What a difference the second half of the racing season has made for Tony Stewart.
The grizzly orange crusher of Joe Gibbs Racing clinched his second Nextel Cup title with a 15th-place finish at Sunday’s Ford 400 to the delight of his fans at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Despite his mid-season trio of finishes outside of the top 20, his plunge to 14th in the cup standings and his reputation as the short-fused bad boy of NASCAR, Stewart hoisted the cup trophy and took his career to new heights.
“Once you win more than one, it definitely puts you into an elite group and you are going to be looked upon differently,” fellow multiple-cup winner Jeff Gordon told reporters after the race. “You win one, you are looked at differently. Win two and it takes you to another level.”
Stewart’s roller-coaster ride through seven seasons in NASCAR has seen his driving success be occluded by his off-the-track antics. They were in full-force heading into the 2002 season. Stewart’s eye-for-an-eye attitude behind the wheel and his assaults on the media landed him on probation. Many still saw him as one of the top drivers in the circuit, but his image was taking a toll on him. It’s hard for anyone to draw sympathy from critics after batting a tape recorder out of a reporter’s hand or clocking a photographer, just ask No. 20.
I became a fan of Stewart early in his career following his rookie season in 1999. His driving caught my eye, but for all of the wrong reasons. For starters, he makes orange look good. Secondly, he drives a Chevy. Lastly is his style of driving – an echo of the late Dale Earnhardt. Stewart gives any driver ground only after giving him or her a handful of grief and trading paint along the way. I never cared for his hot temper, however.
This season, I’ve admired seeing his maturity accompany his driving to higher ground. His trademark persistence helped rekindle camaraderie between him and his teammates as made evident by their Coca-Cola showering of Stewart at the podium Sunday. His crew-chief Greg
Zipadelli, who Stewart had the class to recognize on ESPN two days before the race, popped the first bottle.
“This one I want to win for Greg Zipadelli more than the rest of the competition can possibly imagine,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to win it, but if they’re going to win it, they’re going to have to take it from me.”
Aside from giving homage to his team, Stewart has improved his image with the media and fans. Following the Ford 400, he took time to cheer with his audience and spoke with tact to reporters. It was one of the many times he has chosen his words for the media this season. It was nice to see him still thinking about his team at the press conference.
“Let’s get this over with as quick as possible so I can go drink a beer with my team,” Stewart said. “That’s what I want to do more than anything right now.”
Congrats on the win Tony, and your place among the sports’ greatest. You’ve earned it.
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