Newman's car for the Daytona 500 was one of Stewart's backup cars, but they painted it to match the #39 Army scheme. Both Stewart and Newman were forced into backup cars, therefore moving them from their original starting positions in the 500, to the rear. Stewart and Newman finished 8th and 36th respectively.

As the most recent series champion not among the Top 35 in owner's points, Stewart was first in line for past champion's provisionals for the first five races of 2009. He made the first five races of 2009 without needing to use the provisional, ending up well inside the Top 10 in points.

Stewart won his first race as a driver/owner in the non-championship Sprint All Star Race XXV, and took the top prize of over $1,000,000. It is also Stewart's first win in the event in ten tries. He followed that victory with his first points race win as a driver/owner at Pocono in the Pocono 500 on June 7, 2009, which made Stewart the first owner-driver in the Cup series to win a race in 11 years. Stewart also won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona after a controversial finish with a wreck involving Kyle Busch, his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart solidified his best season in the Sprint Cup Series by winning his 3rd race of the season at The Glen.

Stewart qualified for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup as he finished the first 26 races as the points leader. He was moved to second in the points following reseeding as Mark Martin, who won more races than Stewart, moved ahead of him.On October 5, 2009.He won the Price Chopper 400 and moved to 4th in the standings.

Stewart's 2006 season was very much up and down. He had competitive cars and scored early wins at Daytona and Martinsville. However he also had strings of bad luck. He also suffered a shoulder injury due to two heavy crashes in both the Busch and Cup races at Charlotte during the Memorial Day Weekend races (Stewart's Busch car hit the Turn 4 wall so hard it even knocked the rear end off the car). During the Dover race, he was substituted by Ricky Rudd, and in later weeks had to drive in pain.

Additionally he has once again been involved in several on track controversies.

Following a rough Bud Shootout on February 12, Stewart expressed concern to the media about the possibility of aggressive driving resulting in the serious injury or death of a driver. It came during a week in which the racing world remembered the fifth anniversary of the death of legend Dale Earnhardt, who died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Just a few days after Stewart's comments to the media, during the 48th running of the Daytona 500, he was involved in a number of incidents with Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, who he chased halfway across the track to run into the grass. "He has no room to complain," Stewart said of his brush with Kenseth. "He started it, and I finished it".

On May 20 during Nascar's All Star Race Stewart and Kenseth wrecked again. Each driver claimed it was the other one's fault with Stewart saying, "if (Kenseth) thinks it's my fault and I (caused the wreck) he's screwed up in his head." Following the wreck, several media outlets proclaimed the new Stewart-Kenseth rivalry as must-see TV. The so-called rivalry was short-lived as Kenseth and Stewart participated as friends in a joint promotional tour for DeWalt and Home Depot. Kenseth also appeared in September at Stewart's Eldora Speedway in the NEXTEL PRELUDE with NASCAR drivers, as well as the ARCA Truck Series event there.

On July 23, Stewart once again was at the center of a media storm. On lap 31 of the Pennsylvania 500, Stewart was accidentally squeezed against the wall by fellow driver Clint Bowyer. Stewart responded by waving his hand in anger, then purposely hitting Bowyer's car. This contact sent Bowyer spinning down the front stretch where he collided with Carl Edwards. Stewart was promptly held one lap by NASCAR for rough driving. He did however pass leader Ryan Newman to get back on the lead lap and eventually rallied to finish 7th and get back in the top 10 in the point standings. After initially refusing to take responsibility for the incident he apologized the next day.

Tony Stewart missed the cut to qualify for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup by 16 points. He finished poorly at Richmond after wrecking his primary car in practice, and was displaced in the top ten by Kasey Kahne. As a result, he finished the 2006 season 11th in points, his worst thus far in his career, as he had completed each of his seven previous seasons in the top ten in points. Commenting on not being in the 2006 Chase, he says: "It lets us have the ability to take chances and try things ... that we've been wanting to try but just haven't had the luxury to do it. If we were in the Chase we wouldn't have that ability". Stewart won three races in the 2006 Chase (Kansas, Atlanta, and Texas).

The season wasn't totally unkind to Stewart, however. He was a participant in the 30th season of IROC and won 2 of the 4 races (Texas, and the Daytona road course) on his way to capturing the series championship. He won a million dollars for the effort, but made an offer to return his prize money if IROC would hold one of its events at his Eldora Speedway. This offer was not entertained as IROC folded in 2007. In addition, Stewart's three wins in the Chase races gave him five total for the season, tying him with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick for second most in Nextel Cup behind Kasey Kahne's six.

