Harvick confirmed out of RCR after 2013: NASCAR team owner Richard Childress confirmed what driver Kevin Harvick would not since November 2012. Harvick will leave Childress, where he has been since his first Cup race in 2001, and drive for friend and team owner Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. Childress, who spoke Monday night at NASCAR's Sprint Cup Media Tour, talked about knowing about Harvick's plans last year before the race at Phoenix International Raceway -- a race Harvick would win to snap a 44-race winless streak. "We had a meeting and he told me his plans and we discussed what we were going to do in '13," Childress said Monday. "He'll do well over there at Stewart-Haas, and RCR will keep going and moving forward. I think him and Tony will have a good relationship." Stewart, who spoke to the media earlier Monday about his three-car team that includes Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick, has hinted at adding a fourth car to the Stewart-Haas Racing stable. Harvick, meanwhile, told reporters he didn't have "anything to tell you for 2014." On Monday, Childress said he did not know whether sponsor Budweiser would leave RCR along with Harvick. "They haven't made any comments on what they're going to do," Childress said. Though Childress admitted he knew Harvick's plans before Phoenix, he said he was surprised when word leaked out because he didn't expect it to be released until after the postseason awards banquet. As for the future, Childress welcomes grandson Austin Dillon into the fold this season. Dillon is slated to race the Daytona 500, among a handful of other Cup races. Burton and Menard are signed through 2013.(in part from the USA Today)(1-22-2013)

Stewart Haas Racing Notes from the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour: #10-Danica Patrick will not be using #14-Tony Stewart's owners points to start the year. Stewart said, "I worked hard for my points" and believes Patrick will be fine. The #10 team finished the 2012 season 33rd in owners points but been told those owners points will be used for Tommy Baldwin's #7 team with driver Dave Blaney. Baldwin will use the #36 owners points for his 2nd team, car #36 [unknwon driver/plans]. So the #10 car goes into the season with no owners points and Partick will have to make the races via speed. There is no top-35 or guaranteed spots in 2013, but owners points will used for 6 cars each race for provisional starting spots 37th thru 42nd and poosibly the 43rd spot.
Patrick has not finalized a deal to run any Nationwide Series races in 2013 but is hoping to do a 10 race deal with Turner Scott Motorsports.
As for Stewart running the 2013 Indy 500 for Penske Racing, he has open invitation for Indy 500 from Roger Penske, but has no plans to do so in 2013.
On the sponsor front for SHR the #14 has nine races open without a primary, the #39 of Ryan Newman has 8-9 races open for a primary sponsor and #10-Patrick has three racesopen for a primary sponsor.
Stewart said the Eldora Speedway Truck Race that will run on the dirt, is close to a sellout, with 16,000 reserved seats sold and about 600 left with 1000 general admission going on sale this week.(1-21-2013)

Kevin Swindell wins Chili Bowl; Stewart 15th: It took 25 years for a driver to win back to back Lucas Oil Chili Bowl National titles. Ever since then, that same name has stood atop the podium without fail as Kevin Swindell continued his family's Chili Bowl dynasty this past Saturday night with his fourth Golden Driller in as many years. With the victory, the combined Swindell total stands at nine. Kevin Swindell capped off a perfect week having won every race he entered with Sammy Swindell earned the runner up spot for the third year in a row. Brad Sweet, after challenging earlier for the runner up spot, settled for third with Tim McCreadie fourth and Dave Darland climbing from eleventh to complete the top five. Jerry Coons, Jr. advanced eight spots to finish sixth with Shane Golobic coming from sixteenth to seventh. Bryan Clauson improved a dozen spots to eighth with Billy Wease posting his best A-Feature finish of ninth while earning the Hard Charger of the Race, coming from his twenty-second starting spot. Cory Kruseman round out the drivers in the top ten. Tony Stewart finished 15th and J.J. Yeley finished 19th in the 24 car field. In all 268 competitors from 32 states including Canada, Australia, and Finland competed in the 2013 Chili Bowl.(see more at chilibowl.com)(1-14-2013)

