TONY STEWART
A Reverse Revolution
KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (July 13, 2011) – The American Revolution was a result of 13 colonies banding together to break free of the British Empire to become the United States of America. New England was a primary stage for many of the battles from 1775 to 1783 as patriots fought for their independence, with one of the initial salvos taking place near Portsmouth, N.H., in December 1774 when the “Sons of Liberty” raided Fort William and Mary and captured 15 cannons and more than five tons of gunpowder.
New England will again be the site of another revolution when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into the region for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, Tony Stewart plans a reverse revolution as he looks to join the 12-driver Chase for the Championship.
The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing is currently 11th in points and winless 18 rounds into the 36-race Sprint Cup season. With only eight races remaining before the Chase field is set for the final 10-race run toward the championship, Stewart has a tenuous hold on his place in the Chase. That’s because only the top-10 drivers in points are assured of making the Chase after round 26 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The 11th- and 12th-place spots are “wild cards” reserved for the two drivers outside the top-10 but within the top-20 in points who have the most wins.
Entering New Hampshire, David Ragan, winner of the July 2 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, would secure the 11th Chase spot, for he’s the lone driver between 11th and 20th in points with a win. Lurking three points out of the top-20 is Brad Keselowski, winner of the June 5 Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. A strong run by Keselowski in these last eight races, or a win by Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle, Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Mark Martin or Joey Logano – all of whom are between 11th and 20th in points – would kick Stewart out of the Chase.
Unlike the colonials of the late 18th century who wanted to break away from their ruler, Stewart wants to break into the ruling body of the season’s last 10 races. The Chase might as well be an empire, for it’s all anyone talks about in the lead-up to the season finale Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hence, Stewart’s desire for a reverse revolution in the region where the American Revolution began.
New Hampshire is perhaps the best venue for Stewart to jumpstart his Chase chances with a victory. He has four wins at the 1.058-mile oval – two in Sprint Cup (July 2000 and July 2005) and one each in NASCAR Nationwide Series (2008) and IZOD IndyCar Series (1998) competition. In Sprint Cup alone, Stewart has a pole, eight top-threes, 12 top-fives and 14 top-10s in 24 career starts to augment his two victories. He’s also led a total of 1,130 laps in Sprint Cup competition, second only to Jeff Gordon’s mark of 1,207 laps led. Stewart and Gordon are the only drivers to lead more than 800 laps at New Hampshire.
More Sprint Cup wins at New Hampshire should be on Stewart’s resume. Rain in the June 2008 and June 2009 Sprint Cup races jettisoned probable victories into 13th- and fifth-place finishes, respectively, as each race was cut short, scuttling Stewart’s strategy and allowing others to win on fuel mileage. And one of the most heartbreaking losses of Stewart’s career came in his most recent race at New Hampshire last September, where after leading three times for 100 laps, Stewart ran out of fuel on the final turn of the final lap while leading. Instead of grabbing his 40th career Sprint Cup victory, he coasted across the finish line 24th.
The woulda, shoulda, couldas of years past are in Stewart’s rearview mirror. The two-time Sprint Cup champion (2002 and 2005) only looks ahead, and his sights are set on raiding the Sprint Cup outpost in New Hampshire just as the “Sons of Liberty” did more than two centuries ago.