2007 Season:

His 2007 racing season started out with Stewart winning his second Chili Bowl Nationals midget car feature. Tony started off the Daytona Speedweeks with a win in the 2007 Budweiser Shootout. It was his third win in the race. He also won his qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

On lap 152 of the Daytona 500, the rear of Stewart's car slid up the track, and when he tried to cut down the track, he smacked the front of Kurt Busch's car knocking both of them out of the race. Tony and the Busch brothers (Kurt and Kyle) were the three leaders for the majority of the race.

On March 22, 2007, it was released that Stewart would be on the cover of the official NASCAR video game published by Electronic Arts, "NASCAR 08". This would be the third time this honor was given to Stewart (2001, 2004, 2008).

In his first Car of Tomorrow race with the Impala SS, Stewart was dominant at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading 257 of 504 laps (green-white-checkered finish), before he experienced a fuel pump problem. At the third Car of Tomorrow race at Phoenix International Raceway, Stewart lead a race high 154 laps, but a late race caution moved Stewart to second, where he finished behind Jeff Gordon. In the following week, Stewart implied the cautions were "bogus" and that NASCAR is rigged like professional wrestling.

On June 4, 2007, Stewart and Kurt Busch had an incident on pit road in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. Busch passed Stewart on the inside, and Stewart smacked Busch into the wall, knocking out Busch, but with Stewart staying in the race. Under the caution, Stewart was on pit road in his pit box when Kurt Busch pulled along side to express his feelings over the incident. One of Stewart's crewmen had to jump out of the way of Kurt's car to avoid being hit.

At the All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway, he finished 5th behind Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Burton. At the Coca-Cola 600, Stewart finished sixth, after having to come in to pit for fuel.

On July 15, 2007, Stewart led a race high 108 laps and recorded his 30th career NEXTEL Cup win at the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

On July 29, 2007, after leading a race high 66 of 160 laps, Stewart won the "Allstate 400 at the Brickyard" race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just 45 minutes from where he grew up. During the victory lane interview, Stewart was penalized 25 points and fined $25,000 for violating NASCAR's policy on the use of obscene language during interviews during the race.

On August 12, 2007, he won the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International after Jeff Gordon spun his car around after wheel hopping in turn 1 with two laps to go.

2008 Season:

Stewart began the 2008 season starting 6th for the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and was only able to come up with a 3rd place finish after being passed on the last lap by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

On lap 109 of the UAW-Dodge 400, Stewart cut a tire and slammed into the turn 3 wall. Stewart came out of the car under his own power, but was helped to the ambulance where he was taken to the infield care center. Stewart had complained about a sore foot from a wreck which occurred the day before in the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas. Stewart was later announced okay and ripped on Goodyear for not bringing quality tires. The next week at the Kobalt Tools 500, Stewart commented that "Goodyear doesn't give a c*** about tire quality."

With 3 laps to go in the 2008 Coca-Cola 600, Stewart cut a tire and saved it from contact with the wall. However, Stewart had to give up the lead to future race
In the Best Buy 400 Stewart was involved in another crash with Elliott Sadler in which Sadler was turned by David Gilliland and Sadler's no. 19 collected Stewart and 11 other cars including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Stewart said, "I take 100 percent responsibility -- it's my fault for being anywhere close to Elliott. If I'm within half a lap of him, I expect that to happen. It's my fault -- I'm the one that hit him. When I hit him it caused all the guys behind us to wreck, so it's my fault."

On July 5, during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Tony began feeling ill and turned the car over to former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate JJ Yeley, who finished 20th after getting involved in two wrecks in the last 5 laps. Stewart earned his first win of the season in the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 5. On the final lap Stewart was passed by Regan Smith. NASCAR declared that Smith had made an illegal pass and awarded the victory to Stewart.

1999 season:

Stewart started his Winston Cup career in 1999 with a bang, as he qualified his #20 Home Depot Pontiac in second place in his first Cup race, the Daytona 500. He showed courage in one of the Gatorade Twin 125 races, when involved in a great battle with Dale Earnhardt for the win. The Intimidator came out on top, but Stewart had nonetheless impressed quite a few people with his performance. In the 500 itself, Stewart ran near the front until problems with the car relegated him to a 28th place finish.

Stewart spent most of his rookie season wowing people, as his car was often in the top 10. He only failed to finish a race once, and even then, he was credited with 9th place. He won a pair of pole positions at short tracks, and set a series record for victories by a rookie with three (two of which within the last three races of the year). He finished his first year an unprecedented 4th in points, the highest points finish by a rookie in the modern era (which held until 2006 when his then-teammate Denny Hamlin finished 3rd), and only bested by James Hylton, who finished 2nd as a first-timer in 1966. Not surprisingly, he ran away with the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award.

