Sprint Cup Headline News, Commentary and Race Coverage

StubHub.com

Alex Racing Gifts
Racing Gifts-Collectables








Click on button to go to
Home Page
Insider Racing News


Tickets Make Great Gifts

SoldOutEventTickets.com
F1 Tickets
MotoGP Tickets




St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital


Insider Racing News
Copyright © 2000-2009. All Rights Reserved.

Sprint Cup® and NASCAR® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. This web site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR®. The official NASCAR® website is "NASCAR® Online" and is located at.. www.NASCAR.com

The Time Is Right For Tony Stewart To Expand

An Opinion





June 22, 2009

By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato



With all the doom and gloom in NASCAR this season ranging from lack of sponsorship woes due to the bad economy to manufacturers filing bankruptcy, it seems that just about the only good news has been Tony Stewart’s phenomenal success with his new race team, Stewart Haas Racing.

Stewart is currently the Championship leader as of the Infineon race, and his teammate Ryan Newman sits sixth in the points. It seems as if Stewart can do no wrong this year on the track. He has won two races already this season, although one was the All-Star Race and doesn’t count on the stats sheet.

Despite the fact that General Motors has announced it would be cutting back it’s Cup efforts as a result of its bankruptcy, a move that certainly affects Stewart Haas Racing, Stewart has stated that he would consider the idea of adding a third car to the team if the right driver/sponsorship deal became available.

“I wanted to make sure we had two cars that were competitive and had a chance to win a championship,” Stewart was quoted as saying in a Terry Blount article for espn.com. “I'm proud of the fact that I think we're at that point. So if the right situation came along, we would entertain it.”

While Stewart hasn’t named any possibilities, Martin Truex Jr. is currently exploring his options for 2010 and Jamie McMurray finds himself out in the cold for next year as Roush is forced to cutback from five cars to four. The other four Roush drivers have already signed new contracts.

At the beginning of the season, most fans and critics alike expected it to be several years before Stewart reached the level of success that he is at currently. Stewart has left the critics in a state of stunned silence and sent his fans into a state of euphoria. His merchandise sales have risen to the point that he is rivaling Dale Earnhardt Jr., and even has some wondering if he could replace Earnhardt as NASCAR’s most popular driver. Stewart is certainly on the rise, while Earnhardt has been struggling recently.

Stewart is the first driver/owner to lead the Championship since Alan Kulwicki won the title in 1992. While he is certainly no stranger to success on the track, Stewart admits that if he had to start from scratch, he never would have succeeded so soon.

“The guys like Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip that are true driver/owners who have built their programs from scratch, those guys are a lot more impressive than what I am because I couldn't have done that, I don't believe,” Stewart said in a Mark Aumann article.

Probably the largest ingredient to his success is being allied with Hendrick Motorsports; having the best equipment in the garage certainly doesn’t hurt. However, the Haas team has being using Hendrick equipment since 2002 and didn’t win a race until Stewart came along. Stewart made several key personnel changes when he took over the team, but the biggest difference is most likely his skills behind the wheel of the car. And don’t forget his teammate Ryan Newman.

“We're really good friends, both at the race track and off the race track. I think our relationship off the track makes us better teammates on the race track too,” Stewart said. “That was a huge component, no matter whether it's your first year, or whether you've been a team owner for 20 years, finding the right combination for crew guys, for teammates, that's a huge factor in the equation.”

In a matter of just 16 races, Stewart Haas Racing has gone from a perennial nobody in NASCAR to a legitimate Championship contender. While the other drivers in the top 12 will have a chance once the points reset for the Chase, it seems this year’s Championship is Tony Stewart’s to lose.



If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.



You can contact Matthew Pizzolato at .. Insider Racing News

You Can Read Other Articles By Matthew Pizzolato

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

return to top
Google
 
affiliate_link