DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Not even a wreck in Daytona 500 practice could ruin Tony Stewart’s day. Getting to Victory Lane has a way of making things better.
Just five hours after Stewart stood brooding over his battered Daytona 500 car, he found himself celebrating a second straight season-opening Nationwide Series win at Daytona International Speedway.
“It was very disappointing this morning,” Stewart said after holding off Kyle Busch on the last lap to win the Camping World 300. “It was so frustrating, I almost couldn’t see straight.”
The two-time Sprint Cup champion, who left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the 2008 season to start his own Stewart-Haas Racing operation, had a very good week going until new teammate Ryan Newman’s tire blew Saturday morning, collecting his teammate and boss in the final practice before today’s Great American Race.
Stewart was set to start fifth in the 500. Now, he and Newman must switch to backup cars and start from the rear of the 43-car field.
The wrecks prompted Stewart to criticize Goodyear for bringing a faulty tire to the superspeedway.
“I’m ticked right now. I’m not happy. I’m not cordial. I’m not nice,” Stewart said after practice.
It was temporary.
Stewart said his mood began to improve as he watched his new team quickly prepare the backup cars. As he got ready for the Nationwide race, his first time driving for car owner and longtime friend Rick Hendrick, he shifted his focus.
“When I went back to the bus and put this uniform on and saw Hendrick on it, you switch gears real quick in your mind,” Stewart said. “You realized that, hey, you’ve got a job to do.”
He certainly did that, passing 23 cars in 11 laps to get back into contention after pitting with 30 laps to go in the 120-lap event. Then he held on to the lead as Busch, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer fought for position.
Long day ahead.
After wrecking his first two cars, rookie Scott Speed switched to a second backup car and has struggled to stay with the pack in practice.
Today’s race will be a long one for Speed, a former Formula One driver. How will he cope?
“I’m going to bring a snack in the car with me,” he said.
The Associated Press
