A Strange Night in Daytona
Tony Stewart came into Saturday night’s Pepsi 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with a chance to join legendary stock car racer David Pearson as the only drivers to win three straight 400-mile races at Daytona. But after a tangle on lap 14 with his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Denny Hamlin, Stewart’s shot at a Pepsi 400 three-peat went up in tire smoke.The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet was running behind Hamlin as the two paced the 43-car field early in the 160-lap race. Both JGR cars were strong, and both had a shot at the win. But after running 1-2 since lap nine, a slight wiggle from Hamlin’s No. 11 machine while coming off turn two on lap 14 allowed Stewart to close the gap on Hamlin significantly. Too much, in fact, as the nose of Stewart’s Chevrolet touched Hamlin’s rear bumper, teeing off a five-car accident that severely damaged all involved.
For Stewart and Hamlin, it meant a prolonged trip to the garage for repairs. Both drivers returned to the race, albeit many laps down. Stewart finished 38th, while Hamlin finished 43rd.
Shortly after the wreck Tony spoke to reporters.
“All of a sudden he just stops on the exit of Turn 4 in front of 42 cars and he can’t expect all of us to drive around him. He just wrecked two really good race cars,” Stewart said of Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
“He tried to wreck us in practice on Friday and didn’t get it done. At least he finished it off today. He’s a young guy and he wants to be successful, but I don’t know if he knows what the definition of team is right now.”
Later, after having a chance to calm down, and I’m sure having been talked to by Joe Gibbs, Tony was a little more friendly.
“I’m sure he (Hamlin) was getting tight because for three laps in a row we were catching him through the center and the exit of the corner,” said Stewart, who won the Pepsi 400 in 2005 and 2006, joining just Pearson, Cale Yarborough and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to win back-to-back Pepsi 400s.
Told of Stewart’s comments, Hamlin said he would “be the bigger man” and take the blame if Stewart insisted.
“My car had a little bit of a wiggle there, but I think Tony was a little bit closer to me than what he expected,” Hamlin added. “That’s racing. It’s what happens at this race track.”
Neither driver was pleased with the outcome, but team owner Joe Gibbs – well-versed in the dynamic of team relationships thanks to his 16 years and counting tenure as head coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins – summed up the situation.
“We’ve got two guys who are very competitive, running up front, and we’ve got real good cars, and this is something that can happen,” Gibbs said. “It was one of those unfortunate things. Both guys were going as hard as they can and I think both of these guys are real competitive. They’re good teammates, but both guys are frustrated. It’s a shame because we had two good cars, but it’s a competitive sport. And when you’ve got good stuff and you’re up front like that, it can happen. I hate it, but it did.”
The disappointing result dropped Stewart one spot in the championship point standings. The two-time Nextel Cup champion is now seventh in points, 539 behind series leader Jeff Gordon. Hamlin, meanwhile, remains the lead JGR driver in points. He maintained his second-place standing, but dropped to 277 points arrears Gordon.
Their fellow JGR teammate, J.J. Yeley, finished a team-best 20th in the Pepsi 400, dropping him one position to 17th in points.
Enjoying a much better night in the Pepsi 400 was Jamie McMurray, who scored his second career Nextel Cup victory and his first of the season. The victory ended a 166-race winless streak dating back to McMurray’s first career Nextel Cup win in October 2002 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch finished second, just .005 of a second behind McMurray, while older brother Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Gordon rounded out the top-five. Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson comprised the remainder of the top-10.
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