KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Sept. 28, 2011) – Back in the day, Tony Stewart gave George Thorogood a run for his money as the real Delaware Destroyer.
Wilmington, Del., native Thorogood, and his band, the Delaware Destroyers, pumped out such hits as “Bad to the Bone” and a resounding cover of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” en route to 16 studio albums, two of which went Platinum while six more went Gold.
But in the early 2000s, it was Stewart who seemed to be the real Delaware Destroyer, as he was bad to the bone at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
From the time Stewart rolled around the high-banked, 1-mile oval as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie in 1999 and then on through the 2004 season, his worst finish was 11th. And during that span, Stewart scored two wins – back-to-back, no less, in 2000 – and notched eight top-fives and 11 top-10s in 12 starts, all while leading a whopping 1,066 laps, or 22.2 percent of the 4,800 laps available. If Stewart were asked the question, “Who Do You Love?” his answer would be “Dover.”
Then, like Austin Powers, he somehow lost his mojo at Dover, for since 2005, Stewart has only led six laps and has just three top-10s with a best finish of second in June 2009.
Now “Delaware Destroyer” takes on new meaning, for the aptly named “Monster Mile” could potentially destroy Stewart’s championship chances if he has a run like he did when the series last visited Dover in May, where he started 27th and finished six laps down in 29th.
But if there ever was a team that could rally from such a performance, it’s Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 squad of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), for they’ve been rallying all season.
After round No. 3 of the 36-race season, Stewart and Co. were atop the point standings thanks to three straight races where they contended for the win. Then, adversity bit the No. 14 team, where they went from challenging for wins to enduring challenging top-10s. By the time they entered the midpoint of the season, Stewart was 12th in points, and with no wins, was in danger of missing the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
But quietly, the Office Depot/Mobil 1 team began to rally. Five top-10s were scored in the next nine races, including a strong second-place finish in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon to SHR teammate Ryan Newman. By the time the Chase cutoff race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway was over, Stewart was ninth in points and in the 10-race Chase for the seventh time of his career.
Once in the Chase, the mojo Stewart had been searching for all season long returned. He knocked down his first Sprint Cup win of the season and the 40th of his career when he won the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. It put Stewart second in points, just seven markers out of the top spot, heading into the second Chase race at New Hampshire.
In his return to New Hampshire, Stewart finished one spot better than he had in July. The victory gave Stewart back-to-back wins for the eighth time in his Sprint Cup career, with the previous occurrence coming in July 2007 when he won back-to-back races at Chicagoland and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also allowed for a 14-point swing, with Stewart taking the lead in the Chase standings by seven points over second-place Kevin Harvick.
Now, Dover looms again. It’s the third race of the Chase, and Stewart enters it with a good bit of trepidation, but thanks to his recent win streak, plenty of momentum. His team’s uncanny ability to rally, as demonstrated over the past four races where they’ve finished third, seventh, first and first, is what has allowed them to battle back from adversity and remake themselves into championship contenders.
As a two-time Sprint Cup champion (2002 and 2005), Stewart knows that titles are hard-earned, and with 13 years of Sprint Cup experience in his pocket, he fully expects Dover to test the resolve of him and his race team. But for a team that’s been tested all season long, it’s just another performance review.