Tony Stewart The First Weekend in May

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

For 138 years, the first weekend in May has been synonymous with one of sports most grand traditions – the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday at historic Churchill Downs in Lexington, Ky., promising three-year olds such as Revolutionary, Orb, Verrazano and Normandy Invasion look to make history by winning the 139th“Run for the Roses,” or as it is also known, “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”.

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles south in the heart of Alabama, accomplished drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick will prepare for another race that is quickly becoming part of the tradition that is the first weekend in May – the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

While comparing the Kentucky Derby with a stock-car race at Talladega is a little like comparing apples and oranges, it’s hard to ignore the similar prerequisites for achieving success. Both call for a strategic gameplan, plenty of horsepower and a little bit of luck – with a heavy emphasis on luck. If there’s one common denominator between the two, it’s that the best horse doesn’t always win.

Stewart is painfully aware of this point. Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, has endured plenty of races at Talladega where his gameplan was solid and he had a car oozing horsepower, only to have his luck run out before making it to the finish. A look at Stewart’s career record at Talladega tells the tale.

Stewart, a winner of 47 career Sprint Cup races, has made 28 Sprint Cup starts at the 2.66-mile oval where he has a win and nine top-five finishes – six of which have been second-place efforts. He also owns 13 top-10 finishes and has completed all but 121 of the 5,300 laps that have been run since 1999 for a lap completion rate of 97.7 percent. On the flip side, Stewart has a total of six DNFs (Did Not Finish) at Talladega – five of which occurred in the closing laps.

Although there are plenty of restrictor-plate races that have gone sideways – and even upside down – for Stewart, he’s also had his fair share go according to plan. In addition to his Sprint Cup win at Talladega in the fall of 2008, Stewart won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega. And when it comes to racing at Talladega’s sister track, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Stewart is patiently working his way through the track’s record books. He has four point-paying Sprint Cup wins, three wins in the Daytona 500 qualifying race, three victories in the Sprint Unlimited, two IROC Series wins, and most recently, he scored a record-tying seventh Nationwide Series victory at Daytona, joining the late Dale Earnhardt. Tally them all up and Stewart owns 21 wins on NASCAR’s restrictor-plate tracks.

There is no arguing Stewart knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful at NASCAR’s two restrictor-plate venues, and this weekend he hopes to take a big step toward regaining championship form. While a new four-legged champion will emerge at the Derby, three-time Sprint Cup champion Stewart looks to ride his four-wheeled steed to victory at ‘Dega. Both runs will offer a thrilling round of racing the first weekend in May.

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Speedway Digest Staff
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