Tony Stewart's Lounge!

2/1/10

Tony will like relaxed Nascar rules, as well as others!

By Jeff Owens
SceneDaily.com

NASCAR officials are encouraging drivers to mix it up more on the track this season, vowing that NASCAR is a contact sport and they want see a bit more bumping and banging.

Chairman Brian France and NASCAR President Mike Helton even declared that they will continue to lighten up on aggressive drivers, allowing them to use their bumpers, trade some paint and show more emotion when things get heated.

They set the tone in last year's season finale, going easy on Denny Hamlin when he wrecked Brad Keselowski on purpose at Homestead and on Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart when they got into it in the final Cup race of the season.

So if NASCAR is looking for "characters" to stir things up and create some heated moments when tempers flare and emotions reach a boiling point, who are the most likely drivers to make that happen?

Here are the 10 drivers most likely to take advantage of NASCAR's new "boys, have at it" approach:

1. Tony Stewart
You name 'em and Stewart has tangled with them over the years. Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya and Carl Edwards have all had run-ins with Stewart. Heck, he even feuded with teammate Denny Hamlin while at Joe Gibbs Racing. Good thing his mother doesn't race. One of the most talented drivers in the sport, the two-time Cup champion will rough up competitors if it means winning a race or gaining another position on the track, and he backs down from no one. His skirmish with Montoya at Homestead last year might only be a sign of things to come.

2. Kyle Busch
NASCAR's preeminent bad boy is as aggressive as they come and is not afraid to use his bumper. He has knocked more than a few drivers out of his way and loves stirring the fans up. His most memorable moment came in 2008 at Richmond, where he spun Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the lead with just a few laps remaining, sparking a near riot by Junior Nation. Busch loves wearing the black hat and seems to revel in his bad-boy image. NASCAR's anything-goes approach was made for drivers like him.

3. Juan Pablo Montoya
Like Stewart, Montoya holds his ground and doesn't give an inch to no one. A fiery competitor, he took out his anger and frustration on Stewart last year, drawing an in-race penalty from NASCAR. His pushing and shoving and helmet-grabbing incident with Kevin Harvick in 2007 was one of the best on-track confrontations in years. Now that he has gotten the hang of stock-car racing, look for Montoya to use his bumper a bit more, creating some fireworks on occasion.

4. Brad Keselowski
He hasn't even run a full Cup season yet, but Keselowski has already made a name for himself in the Sprint Cup garage - a name not fit for print. The talented young driver is as aggressive as they come on the track and will do just about anything to win, as he showed last year at Talladega when he held his ground on the last lap, causing Carl Edwards to wreck and sending his car sailing into the fence. He has already angered drivers throughout the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series and will have some of them aiming to get even this year. Hamlin has already had his revenge, intentionally wrecking Keselowski in the Nationwide race at Homestead last year. That's the first of many feuds Keselowski is likely to be in the middle of .

5. Carl Edwards
NASCAR's Mr. Nice Guy is as aggressive as they come on the track and has shown a bit of a temper over the years. He once marched into victory lane to confront Dale Earnhardt Jr. after a late wreck in a Nationwide race at Michigan. He nearly came to blows with Kevin Harvick in the Charlotte garage in 2008, and he scared the daylights out of his own teammate, Matt Kenseth, a few years ago at Martinsville. He even threatened to make Tony Stewart "bleed" after getting wrecked by Stewart at Pocono in 2007. He also won over a few fans by punting Kyle Busch out of the lead to win at Bristol in 2008. Determined to put last year's winless season behind him, look for Edwards to put his bumper and temper to the test in 2010.

6. Kurt Busch
He won his very first Cup race by spinning Jimmy Spencer out of the lead at Bristol in 2002. The move sparked a feud that eventually earned Busch a bloody nose. He has also feuded with Tony Stewart over the years, getting into a physical confrontation with him in the NASCAR hauler in 2008 and nearly running over one of Stewart's crewmen while trying to intentionally hit his car on pit road at Dover. He has traded some classic barbs with Kevin Harvick and even feuded with his little brother after an on-track incident in the All-Star race a few years ago. Simply put, the older Busch aggravates people and has made a few enemies over the years. If the gloves are truly off, he's bound to be on the wrong end of a bumper or two, finding himself in the middle of yet another heated confrontation.

7. Robby Gordon
Gordon, one of the orneriest drivers in the series, has wrecked just about everyone in the Sprint Cup garage, or at least that is the perception. A talented driver struggling to compete with his own team, Gordon typically tries to get every ounce of speed out of his car, and often winds up getting himself in trouble. That has earned him more than a few enemies over the years. Drivers love to rip him after winding up on the wrong end of his bumper. But Gordon can dish out as much medicine as he takes. He won his first Cup race by wrecking Jeff Gordon at New Hampshire and once tangled with former teammate Kevin Harvick at Sonoma. He also had a physical confrontation with Stewart in the garage at Daytona. Look for Gordon's aggressive style to get him into even more trouble now that NASCAR is willing to turn its head to some on-track shenanigans.

8. Jeff Gordon
Though he is one of NASCAR's most-respected drivers and hasn't been in a skirmish in a while, the four-time Cup champion has had his share of run-ins over the years. He used his bumper to win quite often on the short tracks - too bad Rusty Wallace is no longer racing - and some of his victims probably have good memories. He has also had classic feuds with Stewart and, surprisingly, Matt Kenseth. He shoved Kenseth on pit road at Bristol in 2006, and a few months later, sent him spinning to win at Chicago. Gordon could be on both ends of some paybacks under NASCAR's more lenient rules.

