July 18, 2008
By Rebecca Gladden
When news broke about Tony Stewart's plan to leave the safe harbor of Joe Gibbs Racing for the uncharted waters of Haas-CNC at the end of the season, my first reaction was one of understanding.
It seemed obvious to me that, whatever his motivation, Stewart had carefully considered his options and decided this was the best one for him both personally and professionally at this time in his life.
So I was really shocked, in the days surrounding Stewart's announcement, to hear so many fans and pundits disparage his decision, calling it - and him - essentially, crazy.
Consider the following information about Stewart, excerpted from TonyStewart.com:
- Choose a style of race car. Name a venue. Chances are, Tony Stewart has proven victorious.
- The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has scored 11 championships since he first wheeled a go-kart at a Westport, Ind., race track in 1978. [emphasis mine]
- His most widely known titles are the two he scored in NASCAR's pinnacle series.
- He came to NASCAR in 1999 by way of the IRL IndyCar Series, where he was the series champion in 1997.
- He has four USAC championships, including what at the time was an unprecedented win of USAC's "Triple Crown."
- No driver had ever won the Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown championships - divisions that run three very different types of race cars which compete on both asphalt and dirt - in a single season until Stewart came along.
- At age eight, Stewart had won his first championship - a 4-cycle rookie junior class championship at the Columbus Fairgrounds. Two more karting championships followed, but this time on a national level.
- Throw in a title from the IROC during that series' final year of operation in 2006, and it's clear that Stewart is in a league of his own.
- He is the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and open-wheel Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown cars.
- His two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships made him one of just 15 drivers who have scored multiple Sprint Cup titles.
- In addition to winning races and championships behind the wheel of race cars, Stewart wins races and championships as a car owner. His team, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), fields two entries in the USAC Midget and Sprint car divisions and two entries in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
- Since its formation in November 2000, TSR has earned eight championships - seven in USAC and one in the World of Outlaws.
And I'm certain that is an incomplete list of his accomplishments.
When I think about drivers with racing records like Tony's, I'm reminded of a quote from an episode of the original Star Trek TV series called "The Ultimate Computer."
The story is about an aging scientist who invents a new computer system which is supposed to revolutionize space travel, just like the one he had invented as a much younger man.
Though the computer ultimately fails, Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy have a discussion about what motivates a man to continue striving for greatness once he's reached the pinnacle of his field.
As Dr. McCoy succinctly asks, "Where do you go from up?"
In Stewart's case, maybe you go from Joe Gibbs Racing to Haas-CNC, now Stewart-Haas Racing.
Is it that hard for people to understand that Stewart, at age 37, with 10 years in the Cup series, two championships, 32 wins and over 10,000 laps led, might be ready for a new challenge - not to mention a chance to return to his beloved Chevrolet, and to start planning for his post-racing future?
What's so crazy/nuts/delusional/___________ (insert adjective of choice) about that?
And for those who contend that Stewart is leaving JGR simply because he can't handle playing second fiddle to phenom Kyle Busch, that argument just doesn't wash.
If that were the case, Stewart would be moving to a team as strong or stronger than his current one - not to a team where he could theoretically be little more than a backmarker for the foreseeable future.
Earlier this year, a very well-respected, highly-placed media colleague told me that he believes Tony Stewart intentionally avoids earning the pole each week because he doesn't want to stick around for all the photographs and interviews required of the polesitter after qualifying is over.
Of course that's just one person's opinion, so take it for what it's worth.
On the other hand, starting position has never been an obstacle for Stewart, who's one of the best at moving through traffic from the back of the field to the front.
But if there's even a grain of truth in that opinion, it serves to illustrate that a driver of Stewart's talents, accomplishments, and longevity is often motivated by more than just another notch on his belt.
To everyone who called Tony Stewart crazy or struggled to understand his decision, I offer the following quote by 19th-century British novelist George Eliot:
"Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning; but give me a man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat."
Granted, with the Hendrick Motorsports support he'll be receiving at Stewart-Haas, Tony is not assured of losing, either as a team owner or a driver. But clearly the likelihood of losing is greater with his new team than with his current one.
Still, contrary to popular belief, winning isn't everything, even in NASCAR.
Victory Lane may be the ultimate destination of some racecar drivers, but at this point in his life, Stewart's journey will be its own reward.
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