Monster Mile Takes a Bite Out of Stewart
Sunday’s Best Buy 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway was only 17 laps old when Tony Stewart became involved in a massive pileup off turn two that claimed a total of 10 cars.
The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota had nowhere to go when Elliott Sadler moved down into the path of David Gilliland as the pair exited turn two. Sadler spun up into the SAFER Barrier that lines the outside retaining wall of the 1-mile oval and then drifted back across the track and directly into Stewart’s path.
The impact was hard, with the front end of Stewart’s Toyota badly damaged, along with the rear end after those running behind Stewart slammed into his bumper. When the smoke cleared, the aptly named Monster Mile had chewed up and spit out The Home Depot Toyota.
“I take 100 percent responsibility. It’s my fault for being even anywhere close to Elliott (Sadler),” Stewart said. “If I’m within a half a lap of him, I expect that to happen. When I hit him, it caused all the guys behind us to wreck. So it’s my fault.”
Stewart was unhurt in the accident, and despite his No. 20 ride being battered and beaten, he was able to drive it back to the garage area where his crew went to work.
In what appeared to be controlled chaos, broken parts and pieces were removed and cut from the car while replacement parts were readied nearby. By lap 132, Stewart was back on the race track thanks to the Herculean efforts of his team.
Two cars involved in the accident – Sadler’s Dodge and the Toyota of Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin – were officially out of the race. When Stewart returned to the concrete oval, he was in 40th position, with his eyes set on outlasting other cars involved in the crash, as well as future crashes.
Stewart was 113 laps off the pace when his race resumed, and the two drivers in front of him were also involved in the lap 17 melee. Scott Riggs and Kevin Harvick were 87 and 63 laps off the pace, respectively, with Riggs running 40th and Harvick in 39th.
Those would be the drivers Stewart would chase for the remainder of the Best Buy 400.
“You guys did a really, really good job of getting this thing back together,” said Stewart over the radio on lap 197.
With Riggs and Harvick able to continue on just like Stewart, there were no more positions to gain or lose for the No. 20 team. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli called Stewart to the garage area just after lap 300, and when the checkered flag waved on lap 400, Stewart was credited with a 41st-place finish.
“I’ve got a great group of guys,” Stewart said. “Unfortunately, adversity is our motto here at Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates – Kyle Busch and Hamlin – were the alpha and the omega in the Best Buy 400. Busch won the race to score his eighth career Sprint Cup victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Dover. Hamlin was collected in the same accident as Stewart and was unable to continue, which relegated him to the 43rd and last position.
Busch remains the lead Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the championship point race, as his victory kept him first in the standings after round 13 of 36. Busch increased his margin over second-place Jeff Burton to 142 points. Hamlin and Stewart occupy the ninth and 11th positions, respectively, with both drivers falling in the point standings. Hamlin lost five spots and is 420 points behind Busch. Stewart dropped three spots and is 499 points arrears Busch.
Finishing 4.224 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up slot was Carl Edwards, while Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Burton, Dave Blaney and Jamie McMurray comprised the remainder of the top-10.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the June 8 Pocono 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.
-JGR-