NASCAR Sprint Cup
The Next News Compiled by Dwight Drum
Photos by Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
Tony & Team
Tony Stewart [No. 14 Chevrolet ][NSCS]
Smoke Signals
Ready to Light Up the Chase Starting with Sylvania 300
Tony Stewart eschewed the spotlight for much of 2010. Mind you, it was not by choice.
After an incredible 2009 season where the first-year driver/owner for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) won four races - five if you include the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway - and handily led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings for 13 straight weeks, the bar was set high for 2010.
Stewart's sophomore year in the dual role of driver and owner started off sluggish, with only three top-10s in the series' first 11 races - the bright spot being a second-place finish to four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in March at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Stewart dropped to as low as 18th in points, but with a ninth-place finish in May at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, he initiated an incredible march toward this year's Chase for the Championship.
Beginning at Dover, Stewart rattled off 11 top-10 finishes in 14 races - six of which were top-fives - that culminated with a win Labor Day weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway which pulled him up to fourth in points and clinched a spot for Stewart in the elite, 12-driver Chase. It was the sixth time Stewart qualified for the Chase since its inception in 2004, and it erased a 31-race winless streak dating back to Oct. 4, 2009 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
The upward trend has sent Stewart's stock soaring as he enters the 10-race Chase this weekend in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. But despite his bull market status, Stewart seems to be flying below the radar of some other blue-chip commodities, as six-win victor Denny Hamlin sits atop the Chase standings, while Johnson is again the safe pick thanks to his record of achievement.
Stewart, however, is ready to light up the Chase by kicking off his championship charge with a strong run in the Sylvania 300.
In 23 career Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire, the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet has two wins (July 2000 and July 2005), one pole (September 2005), eight top-threes, 12 top-fives, 14 top-10s and has led a total of 1,030 laps, second only to Jeff Gordon's total of 1,205 laps led, but with eight fewer starts than Gordon. And to top it all off, Stewart has two wins outside of Sprint Cup at the 1.058-mile oval - a NASCAR Nationwide Series triumph in 2008 and an IndyCar Series victory in 1998.
And in his last visit to the Granite State back in June, Stewart finished second to Johnson - a 1-2 finish that represented a half-decade's worth of championships, as Stewart is the last Sprint Cup champion not named Johnson. Stewart won the series title in 2005 - the second year of the Chase - to bookend the crown he earned in 2002 under the old, season-long championship layout, making Stewart the only driver to win a title under both formats.
Now, a third championship beckons, and Stewart is intent on letting the wave of consistency that took him to the Chase push him toward the ultimate motorsports prize - the Sprint Cup Series championship.
CHECK OUT TONY"S NEW RACING WEBSITE: OFFICE DEPOT.COM
Ryan Newman [No. 39 Chevrolet ][NSCS]
Rocket Trail
An Elk and a Victory Would be Perfect for Newman
Winning a Sprint Cup race and bagging an elk would be considered a perfect week for race car driver and avid outdoorsman Ryan Newman.
As the weekend approaches for Sunday's Sylvania 300 Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Newman is halfway to reaching his perfect goal.
Following last week's Cup race at Richmond International Raceway Newman and fellow NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. went on a hunting trip to New Mexico where Newman bagged an elk that he referred to as a "dandy".
"We had a great hunting trip and it was sure nice to kick back with friends," said Newman. "The elk I got will be shown on (ESPN's) Driven to Hunt at a later date. It was pretty exciting and what would be even more exciting is to drive our No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet to victory lane on Sunday. We want to put a smile on the faces of our Army Strong Soldiers."
Back home in North Carolina the 32-year-old Newman is refreshed and energized for the final 10 races of the 2010 season. And considering his history at the New England facility he stands a realistic chance of capping off the week with a trip to victory lane.
Sunday's Sprint Cup race marks the eighth anniversary of Newman's first career Cup win which came at the New Hampshire track on Sept. 15, 2002. He scored another New Hampshire win three years later on Sept. 18, 2005.
"I guess you can say this is an anniversary week for my two New Hampshire wins," said Newman, a 14-time tour winner. "New Hampshire is very much a driver's track and to me it was the birthplace of track position. It's a place where we spend a lot of effort and put a lot of time into qualifying."
When it comes to success at New Hampshire's 1.058-mile oval -- whether during qualifying or on race day -- Newman knows the formula. In 17 starts at New Hampshire, he has two wins, five top fives, 11 top 10s, four poles and has led 539 laps.
"New Hampshire is unique," stated Newman. "It's not flat, it feels flat and it almost feels off camber. I mean, it's very much a driver's racetrack. I've always said it's never been my favorite track even though I've had some success there. I've always liked banked racetracks the best -- just my personal preference. Loudon is far from that."
Newman enters the New Hampshire race in 13th place. He missed making the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship by one position.
"We're obviously disappointed that we're not in the Chase," said Newman, who has been a Chase participant three times, including last year. "But we have the opportunity to win more races. We're going to do our best to get the most points of anyone in the Chase."
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