Tony Stewart Racing - A Fans View

Las Vegas – Old Spice driver Tony Stewart may have started 17th for Saturday’s running of the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it only took him 20 laps to crack the top-10. Stewart and the No. 33 team persevered after a couple of badly timed incidents caused the team to make a few unscheduled pit stops. With the help of his pit crew and great calls from his crew chief, Stewart crossed the finish line in the third position.

In qualifying Friday night, the 2-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion qualified 17th with a time of 30.321 seconds (178.094 mph). All NASCAR Busch Series events this season are “impound” races, which means the cars must qualify in race setup as the teams are not able to work on the cars until the race begins. With Las Vegas debuting a new track surface and NASCAR implementing a smaller fuel cell it was going to make for an interesting race. The teams also had the challenge of using a harder tire compound from Goodyear, which left the crew chief with a lot more work to do before the race began.

During the first green flag run of the 200-lap event, Stewart radioed to his crew that the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS was tight through the center and loose off the corners. However, that didn’t stop Stewart from picking off his competitors one by one. Stewart was racing just outside the top-10 on lap 13, when the second caution flag waved when Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth and Casey Mears tangled coming out of turn four.

With the smaller fuel cell crew chief Dan Stillman called Stewart to the pits to top off with fuel. A quick “gas and go” stop put the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet back out on the track for the restart on lap 20 in the 11th position. During the next 40 laps, Stewart made his way up to fourth, but was still behind the wheel of a tight race car. “The car is still a bit tight, but let’s not make any changes. It is starting to come back to me on the longer runs,” radioed Stewart.

On lap 75, Stewart passed Kyle Busch to take the lead for the first time of the day picking up five bonus points. The No. 33 Chevrolet maintained the top position, until Stewart radioed “the water temperature is 270 and the oil pressure gauge is pegged out.” He then fell back into the second position.

Over the course of the next 22 laps, Stewart maintained a top-three position while driving a car that was running hot. Stewart brought the car down pit road on lap 98 for a scheduled green flag stop. The Old Spice pit crew removed tape from the grill, allowing the engine to cool. That quick pit stop allowed Stewart to cycle back around into the third position on lap 114.

Stewart was cruising around the 1.5 mile D-shaped oval, when he came back on the radio saying the water and oil temperatures were still high. “As soon as we get another caution, we will work on getting you fixed,” stated Stillman. Fortunately the sixth caution flag waved on lap 117 allowing Stewart to bring the overheating Chevrolet into the pits. Stewart and the team were not going to let their misfortune hold them down. The crew quickly changed four tires and added fuel before working on the front grill to repair damage resulting from contact with Dave Blaney earlier in the race. Stewart would restart on the tail end of the lead lap. With only 14 cars on the lead lap Stewart was able to bring the car back down pit road for the crew to finish up their work on the grill.

Once the repairs were made and the temperatures started to decline Stewart was on a mission to get to the front of the field. The Rushville, Indiana native’s “never-give-up” attitude helped him work his way into the top-five on lap 140. “I’m a little loose getting into the corners,” said Stewart. Sitting comfortably in the 4th position the caution flag waved. Stillman summoned Stewart to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to improve the handling of the car.

Stewart restarted in the eighth position, but quickly passed Kasey Kahne on the restart for the seventh position. Over the next 30 laps, Stewart battled Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) teammate Bobby Labonte and NEXTEL Cup regulars David Stremme and Denny Hamlin for the fourth position. Stewart won the battle on lap 169 when he passed Hamlin on the low line to take over the fourth spot.

The 12th and final caution flag came out on lap 191 when Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson and Jamie McMurray tangled on the backstretch bringing out the red flag. This caution was what everyone was looking for when it came to the fuel mileage game. The No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet was going to be one half of a lap short on fuel, but would now be able to make the finish. When the final green flag waved Stewart worked his way around Las Vegas-native Kurt Busch to finish the race in the third position.

Despite mid-race challenges, the dedication of the No. 33 Old Spice pit crew didn’t go unnoticed. “Good job today guys, I am very proud of you. Way to keep me up front all day.” radioed Stewart to the crew after the race ended. With the third place finish at Las Vegas, the No. 33 team moves up to sixth in NASCAR Busch Series Owner Point standings.

Kevin Harvick Inc, Tony Stewart