Tony Stewart Enriched at Richmond

Tony Stewart likes to win. As both a driver and an owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, winning is something he’s been able to do. Repeatedly.

As a driver, Stewart has scored 48 point-paying victories along with a trio of Sprint Cup championships. Since partnering with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2009, Stewart has earned 22 point-paying Sprint Cup wins as an owner, the most recent of which came April 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway via Kevin Harvick.

SHR has won three of the first eight races of the 2014 Sprint Cup season. Prior to Darlington, Harvick won March 2 at Phoenix International Raceway. And in between those wins was Kurt Busch’s victory March 30 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. SHR, in just its sixth season, leads all NASCAR teams in wins in 2014.

With all of that winning, Stewart the owner is grinning from ear-to-ear. Stewart the driver, however, wants to add his name to SHR’s 2014 victory scroll. With Richmond (Va.) International Raceway the next stop on the Sprint Cup circuit, Stewart spies opportunity.

On Saturday night, Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, will make his 30th Sprint Cup start at Richmond, home to three of his 48 career wins. And when not winning at the .75-mile oval, Stewart has been in sight of victory, with four second-place finishes, 11 top-fives, 19 top-10s and a total of 950 laps led.

Stewart’s winning record in Sprint Cup began at Richmond on Sept. 11, 1999. In just his 25th career Sprint Cup start during his rookie season, Stewart scored his first Sprint Cup win in dominating fashion by leading 333 of 400 laps. Stewart has been winning ever since, with at least once victory in each of his previous 15 years in Sprint Cup, the longest such streak among active drivers.

Stewart’s success at Richmond hasn’t been limited to just Sprint Cup. In addition to his three Sprint Cup triumphs, Stewart has a pair of victories in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, winning back-to-back events in 2002 and 2003 while driving for former car owner and current ESPN analyst Andy Petree. Stewart also found success in a Late Model at Richmond, winning the 2012 Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, a 75-lap charity race.

The winning and the strong showings have made Stewart an unabashed fan of Richmond, frequently calling it his favorite track. In addition to the Sprint Cup car, Truck and Late Model stock car, Stewart has raced a NASCAR Nationwide Series car, a USAC Silver Crown car and a USAC Midget at Richmond. Now, Stewart’s back at the Virginia short track in his most familiar confine – the No. 14 Chevrolet, emblazoned this weekend with Rush Truck Centers, the premier service solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry.

In the racing industry, Stewart knows the best solution is victory. With a pole two races ago at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth along with two-top-fives and four top-10s in the eight races so far this season – all of which have positioned Stewart 12th in points after leaving the season-opening Daytona 500 32nd in the championship standings – Stewart is primed for a win, especially now with his favorite racetrack up next on the Sprint Cup docket.

TSC PR