2012 #14 team sponsor schedule:
Bud Shootout, Daytona - 2/19, Mobil 1 (1)
Gatorade Duel, Daytona - 2/23, Office Depot (1)
Daytona - 2/26, Office Depot (2)
Phoenix - 3/4, Office Depot (3)
Las Vegas - 3/11, Mobil 1 (2)
Bristol - 3/18, Office Depot (4)
Auto Club - 3/25, Office Depot (5)
Martinsville - 4/1, Office Depot (6)
Texas - 4/14, Mobil 1 (3), Advanced Fuel Economy
Kansas - 4/22, Office Depot (7)
Richmond - 4/28, Mobil 1 (4)
Talladega - 5/6, Office Depot (8)
Darlington - 5/12, Office Depot (9)
Sprint All-Star Race, Charlotte - 5/19, Bass Pro Shops / NWTF (1)
Charlotte - 5/27, Office Depot (10)
Dover - 6/3, Mobil 1 (5)
Pocono - 6/10, Mobil 1 (6)
Michigan - 6/17, Office Depot (11)
Infineon - 6/24, Office Depot (12)
Kentucky - 6/30, Office Depot (13)
Daytona - 7/7, Mobil 1 (7)
New Hampshire - 7/15, Mobil 1 (8)
Indy - 7/29, Mobil 1 (9)
Pocono - 8/5, Office Depot (14)
Watkins Glen - 8/12, Office Depot (15)
Michigan - 8/19, Mobil 1 (10)
Bristol - 8/25, Office Depot (11)
Atlanta - 9/2, Office Depot (16)
Richmond - 9/18, Office Depot (17)
Chicago - 9/16, Office Depot (18)
New Hampshire - 9/23, Mobil 1 (12)
Dover - 9/30, Office Depot (19)
Talladega - 10/7, Mobil 1 (13)
Charlotte - 10/13, Mobil 1 (14)
Kansas - 10/21, Office Depot (20)
Martinsville - 10/38, Office Depot (21)
Texas - 11/4, Office Depot (22)
Phoenix - 11/12, Mobil 1 (15)
Homestead - 11/18, Office Depot (23)

2013 silly season notes for #14-Tony Stewart / Stewart Haas Racing: Office Depot left the sport and the #14 team after the 2012 season. Bass Pro Shops will be the primary for three-time champ Tony Stewart for 18 races in 2013 with Mobil 1 staying aboard and being the primary for 11 races. Nine races are still unsponsored for the #14. Steve Addington returns as the crew chief in 2013. SHR expands to three full time teams with Danica Patrick running the full season in 2013. SHR could become a four car team in 2014 with Kevin Harvick already signing to move from Richard Childress Racing AFTER the 2013 season. #39-Ryan Newman is signed thru 2013 and could return if sponsorship is found. See more about other teams on my 2013 Team / Driver Silly Season Chart.(1-5-2013)

Stewart to run the Chili Bowl: Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) announced that three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion #14-Tony Stewart has joined the star-studded field of entrants for the 27th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center, which kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 8 and concludes Saturday, Jan. 12. Stewart finished 10th in last year's finale after not participating in the event for three consecutive seasons (2009-2011). This year, he returns to action in the TSR #14 Chevrolet Performance/Spike/Chevy in the most prestigious Midget race of the year. The annual Chili Bowl, which takes place inside the typically fan-packed confines of the QuikTrip Center's Tulsa Expo Raceway, will see Stewart and more than 200 drivers attempt to qualify for one of the coveted spots in Saturday's 50-lap A-Main finale. Each driver will participate in a qualifying program and accumulate points.(TSR), some other drivers with NASCAR connections include: J.J. Yeley, Bobby East, Cole Whitt, Dakoda Armstrong, Tracy Hines, Justin Allgaier, Billy Pauch, Kevin Swindell, Bryan Clauson, Tim McCreadie, Brad Sweet, A.J. Fike, Kyle Larson, Tyler Walker, Brad Noffsinger, P.J. Jones.(12-26-2012)

Stewart wins POWRi Midget Battle: Tony Stewart returned to his short-track roots Saturday, winning the feature in the third annual Battle at the Center on the one-sixth mile indoor Mini Magic Mile at the Southern Illinois Center. The 41-year-old from Columbus, Ind., led all 40 laps in the non-points event organized and sanctioned by the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series. It had 67 entries and brought together many of the best drivers in Midget racing and several more major short-track series. Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Mo., this season's POWRi National Midget champion, finished second and POWRi veteran Tim Siner of Dupo, Ill., was third. Stewart won USAC Midget championships in 1994 and 1995 and was USAC's Triple Crown (also taking the national Sprint Car and Silver Crown) champion in 1995 before moving on to win titles in the IZOD IndyCar title in 1997 and NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2002, 2005 and 2011. "It was a lot of fun," Stewart said. "I was happy with it. We heard this was a good event last year and decided to run it to get ready for the Chili Bowl (run in Tulsa, Okla., Jan. 8-12). We didn't run very good in the Chili Bowl last year. We built the car to the same design that I drove in John Godfrey's Stealth in 1995."(Poweri Racing)(12-17-2012)

