Freshrubber Blog

Tony Stewart increased his points lead with a win at Watkings Glen

Raised in Indiana, it doesn’t matter what kind of car it is, Tony Stewart wants to win at Indy

By all estimates, Tony Stewart has become as good at business as the two-time NASCAR champion is behind the wheel. “I may not be smart enough to make all the decisions,” Stewart said, “but I can show you the guy that is smart enough.” Vintage Stewart, aw-shucking his way to success again — and preparing for next Sunday’s Brickyard 400. “Really, Tony has assembled a great cast of people around him, and he lets them do their jobs,” said Linda Conti, a local investment counselor and longtime Stewart friend. — Indy Star

Tony Stewart did end his news conference by offering an unsolicited opinion that fans who purchase race tickets won’t have to deal with a tire debacle like the one that disrupted last year’s race. “There’s a lot of fans on the fence wondering whether they want to spend the money to come back to this event,” Stewart said. “I strongly urge you to come. Goodyear put in a huge effort into making it right. It’s going to be a good show.” — Indy Star

July 4th celebrations usually involve fireworks and Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway was no exception.

Kyle Busch took the lead for the first time in the race on the final lap, and once he got to the front, he did everything he knew to do to stay there. He blocked second-place Tony Stewart multiple times until Stewart decided he had had enough and turned Busch to get around him and take his third July Daytona win.

“I don’t know if I’m real proud of that, but I don’t know what else I could have done,” Stewart said. “I don’t like winning like that.” Examiner

Tony Stewart stretches fuel for 1st points win at Pocono

From a driver’s standpoint, Tony Stewart was asked his biggest challenge at Pocono? “All three corners are different — that’s the most challenging part. It seems like you can always get your car good in two of the three corners, but the guys who are contending for the win are the guys who can get their car good for all three corners, which is very hard to do. It seems like if we can get our car to go through the tunnel turn well, then we’re normally able to get it to go through the rest of the racetrack well. The tunnel turn seems to be our toughest turn on the racetrack. Getting through turn two and the last corner of the racetrack that’s flat, long and sweeping — those seem to be the toughest two corners to get through. And if you’re a little bit off, you’re a bunch off. If there’s a guy who can get all three of those corners right, then that’s the guy who’s going to win the race.” — Paddock Talk

Tony Stewart won his first race as a team owner Saturday night, breaking through for a $1 million payday with a victory in the annual All-Star race

Tony Stewart asked when he’s in the draft, how much control does he feel he has inside the racecar? “It depends on the circumstances. You can’t see the air and you hit different pockets (of air). You hit a pocket where you get a real big tow or you hit a pocket where it seems they’re getting a tow and pulling you back, and you just have to play the circumstances. That’s why we spend so much time and run so many laps in practice. You just try getting in different scenarios and try to learn if you get in the middle of the draft, what does it do? Will it give you a push? Will it not give you a push? If you get next to this car, does it suck you up or does it slow you down? That’s why so many guys will stay out for so long in practice. It’s trial and error, but at the same time, it’s like pulling a pin on a grenade. You know through that process that if one guy makes a mistake, the car’s torn up for the race. It’s just a delicate balance of how hard you go, how many things you try, and how much time you spend doing it.” — Motorsport.com