April 6, 2009
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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Is it just beginners luck or is Stewart Haas Racing really as good as the results they’ve posted so far this year? Last week at Martinsville, both Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman finished well, with Stewart posting a third place and Newman a sixth place, the first time both cars have finished in the top ten.
Although Ryan Newman has had a little hard luck early in the season and has been mired toward the bottom of the standings, his recent Martinsville finish vaulted him nine positions in the points. He is currently 18th in the standings while his teammate/owner Stewart is seventh.
A lot of people were critical of the new team before the season started, saying that Stewart-Haas would need a couple of years before they would become successful. The results posted so far have silenced the critics.
“I felt like we had an awesome day as an organization, I was really proud of our guys,” Stewart said in a Reygan Swan article for nascar.com after the Martinsville race.
Ryan Newman said before the season started that the team goal was for both cars to make the Chase, something they are well on the way to accomplishing. If Stewart continues finishing races as consistently as he has so far this season with three top-tens under his belt in just six races, there is no reason for him not to make the Chase. And Newman, in 18th place in the standings is less than a hundred points out of 12th, certainly a manageable distance to make up this early in the season.
However, it’s not as if the phenomenal success is unexpected. Stewart-Haas is not exactly a startup team, but it’s more than likely the fact that they are racing with Hendrick equipment and technical support that has made the difference.
Even Rick Hendrick was impressed with the success at Stewart-Haas.
“Darian Grubb and Bobby Hutchens have done a great job over there and I think Tony has put a lot of sweat equity into the team," Hendrick said in the Swan article. “I think he surprised a lot of people. I haven't been surprised because I know his dedication.”
At this point in the season, it’s safe to say that both Newman and Stewart have a chance to compete for the Championship, Stewart especially, barring some kind of major calamity. And likely as not, it won’t be long before the team starts to accumulate wins.
Stewart ran consistently in the top five all day at Martinsville and had a shot at winning when Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson nearly took each other out of the race while vying for first place, but he was too far back to take advantage.
As long as the team continues to post consistent results, there is no reason for them not to be competing for a Championship at the end of the season. While there is still room for improvement, there are certainly worse positions to be in, something Tony Stewart knows well.
“It's not exactly where we want to be, but after six races in I'm pretty proud of where we are at.”
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