Stewart would like to drive Aussie V8 Supercar: #14-Tony Stewart expressed his desire to race a V8 Supercar at the unveiling of the 2013 Chevrolet SS which is based heavily on the next generation Holden VF Commodore. At the bells and whistles launch in Las Vegas Stewart told Speedcafe that he has been approached several times by Paul Morris to have a crack at a V8 Supercar in the shared driver races. "Paul Morris keeps inviting me out to have a go in one. I don't know if Austin would work but I would love to have a chance to drive one. I'd love the opportunity to get behind the wheel of one," Stewart said. V8 Supercars will race Stateside for the first time at the Texas 400 meeting at Austin's critically acclaimed Circuit Of The Americas track from May 17-19 next year. The category has yet to show its hand on what the format of the races will be and whether it will explore the possibility of shared driver races. The Austin meeting clashes with the NASCAR Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway.(Speed Cafe)(12-9-2012)

Penske offers Tony Stewart Indianapolis 500 ride: UPDATE 2: If Tony Stewart wants to run the Indianapolis 500 next season, Roger Penske will give him a car. Penske twice Friday night offered Stewart the chance to enter next year's race and insisted he's serious about the opportunity. "Where's Stewart?" Penske asked during his speech accepting the Sprint Cup trophy during NASCAR's season-ending awards ceremony. "How about doing the double at Indy this year? You available?" The banquet room at Wynn Las Vegas Resort broke out into laughter, but Penske later insisted he was serious. "If he wants to do the double, I'd put him in it," Penske said. "We've talked about it before. I guess I made it official tonight." Stewart was not immediately available for comment.(in part from the Associated Press)(12-2-2012)
UPDATE: #14-Tony Stewart has passed up a chance to race for Roger Penske in the Indianapolis 500. The three-time NASCAR champion said Wednesday at the International Motorsports Industry Show that he wouldn't attempt to race in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Penske extended the invitation last week in Las Vegas while accepting the Sprint Cup trophy. Later, when given the chance to shrug it off as a lighthearted moment with Stewart, Penske insisted he was very serious. There has been a push to get Stewart to race in Indianapolis since Penske made the offer, with Indianapolis Motor Speedway starting an online petition for fans to encourage the driver to accept the ride. The Indiana native twice ran both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. In 1999, he was ninth at Indy and fourth at Charlotte, and in 2001, he was sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.(Associated Press)(12-5-2012)
UPDATE 2: "As much as I would like to do it, we just don't have the time to do it proper," Stewart said. "The IRL is so competitive now, you're not going to just show up like drivers used to do in the past and be competitive. These guys don't leave anything on the table there. You're not going to stroll into the Indy 500 with these guys who race every week and be as competitive as they are. It was a very humbling comment and offer that he made, for sure," said Stewart, booed by fans when he made the announcement. "I'm very humbled by the fact that he offered it to us. It's a great opportunity, but it's very hard when you're running three Cup teams right now and the obligations that we have making sure that we're doing the right things, we have a lot of people that depend on us. … It's kind of like being at Thanksgiving dinner. My plate is finally full. I don't know if I can add anymore to what I have right now." He left open the possibility of racing for Penske at some point. "I'm not going to do it this year, but there's nothing saying that down the road that I may not take him up on that same offer," Stewart said.(USA Today)(12-6-2012)

Penske's Indy 500 offer drawing interest: [Roger] Penske is crafty, and he loves IndyCar, so he managed to turn the talk to his beloved Indianapolis 500 before the [Spring Cup Awards banquet] night was over by offering three-time NASCAR champion #14-Tony Stewart the chance to drive for him next May. Although Stewart has yet to publicly respond to Penske's offer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway started an online petition where fans can encourage the two-time Brickyard 400 winner to accept the ride. Should Stewart pass, drivers were using Twitter on Monday to inform Penske they wanted the seat. Among them were Chip Ganassi Racing development driver Kyle Larson, Conor Daly, who spent this year in Formula One support series GP3, and NASCAR driver #55-Brian Vickers, who tried to put together an Indy 500 deal last May but was stymied by IndyCar's engine shortage. "I'm serious about Indy. Would do it in a heartbeat, was not just tweeting to be funny," Vickers said Monday. And broadcast partner ABC seemed amenable to discussions with IMS about moving up the start time of the 500 to accommodate Stewart (or Vickers or Casey Mears or AJ Allmendinger or Danica Patrick or Sam Hornish Jr. - because there's a list of NASCAR drivers with open-wheel experience who could theoretically now be thinking about trying to run both the IndyCar race and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600). "ABC/ESPN would enthusiastically support the opportunity for said driver(s) to participate in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. We have strong partnerships with the league and speedway," said Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president, programming & acquisitions. IMS has not said if it's willing to move its start time, and the Indy 500 is a strong enough race that it doesn't need this additional buzz.(Associated Press)(12-4-2012)

