KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (March 25, 2015) – Tony Stewart’s love of competition is in a league all its own. It’s what drove him to strap into a go-kart as a seven-year-old and it has continued to fuel his racing career in the decades following.
Matching Stewart’s passion for sport is his commitment to giving back. Through the Tony Stewart Foundation, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has spearheaded various projects and events to raise money for and bring awareness to causes ranging from childhood disease to animal welfare. It’s the latter of those interests that led to a partnership with Code 3 Associates, with Stewart carrying its colors on his No. 14 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Code 3 Associates (www.Code3Associates.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing professional animal disaster response and resources to communities, as well as providing professional training to individuals and agencies involved in animal-related law enforcement and emergency response. Since launching in 1985, the mission of Code 3 Associates has remained the same – to provide hands-on animal rescue and care operations during disaster events in the United States and Canada, and through certified animal welfare training seminars, which include animal cruelty investigation training for officers.
The continued operation of Code 3 Associates relies totally on the generosity of donors and the bravery of its responders, which is why Stewart knows delivering a strong run at Martinsville is the best way to deliver for Code 3 Associates. It’s a call to action that will go a long way toward fulfilling two needs.
The start of the 2015 Sprint Cup season has been difficult for Stewart, with accidents and mechanical maladies conspiring to leave him outside the top-30 in points entering the sixth race of the season at Martinsville. Stewart was buoyed, however, by a solid, 14th-place finish last Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was his best finish of the year and, ideally, a precursor to better results.
As Stewart said from pit lane following the race in Fontana, “We’re gaining on it a little chunk at a time. We didn’t need to get it all today, but this is a big gain for us.”
A big gain could ironically be found at NASCAR’s smallest track. Martinsville Speedway is a .526-mile oval. Shaped like a paperclip, its flat, tight corners are connected by two dragstrip-like straightaways that promote rigorous racing. It’s often survival of the fittest.
Stewart hasn’t just survived at Martinsville, he’s thrived. Three of his 48 career Sprint Cup wins have come at the Virginia track, as have three of his 15 career Sprint Cup poles. Stewart has finished among the top-10 in half of his 31 Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville, and his 1,226 laps led tally is third among active Sprint Cup drivers.
And when Stewart needed the biggest momentum swing of his Sprint Cup career, he got it at Martinsville.
It was October 2011 and Stewart was chasing Carl Edwards for the Sprint Cup championship. In order to make any ground on Edwards, Stewart had to win. He did just that at Martinsville, taking the lead on a restart with only three laps remaining and holding it to the finish. It proved to be a pivotal victory, as Stewart climbed to second in points, eight behind Edwards, prompting Stewart to memorably say in a live victory lane interview that aired on network television, “Carl Edwards had better be really worried. That’s all I’ve got to say. He’s not going to have an easy three weeks.” Stewart went on to win the championship three races later in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Stewart’s run to the 2011 Sprint Cup championship was epic, and the sprint to that championship began at Martinsville.
Now Martinsville serves as another pivotal venue for Stewart. Currently outside of the top-30 in points, Stewart needs to be among the top-30 in order to be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. And upon entering the top-30, Stewart needs to win a race in order to secure a spot in the 16-driver Chase.
A win and advancement into the top-30 don’t all have to come at Martinsville, but another solid performance like the one delivered last Sunday in Fontana does. Another little chunk needs to be gained.
In Stewart’s last race at Martinsville in October, he finished fourth. A similar result would be a good-sized chunk that could carry Stewart and his No. 14 Code 3 Associates-backed team through the Easter off-weekend and into another important venue – Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.