Elvis. Singer, dancer, actor and the undisputed king of rock-and-roll. A pop-culture icon transcending time and place, and one of only a handful of historic figures recognized by a single name. Although Elvis has been gone for more than three decades, his legacy casts a long shadow, and it remains visible today. And while Memphis, Tenn., was his home, Las Vegas was recognized as his home away from home. To say that Elvis has not left the building in Las Vegas may be an understatement. There is likely no place on Earth where his presence not only lives on, but thrives.
For nearly 20 years, Elvis and the city of Las Vegas enjoyed a relationship full of mutual admiration. From the first time he performed in the city in 1956 to his wedding to Priscilla in 1967 to a series of shows throughout the 1970s, Elvis seemingly owned the Entertainment Capital of the World. The city even served as the setting for what many critics considered one of his best films with the 1964 hit “Viva Las Vegas.” It’s a period of time affectionately referred to as “The Vegas Years.”
While Tony Stewart doesn’t sing or dance, nor is it likely that anyone will see his name atop a movie marquee anytime soon, he can certainly appreciate the affection Elvis had for Las Vegas. While Stewart certainly enjoys the blackjack tables that dot the Strip, his real passion lies with a parcel of land just north of the city’s bright lights – Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, returns to the 1.5-mile oval as the defending winner of the Kobalt Tools 400 –a victory that was a longtime coming for the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.
Up until last year’s race, where Stewart led three times for a race-high 127 laps and held off five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson for the win, Las Vegas had been as fickle as the wheel of a roulette table.
Stewart had flirted with victories at Las Vegas off and on for 13 seasons. Prior to last year, Stewart’s record at Las Vegas featured three top-three, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He led laps, sat behind the wheel of dominant cars, and been close enough to victory that he could almost taste the celebratory champagne – the most blatant example being the 2011 Kobalt Tools 400.
Stewart dominated that race, and victory seemed like a sure bet. Stewart led four times for a race-high 163 laps and, at one point, opened up a four-second lead over his nearest pursuer. Foiling the effort however, was a pit-road penalty that sent him to the rear of the field late in the race. And while Stewart was able to maneuver his way back to second place, the penalty ultimately cost him what was all but a guaranteed win.
Fast forward to last year’s Kobalt Tools 400. Three months after celebrating his third Sprint Cup Series championship in Las Vegas, Stewart returned to the city looking for redemption.
Stewart started seventh in the 267-lap race, but quickly moved toward the front of the field. He took the lead for the first time on lap 134 as he slipped past Johnson. Track position, however, was everything, and when Stewart found himself third on a lap-234 restart, he made a daring three-wide pass on the frontstretch to retake the lead for the final time. However, holding that lead proved challenging, as three separate caution periods allowed his competitors, notably four-time Las Vegas race-winner Johnson, to mount a charge against Stewart. Each time Stewart held him off, and when the checkered flag waved, Stewart had a .461 of a second margin of victory. It was the 13th time Stewart and Johnson finished 1-2, with Johnson taking seven victories and Stewart holding six.
The victory, which came in Stewart’s 14th Sprint Cup start at the track, put a spotlight on Stewart’s prowess at Las Vegas. His stat line now reads: one win, four top-threes, six top-fives, nine top-10s and 482 laps led. And in loop-data statistics, Stewart leads all drivers in the category of fastest drivers on restarts, and ranks among the top-five in average running position (fourth), fastest laps run (second), fastest green-flag speed (fourth) and number of laps in the top-15 (third). And his 357 laps led in the track’s last eight races places him second on the laps-led list behind four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon. It all adds up to Stewart owning the third-highest overall driver rating, with only Johnson (first) and Gordon (second) ahead of him.
With a win finally under his belt that highlights his record of proficiency at Las Vegas, Stewart aims to take a page from Las Vegas icon Elvis by making this decade his very own “Vegas Years”.
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