Stewart also attempted to race 1,100 miles (1,800 km) on Memorial Day Weekend, as he competed in both the Indy 500 during the day and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., at night. He finished in the top 10 at both races; ninth in the 1999 Indy 500 and fourth at Lowe's Motor Speedway. However, he only completed 1,090 miles (1,750 km) of the scheduled 1,100.

2000 season:

Stewart showed no signs of a sophomore slump in Winston Cup in 2000, winning six races. However, he "slipped" to sixth place in the standings because of a handful of DNFs and an increase in the number of competitive drivers, among them his teammate Labonte, who won the Cup championship. Tony also began to get some bad press for his on-track incidents. The best known of these came at Watkins Glen, when he and Jeff Gordon tangled and crashed. Stewart made his displeasure toward Gordon known in an obscenity-laden tirade. Stewart won the Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car event at Irwindale, California, which he called, "one of his greatest wins ever."

2001 season:

Stewart's 2001 season got off to a frightening start, as he was involved in a spectacular crash in the Daytona 500 where his car violently flipped over several times toward the middle of the race that also had the final-lap crash that killed Dale Earnhardt Sr. He walked away unscathed, recovered to win three more races and, as he'd done before, ran near the front most of the season. Statistically, he had a worse season than 2000, but he was the runner-up to Gordon for the Cup championship.

For the second time he ran "The Double" on Memorial Day Weekend, in spite of a 17 minute rain delay at Indianapolis. He finished 6th in the Indianapolis 500 and 3rd in the Coca Cola 600, running all 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of the two races.

The 2001 season was not without controversy, however. Jeff Gordon pulled a "bump and run" on Stewart to gain a better finishing position in a race in Bristol, and it resulted in Stewart retaliating in a post-race incident by spinning Gordon out on pit road. Stewart was fined and placed on probation by NASCAR. He got into further trouble at Daytona, when he confronted a Winston Cup official after ignoring a black flag. At the same race, he also got into an incident with a reporter, kicking away a tape recorder. He confronted the same NASCAR official at the race in Talladega after refusing to wear a mandated head-and-neck restraint. Stewart was not allowed to practice until wearing one and only managed to practice after his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli intervened. His fines and probation periods resulting from these incidents have earned Stewart a reputation of having a hot-temper, and he became NASCAR's "bad boy".

2002 season:

Tony started 2002 even more inauspiciously than in the previous season, as his Daytona 500 lasted just two laps due to a blown engine. He went on to win twice early in the season but was only seventh in the points standings at the halfway point of the season. The second half of his season was plagued by an altercation with a photographer after the Brickyard 400. NASCAR put Stewart on probation for the rest of the season. He went on to win the very next week at Watkins Glen, and went on a hot streak in the final races, finishing consistently in the top five. At the end of the year, Stewart held off a charging Mark Martin to win his first Winston Cup championship. Many see this as a symbolic passing of the torch, as Stewart collected his first championship the year after Jeff Gordon won his fourth championship, who won his first championship the year after Earnhardt won his last championship. Earnhardt won his first championship in 1980, the year after Richard Petty won his seventh and final championship.

2003 season:

As defending champion, Stewart managed to have a relatively incident-free 2003. Driving a Chevrolet instead of his previous Pontiac (Gibbs switched between manufacturers), Stewart actually had his worst Cup season (until the 2006 season), but it was still good enough for seventh in the points. He only won twice that season but led more laps than he had the previous year and was highly competitive in the final races of the year.

2004 season:

The 2004 season was highlighted by first victory coming at Chicagoland as well as his second victory at Watkins Glen International. Stewart qualified fourth for the first ever Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. However an incident at the first race of The Chase at New Hampshire International Speedway dashed hopes of a second series title.

In November, Stewart became the owner of one of the most legendary short tracks in America, Eldora Speedway. Located in New Weston, Ohio, Eldora is a half-mile dirt track known to many as "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954." Stewart began racing there in 1991 and continues racing in special events alongside other Nextel Cup drivers and dirt track legends.

In 2004, Stewart teamed with Englishman Andy Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a Boss Motorsports Chevrolet to take fourth in the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race. The result does not show the trio's performance, however: They had dominated the race until the last two hours, when the suspension cracked. With 15 minutes left in the race, and with Stewart at the wheel, one of the rear wheels came off, finally ending their run. In addition to placing fourth overall, the trio placed third in the Daytona Prototype class.

2005 season:

Tony Stewart's 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winning car on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum.2005 was one of Stewart's most successful years in the Nextel Cup. He won five races, including the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, a race that Stewart said he would give up his championship to win, and took with it the No. 1 seed heading into NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup 10-race playoff.

