Stewart Snares Sixth at Bristol

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

The tenaciousness that earned Tony Stewart three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships and 48 career victories was on display Sunday night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished a strong sixth in the rain-delayed Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer. It was Stewart’s best finish this season and his 10th top-10 in 31 career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol.

“It was a decent run for us,” Stewart said. “I’m proud of Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and all these guys. We have just been battling and battling. Really proud of them.”

The race was delayed four times for rain, totaling an agonizing five hours and 18 minutes. Originally scheduled to begin at 1p.m. EDT, it ended at approximately 10:30 p.m. after one final delay for rain before a green-white-checkered finish determined the outcome.

“Hey, we made it this far. Why not stick it out another 10 minutes?” Stewart said. “Definitely think NASCAR did the right thing for the fans.”

Just as the fans were committed to seeing the race through, Stewart was committed to getting the best result possible from his Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.

Stewart started 21st and despite having a loose racecar, hung onto the lead lap even with the blistering pace being set by his SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. By lap 125 of what would become a 511-lap race, there were only 25 cars on the lead lap. Stewart was 20th on lap 130 but climbed to 17th by lap 150 to stay ahead of the leaders.

When the caution flag waved on lap 169 while Stewart was in 15th, it allowed the veteran driver and his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 team a reprieve. They remained on the lead lap and hit pit road, whereupon Johnston ordered a simple, four-tire stop that put Stewart back on the track in 14th.

Stewart hovered between 12th and 15th for much of the race. But thanks to a scheduled, four-tire pit stop on lap 321, Stewart was able to stay out when the caution flag waved again on lap 345. The strategy leapfrogged Stewart to fifth.

Stewart hung tough among the top-10, dropping only to eighth despite the rooting and gouging that is commonplace at Bristol. Differing pit strategies put Stewart 13th after a four-tire pit stop on lap 375 and with 50 laps to go, he had fallen to 15th.

Stewart made his final pit stop on lap 477, and with fresh Goodyear tires and a full tank of fuel, he was good to go the distance even in the event of multiple attempts at a green-white-checkered.

Three separate multicar accidents in the race’s final 30 laps allowed Stewart to pick up positions by attrition and by pit strategy. As those around him faltered, Stewart took their spots. And when others were forced to pit, Stewart stayed out. Those variables, combined with Stewart’s heady drive, netted the sixth-place finish.

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Speedway Digest Staff
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