Tony Stewart Racing - A Fans View

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Tony Stewart will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the NASCAR Busch Series for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI). Stewart will compete in eight races during the 2007 season. Stewart’s last race for KHI in a Busch car was at Kansas Speedway in September of 2006, where he finished fourth.

In all last season, Stewart drove in 10 races for KHI, picking up one win (Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway) and four top-10 finishes. Stewart helped get the KHI Busch program off the ground with two starts in 2004, and then in 2005 picking up the first win for KHI at the season-opener in Daytona. Much like last season Stewart will share driving duties in the No. 33. Team owner and fellow Cup competitor Kevin Harvick, Tony Raines, Ron Fellows and newcomer Cale Gale will all be behind the wheel this season. The star-studded cast of drivers should make for a thrilling season. Primary sponsors in addition to Old Spice will be RoadLoans.com for 14 races and Camping World for 11 races with the remaining two races going to Bounty and Dollar General.

STEWART TRYING FOR THREE STRAIGHT
Stewart and KHI will be looking for three straight wins this weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway when they unload the Old Spice Chevrolet. Stewart’s win in 2005 was the first Busch Series win for KHI. Stewart’s win came in dramatic fashion after a late bump from behind sent his No. 33 through the infield grass of the speedway. Stewart was able to maintain control of his car, return to the racing surface and work his way back to the front of the field for the win. Stewart knows when he returns to Daytona this week it will take more then just his driving skills to win the race. “You have to have a fast car. But with that fast car, you’ve got to have a good team that gets you in and out of the pits fast, and you’ve got to have a driver who knows what he’s doing. Get all that together, along with a little bit of luck, and you can have a good day,” says Stewart.

Tony Stewart Quotes:
Is there any strategy involved in running a restrictor plate race, or is it just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented?

“The strategy is making sure you’ve got somebody you can draft with. You have to take the opportunities as they come, but with those opportunities you have to make a very quick decision. You’ve got to think, ‘What happens if I try this and it doesn’t work? What are the ramifications going to be?’ You don’t have the luxury of sitting down and taking the time to analyze the situation. You’ve got to make a split-second decision. A lot of times it’ll work, but there are times when the decision that you made doesn’t work. But once you’ve committed yourself to doing something, there’s not much you can do about it.”

Patience is an obvious virtue on the short tracks, but how important is it at a restrictor plate track?

“It’s the gospel, basically. There are a lot of times when you think you can pull out and pass, but if you do, once you get there you realize that you can’t pass. It makes it real critical that you take your time and that you don’t get caught up in trying to make a move too fast. Just stay in line, and sometimes you’ll have more patience than 20 other guys. It’s such a chess match. You can be leading the race one second and you can be fifth the next second. I think it’s just a matter of timing and getting yourself in the right place at the right time.”

New chief at KHI:
When Stewart climbs behind the wheel of the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS this week, he’ll have the same number and sponsor as he did in 2005, but he’ll be working with a new crew chief. Dan Stillman, will be making the calls atop the No. 33 pit box for the 2007 season. Stillman joins the KHI family from Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) where he served as crew chief for Paul Menard in the Busch Series. “I think KHI is an impressive organization, which has proven to be a winner in the Truck and Busch Series and is dedicated to making their organization stronger in the years to come,” said Stillman after being hired at KHI. “I feel it is a very good opportunity that Kevin gave me to be the crew chief on the No. 33 Chevrolet.”

Kevin Harvick Inc.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI is home to the No. 33 AES HR Solutions and No. 2 Camping World Truck Series teams and the No. 33 Old Spice/Bounty/RoadLoans.com/Camping World and the No. 77 Dollar General stores Busch Series teams. KHI enters into its fourth year of full-time competition in 2007 in NASCAR’s elite divisions.

Kevin Harvick Inc, Tony Stewart