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Is it hot in NASCAR, or is it just Tony Stewart?
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When he announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing last year Tony Stewart was facing a somewhat uncertain future.
Stewart decided to take on the role of ownership, buying into half of a team that hadn’t really set the NASCAR world on fire. But now as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway for this Saturday night’s LifeLock 400 and embarks on the second half on the 2009 season, Stewart is looking like a genius.
His Stewart-Haas Racing team has not only shown they can be contenders each and every week so far in the 2009 season, but Stewart has had quite a first half himself. He’s won two races (Pocono and Daytona), becoming the first owner-driver to win a race since Ricky Rudd in 1998, and the first to win multiple races since Rudd in ’97. He also took over the points lead, the first owner-driver to do so since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 and put both of his cars in the top 12 in points.
Those weren’t exactly the goals when Stewart began the year.
“You know, honestly this was a project that was so big that I'm not sure that we really actually set goals,” Stewart said. “I wanted us to go to the racetrack each week, give 100 percent. I wanted us to go back on Mondays and sit down and discuss everything that happened during the weekend; talk about the things we did right, talk about the things we did wrong, and talk on both of those sides how we can make things better for the next week. So that was my goal was just to make progress every week.”
Heading to Chicagoland Stewart’s, winning ways have no reason not to continue. Stewart has an outstanding history at the mile and half track. He has two wins and has finished outside the top-5 only twice in eight appearances.
“It’s a place I like,” said Stewart. “This place is really getting racy as far as finally being able to move around and change lines and run anywhere from the bottom to the top. It’s a fun track because of that.”
Stewart is tied with Kevin Harvick for most wins at the track with two each. His wins came in 2004 and 2007, while Harvick won back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.
Looking beyond Chicagoland though, Stewart’s history shows he may only be getting hotter. According to NASCAR’s stats, and looking at his overall career, over the next eight races Stewart will be the man to beat.
“I don’t watch the stats very much,” he said. “You just take it week to week. Technology in this sport changes so fast. What was good the last time you were here doesn’t mean it’s going to be good the second time around. So you constantly have to work. You’ve got to keep pushing the envelope.”
In the decade Stewart has spent in NASCAR’s top series most of his wins have come in the second half of the season, so for the two time champion his best days this season my still lie ahead.
“Historically, we've always been better the last half of the season; and the second, third and last third of the season in particular,” Stewart said. “This is the best start we've ever had to a season in the Cup Series. I don't know what's different about it. I don't know what's changed. I just know that I'm happy with the performance up to this point and we just hope that what we've done up to this point, we can have that last ten-week stretch and have a shot at winning the championship."
Fast Facts
The Race: LifeLock.com 400
The Date: Saturday, July 11
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
The Track: Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
The Distance: 400 miles/267 laps
TV: TNT, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, Sirius (local MRN: WUSN-FM 99.5/WCSJ-FM 103.1)
2008 Polesitter: None (weather)
2008 Winner: Kyle Busch
Pre–Race Day Schedule: (All times local CT) Thursday – Practice, 4-5:30 p.m. Qualifying, 7:40 p.m.; Friday – Practice, 4-4:45 and 5:20-6:20 p.m.
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