The questions had clearly begun to grate on Tony Stewart.
Fiesty with the
media even in the best of times, the Stewart Haas Racing co-owner and former
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion had grown tired of discussing his
still-mending right leg; so savagely broken in an early August Sprint Car crash
in
Oskaloosa, Iowa. After being sidelined from the final 15 races of the 2013
season, Stewart returned with a whimper, not a roar, struggling mightily in the
opening weeks of the season en route to 35th, 16th and 34th-place
finishes at Daytona, Phoenix and Las Vegas Motor Speedways.
“What’s wrong with Smoke,” wondered the
garage-area railbirds. “What’s wrong with Stewart Haas Racing?”
Sunday night at
Bristol Motor Speedway, Stewart took an important first step on the road to answering
those questions. On a track that has afforded him precious little success over
the years – just one win in 30 career starts and an average finish of 17th -- Stewart’s
weekend once again began poorly. An abysmal qualifying effort left him with a
provisional, 37th-place starting spot, and Sunday morning, there were very few
optimists dressed in Stewart’s black and orange livery.
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| "It feels like a win..." |
Once the green flag
flew, however, Stewart began a steady climb toward the top of the standings. His
Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet improved throughout Sunday’s 500-lap event,
and despite a pair of lengthy rain delays, Stewart eventually finished fourth
behind winner Carl Edwards and youngsters Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Aric
Almirola.
“It’s not a win, I
know that,” said a relieved Stewart afterward. “But it feels like a win. I
think we will take that. To come to Bristol, run 500 laps and have a Top-5
(finish), that’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Stewart was asked
how the marathon grind had affected his surgically repaired leg, and for once, the
three-time Sprint Cup Series champion actually seemed pleased to reply.
“I feel great,” he
said. “Let’s do it again!”
Stewart’s
fourth-place finish will not silence the doubters forever. It improved his
standing only marginally -- to 23rd in the championship standings –
and did little to calm fears that SHR has adapted poorly to NASCAR’s newest
off-season rule modifications. He and teammates Kevin Harvick (39th at Bristol),
Kurt Busch (35th) and Danica Patrick (18th) are still a
half-step behind the competition in terms of early-season speed, and that is a problem unlikely
to be solved without weeks of testing and hard work.
But for now, at
least, Stewart’s strong run will keep the wolf from the door.
“To start 37th and
end up fourth, I’m pretty excited about that,” said Stewart after Sunday’s race.
“We had a long way to go from Friday, when we weren’t very good. Every day, we
just got better and better. So, I’m really proud of this team.
“It’s a step in the
right direction, for sure,” he smiled. “This is a big one. If you come out of
this place with a Top-5, you’ve had a good day.”
Dave, I would disagree with the assessment that the 4 team has been behind in speed as Harvick dominated Phoenix, was in second at Vegas when the hub burned up and was running 4th at Bristol before the oil line issue. They just need some good finishes and some better qualifying runs.
ReplyDeleteThe doubters. A large and loud bunch. Tony is recovering from a serious serious injury and he hasn't returned to form quick enough for them, how sad. These are the same people who said Junior was done, Edwards is washed up, Kurt Busch can't compete, and on and on. Maybe they should find something else to jaw about because they are wrong, as usual.
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