On August 16 Stewart was fined $5,000 for hitting the car of Brian Vickers, after the completion of the Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. Stewart was driving a Busch series car owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated at the time. Stewart also was placed on probation until December 31.

Following his second win of the season, Stewart began climbing the fence separating the fans from the race track after each victory, borrowing IndyCar Series driver Hélio Castroneves' trademark move. Tony was quoted as saying "I'm too d**** fat to be climbing fences," and recently purchased $17,000 worth of exercise equipment to remedy the problem. It also led to sponsor Home Depot cashing in on Stewart's success with some promotions reminiscent of Stewart's Eldora Speedway drivers. After his second full climb of the fence in Loudon, N.H., they ran a discount on ladders and fencing at the stores with a campaign named, "Hey Tony, we've got ladders," where anyone who presented the advertisement in national newspapers in their stores earned the discount. After his victory in Indianapolis, Home Depot presented fans who presented the advertisement of his Allstate 400 win with a discount on purchasing bricks. He mentioned in a press release from his sponsor, "I plan to keep winning races and helping to drive down the cost of home improvement for The Home Depot customers."

On November 20, Stewart won his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, joining Jeff Gordon as the only active, full-time drivers to have won multiple championships. He also is one of the youngest drivers to win multiple championships. During the 2005 season, Stewart won a total of $13,578,168, including $6,173,633 for winning the championship, the largest season total in NASCAR history. Stewart also went through training to become a deputy sheriff in Alabama

Tony Stewart was born in Columbus, Indiana on May 20, 1971, and attended Columbus North High School during his youth. He grew up racing go karts and was successful very early, winning a World Karting Assoc. championship in 1987. He raced three-quarter midgets until 1991, when he moved up to the United States Auto Club (USAC) series with help from one of his karting sponsors and friend Mark Dismore. Stewart was the USAC Rookie of the Year in 1991, fifth in 1993 after winning the Hut Hundred, and was the National Midget series champion in 1994.

In 1995, Stewart became the hottest driver to win USAC's version of the Triple Crown, earning championships in all three of USAC's major divisions, National Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown. The highlights of the year were winning the Hut Hundred and 4-Crown Nationals.

When he wasn't racing IndyCars, he raced stock cars. In 1996, Tony made his NASCAR Busch Series debut, driving for car owner Harry Rainer. In nine races, however, he had only a best finish of 16th place. He had more success in a one-time ride in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he finished 10th. He owns a track in Wisconsin called Cedar Lake Speedway.

Tony was poised to improve his Indy Racing League (IRL) standing in 1997, but struggled with finishing at times. He failed to finish the first three races of a ten race schedule, but recovered to finish second at Phoenix. At that year's Indy 500, Stewart had a good enough car to win his first IRL race, leading 64 laps. However, he trailed off near the end of the race and settled for 5th. Tony finally got his first career win at Pikes Peak, where he led all but seven laps of a 200 lap race. He became the leading contender for the series' championship after a bad slump knocked points leader Davey Hamilton out of first place. Despite an average end to his season, finishing 7th, 14th,11th, and five DNFs, Stewart did just enough to beat Hamilton for the IRL title. He also raced in a few midget events, finishing thirteenth and eleventh in the 1997 and 1998 USAC national points, and winning the Copper Classic both years. Between his time in USAC and the IRL, Stewart earned the nickname of "Smoke", first for slipping the right rear tire during dirt races, and for blowing his engine often during his '97 championship run.

As he had done the previous year, he raced a handful of Busch Series races. This time, he was racing for Joe Gibbs, NFL Hall of Fame head coach of the Washington Redskins who was having a lot of success with driver Bobby Labonte in Winston Cup. When Stewart was able to finish races, he finished in the top 10, and had a 3rd place finish at Charlotte. Stewart so impressed Gibbs that he was signed to drive the majority of the Busch schedule in 1998 to go along with a full-time IRL schedule.

On the Busch side, he finished in the top-five five times in 22 starts. He came extremely close to winning his first Busch Series race at Rockingham, but was beaten on a last lap pass by Matt Kenseth. Stewart finished a solid 2nd place in 2 (of 31) starts, ahead of six drivers with more starts, and had an average finish that was comparable to some of the series' top 10 finishers. Gibbs had enough confidence in Tony that he was moved into Cup for the 1999 season. With that move, Stewart ended his three year career as a full time IRL driver.

Tony Stewart's entry from the 1999 Indianapolis 500.The double duty did not affect his performance in either series. In the IRL, he won twice and finished 3rd in the championship. His season was something of a disappointment, especially as he finished last in the Indy 500 because of an engine failure.

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