9. Kevin Harvick
Harvick doesn't really have a reputation for wrecking people but, boy, does his mouth get him into trouble. Harvick likes to pick on fellow drivers and there's more than a few that would like to send him spinning. He also has a mighty temper, as he showed in 2003 when he climbed on top of Ricky Rudd's car after getting spun at Richmond and in going after Montoya at Watkins Glen in 2007. It would be a shock if Harvick doesn't take a shot at someone and wind up in at least one incident this year.

10. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has stirred up more than his share of trouble in just a few years in the series. Fair or not, he has developed a reputation as a bit of a whiner for criticizing other drivers and, at times, his own crew. He has also made a few ill-advised moves on the track that has drawn the ire of drivers. And in going after Keselowski last year, Hamlin has shown he has a bit of an edge. He is expected to be a strong championship contender this year after winning four races last season. He could find himself in a hornet's nest or two.

For more racing news, visit SceneDaily.com.

1/19/10

Stewart-Haas hopes third team is charm in the pits
Team developing another crew for backup, loan to TRG
By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM

When the No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing team of driver Ryan Newman struggled with its pit stops at the beginning of last season, observers shrugged it off as an example of growing pains a new organization must endure.

Later in the season when the No. 14 team of driver Tony Stewart, Newman's boss and teammate, lost jack man Mike Casto to a knee injury and had to scramble the find someone of the same quality to replace him, it was considered bad luck.

Bobby Hutchens, director of competition for Stewart-Haas, looked at all of the above and saw a way to prevent such heartaches in the future. With that in mind, this year Hutchens has quietly gone about building a third pit crew for the organization that currently fields only two Sprint Cup cars.

Stewart-Haas will train the third crew regularly along with the crews that will start the season in the pits for the No. 14 and No. 39 Chevrolets, but will loan the extra crew out to the No. 71 team of TRG Motorsports on race days. The deal to loan them out comes with the stipulation that any of the crew members can be recalled to the Stewart-Haas stable if Hutchens and Stewart decide a change is in order on one of the Stewart-Haas pit crews, or if any members of the Stewart-Haas pit crews become injured.

It is an innovative move that doesn't come cheaply, but Hutchens and Stewart said they are confident it will pay dividends during the upcoming 2010 season and perhaps beyond.

"We've all probably had developmental people working on other [teams'] cars in the past, but I don't know about just having a core group like what we're trying to do here," Hutchens said. "It was a tough thing to put together from a personnel and economic standpoint to make it be right for our company and for TRG. We worked real diligently in the last week or two to pull it off, and we feel really good about it for both companies. That's the thing: I think it's a win-win for both companies."

Hutchens said it is key that the extra crew guys who will work at Stewart-Haas during the week will gain valuable over-the-wall race-day experience pitting the No. 71 Chevy driven by Bobby Labonte each week.

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 crap 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 damn 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.

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 XXX (2 wins) Race 2 (Texas), Race 3 (Daytona Road Course), Crown Royal IROC XXX Championship

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

2001:
True Value IROC XXV (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

There are no words for this, when I saw this I LMAO!! From one of the Burger King "celebrity endorsement's , one of the sponsors for Tony Stewart.

Burger King is putting its celebrity endorsement to the test in a new ad campaign featuring Nascar driver Tony Stewart. Stewart, current point-leader for Nascar Sprint Cup Series and avowed fan of Burger King's Whopper, will have his enthusiasm put to a polygraph test in a series of BK commercials and an online Webcast.

The first spot in the campaign features Stewart as a teacher instructing other celebrities how to properly endorse products. Students like comedian Carrot Top and CHiPs star Erik Estrada listen attentively as Stewart offers wisdom such as "only endorse things you believe in."

Three additional spots will also feature Stewart, including one in which the racer takes a polygraph test to confirm his sincere endorsement of the Whopper. Stewart will also take part in a live polygraph test on Oct. 20, hosted on www.truthabouttony.com. Fans will be able to submit questions and vote on what will be asked of the driver.

"It's no secret that I love the Whopper sandwich," Stewart said in a statement. "Participating in a live polygraph test just further demonstrates my enthusiasm and the lengths that I'll go to, to prove my love for its flame-fresh taste."

The campaign is part of a multi-year sponsorship between Burger King Corp. and Stewart-Haas Racing, which includes Burger King branding and paint scheme on Stewart's car -- the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS.

There will also be a sweepstakes tie-in, offering visitors daily prizes including Crown Cards and NASCAR-themed merchandise, which they can enter to win at www.bkracing.com. A grand-prize winner and three friends will be treated to a day at Stewart's race shop as part of an Ultimate Tony Stewart Experience.

Russ Klein, president of global marketing, strategy and innovation at Burger King Corp. complimented Stewart's involvement with the campaign in a statement, saying that "we're thrilled to bring his passion to life through this campaign and equally excited to be working with him in the coming years as part of our overall commitment to Nascar."

Burger King spent $116 million on media for the first six months of the year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. MDC Partners' Cripsin Porter + Bogusky is the client's lead agency.

Please vote for this Site here. By clicking on the various NASCAR top 50 sites buttons, you increase my ranking on these ranking sites, and you find other interesting sites about NASCAR, and that's good right!












































Web Stats





Free Counter

Powered by WebRing.

This site is a member of WebRing.

To browse visit
To visit My Lounge's Webrings click Here.

Stewart Haas
Tony Stewart
Office Depot
Old Spice
Getty Images
Squidoo
Sporting News

This site is made by a Tony Stewart fan, and does not mean to infringe on anyones copyright. This is just a site for Tony Stewart fans, and in no way is associated with NASCAR, Stewart Haas Racing, Office Depot, Old Spice, and JR Motorsports.


Tony Stewart's Lounge is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.