Stewart still fighting for berth in Chili Bowl main
Interesting story at Nascar.com about Tony’s night last evening. Here’s the opening:
TULSA, Okla. — Tony Stewart admits he’s not always a gracious loser. But after finishing fifth in Thursday night’s 25-lap qualifying feature for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals — one spot shy of a guaranteed position in Saturday’s A-Main championship event — the two-time Cup Series champion was analytical, not angry.
For openers, he knew he hadn’t exactly been beaten by a pack of nobodies. Winner Brad Kuhn is a two-time National Midget driver of the year; runner-up Jon Stanbrough was the winningest Sprint Car racer in America last season; third-place Shane Cottle is a cult hero among Midwest dirt-track devotees; and fourth-place finisher Cole Whitt, though just 16 years old, has shown blazing speed on the USAC trail.
Chili Bowl Semi-FinalsSecondly, Stewart blamed himself for surrendering that critical fourth spot to Whitt in the closing laps. “Driver error,” he sighed. “The car was loose and I was hunting around for a place where it would work better.”
Stewart will start from the front row in one of Saturday night’s two B-Mains, needing to finish fourth or better to transfer into the prestigious A-Main, which he has won twice.
Read the rest at NASCAR.COM