Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is rarely satisfied with a finish that doesn’t end up in victory lane. But the 16-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran is also savvy enough to know when true progress is being made, and Stewart saw that in the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Despite a 13th-place finish in the series’ longest race, Stewart saw the bigger picture, declaring with 20 laps still remaining in the 400-lap marathon around the 1.5-mile oval, “I don’t care how this ends up. We are 1,000 percent better than we were a week ago.”
A week ago, Stewart struggled with an ill-handling racecar in the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, also held at Charlotte. But the gains Stewart and crew chief Chad Johnston made throughout the Coca-Cola 600 proved the hard work back at the team’s headquarters in Kannapolis, North Carolina, had been beneficial.
“We’re making steady progress,” Stewart said.
“Baby steps,” added Johnston.
Stewart started 18th and dealt with a tight-handling racecar throughout much of the Coca-Cola 600. But over the course of 11 pit stops, Johnston continuously tweaked on the car’s handling. Only a vibration stemming from the last set of tires placed on the Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet during a pit stop on lap 381 thwarted a top-10 finish.
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