February 6, 2008
By Rebecca Gladden
My all-time favorite newspaper columnist, Dave Barry of the Miami-Herald, frequently uses information provided by his cadre of "Alert Readers" to form the basis of an article or blog post.
After my story ran last week on Insider Racing News about Tony Stewart's reemergence at the NASCAR forefront this season, I was contacted by an Alert Reader of my own - Daniel Finnegan of Towaco, New Jersey - who shared a colorful eyewitness account about the send-off Stewart received from team members at Joe Gibbs Racing.
A few of you may have heard about this incident, but I suspect many of you haven't as it was not widely publicized -- and especially not with a first-person account and photos.
I think Tony's fans in particular will enjoy the story:
Photo Courtesy Daniel Finnegan
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Danny was among a group of fans who attended the Joe Gibbs Racing Fall FanFest last October at the team's headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina, during the Charlotte race weekend. Then-JGR teammates Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano were scheduled to attend and spend time with fans, with proceeds from the annual event going to charity.
Finnegan arrived at the FanFest by bus, but unfortunately did not get there in time to obtain an autograph from his racing idol, Tony Stewart. Though disappointed, he decided to stroll around the premises, snapping photos and taking in as many interesting sites and sounds as he could.
Danny was peering in the shop window when, as he recalls, "Out of the far end of the shop came about 30 or more employees with Tony Stewart tied to a tire hand truck! He was well tied-up and wrapped in plastic, tape and wire ties. There was a sign on him saying: 'I'm Tired of Winning - Going to Stewart Haas Racing.' They wheeled him under the viewing area and to the elevators. I turned around and saw the group wheeling Tony out the main doors and they put him against a flagpole."
Danny raced over to the area and, being the Alert Reader that he is, handed his camera to a very tall friend who could shoot pictures over the crowd (see accompanying photos). I think you'll agree the photos speak for themselves, right down to the team members dressed up in ninja-like outfits.
At one point, Danny ended up standing right next to Stewart, who was still tied to the handcart.
Photo Courtesy Daniel Finnegan
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Danny (Left) * Stewart (Right)
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"I was so excited to be with my hero Smoke!" said Danny. "I was tongue-tied, not knowing what to say to him. Tony said he was worried about the time and asked if anyone was keeping an eye on the time. He didn't want to be late for the track."
Danny reports the ceremony took about 10 minutes, until "they wheeled him away, into the shop and out of view."
The event Danny witnessed was apparently part of a lighthearted send-off that departing team members at JGR receive, including drivers. "One of my friends talked to Tony's lead mechanic in the shop," writes Danny. "He said that this was a tradition for all employees that leave Joe Gibbs Racing. The first driver was Bobby Labonte to get this traditional-send off. He said that Tony would have been very disappointed if he didn't get the same send-off."
Finnegan considers himself extremely fortunate to have been at the right place at the right time to witness this little bit of racing history involving his favorite driver. "I boarded the tour bus with my friends and was so excited to tell everyone what happened. There were a lot of Tony's fans that missed this event."
Danny's only regret is that the tour bus didn't arrive in time for him to get his favorite driver's autograph. "My next dream is to get Tony to sign my photos of him and me at the flagpole," he told me.
It might seem like an impossible dream, but not to Finnegan - at least, not after his amazing day at the JGR FanFest last fall.
"Only a small group of fans saw the event happen," said Danny. "I was so blessed to be one. God does make dreams come true."
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