2012 Stewie Awards: Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and Matt Yocum hosted the 6th Annual Stewie Awards live from the Cabo Wabo Cantina at the Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip on Thu., Nov. 29. The annual highlight of NASCAR Champions Week honored the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season. The Stewie Awards featured live interviews with several of Stewart's competitors in this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, plus other special guests. Fan votes helped determine the Stewie Award winners.
During the show, Tony and Matt also presented the special Golden Stewie Award to Dr. Dick Berggren and the Lifetime Achievement Award to Bob Jenkins.
The award recipients:
Best Original Drama: Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson
Bonehead Move of the Year Award: Danica Patrick
"Feels Like The First Time" Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Best Vocal Performance: Tony Stewart
Best "Driver2Crew Chatter": Carl Edwards
Best Original Comedy: Matt Kenseth
Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence): Juan Pablo Montoya (jet dryer)
'Boys, Have At It" Award: Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer
The Social Stewie Award: Matt Kenseth
See images at siriusxm.com/stewieawards.(SiriusXM and explanations of the awards at the Charlotte Observer)(12-1-2012)

Tony Stewart Hosts 'Stewie Awards' Nov 29th: #14-Tony Stewart will host the sixth annual 'Stewie Awards' show on Thursday, November 29, live from Las Vegas on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The 'Stewies,' which annually features Stewart's entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the 2012 NASCAR season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from the Cabo Wabo Cantina at the Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, November 29 (10:00 pm/et / 7:00 pm/pt). The live broadcast will air nationwide on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90 on Sirius and XM Premier. Those fans who will be in Las Vegas during Champion's Week are invited to attend and watch the broadcast live in person. The 'Stewie Awards' will feature live interviews with several of Stewart's competitors in this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, plus other special guests. For the catagories, the nominees. links to vote for them, go to my NASCAR Awards page.(11-25-2012)

Budweiser and Jimmy Johns to follow Harvick to SHR? When #29-Kevin Harvick leaves Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, he will take major sponsors Budweiser and Jimmy Johns along with him. Reports surfaced last week that Harvick will bolt RCR at the conclusion of his current contract to race full-time for Stewart Haas Racing in 2014. Multiple sources speaking on the condition of anonymity say that when the move comes, it will also include the sponsors that backed the #29 team in a combined 26 races this season; 20 for Budweiser and six for Jimmy John's.(Godfather Motorsports)(11-16-2012)

Career Sprint Cup Start 500 for Stewart: The Ford EcoBoost 400 will mark #14-Tony Stewart's 500th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 14th Sprint Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, will become one of 32 drivers to hit the 500-start mark. Leading into this milestone race, Stewart has recorded 47 wins, which places him 14th on the all-time series win list. The Columbus, Ind., native has also scored 14 poles, 174 top-fives and 282 top-10s while leading 12,520 laps. Those numbers, along with his three Sprint Cup championships, also make Stewart Hall-of-Fame worthy.
Q) You'll be making your 500th career Sprint Cup start at Homestead. Does that surprise you, or do you look at it as just another number?
Stewart: "I'll give you the reality of this deal. I didn't even know it until somebody told me. And I was like, 'Okay, that's cool.' But then it was back to business. It's a milestone, but it's not as big when you compare it to some of the other drivers and see how many starts they have in their career. When you compare it to Richard Petty (1,184 starts) or Ricky Rudd (906 starts) or Mark Martin (853 starts), 500 isn't a lot."(SHR)(11-16-2012)

"Thanks" to Office Depot: The season finale at Homestead will be a bittersweet moment for #14-Tony Stewart and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing as it marks the last race with Office Depot as the #14 team's primary sponsor. With its headquarters just north of the track in Boca Raton, Fla., Office Depot, a leading global provider of office supplies and services, considers Homestead its home track. In the company's four-year partnership with Stewart, the pairing produced 14 wins, four poles and the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.(SHR)(11-15-2012)

Stewart comments on Harvick rumor: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed future plans for SHR, the transcript in part:
Q) DO YOU HAVE A RESPONSE TO THE STORY THAT KEVIN HARVICK WILL JOIN STEWART-HAAS RACING IN 2014?
Tony Stewart: "Well, it's actually Dale, Jr. (SMILES BROADLY). And Marty Smith (ESPN Television personality and website reporter) is actually going to be in the fourth car. Yes, that's where we are at. (SMILES BROADLY) I will tell you this, when we have something to tell you guys, we'll tell you. I've always said that. You guys can throw darts, but when we have something to tell you that's different than what we've got going on, we'll obviously tell you."(Team Chevy)(11-9-2012)

Harvick to leave RCR after 2013 and head to SHR: For each of his 12 seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kevin Harvick has driven for Richard Childress Racing. That will change in 2014. Multiple NASCAR industry sources confirmed to ESPN.com Friday that Harvick has signed a multiyear agreement to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing beginning with the 2014 season. Harvick will remain at RCR in the #29 Chevy for the 2013 campaign, sources said. "I'm looking forward to finishing out this season on a strong note with RCR and continuing to build our program going into the 2013 season with the ultimate goal of winning a championship," Harvick told ESPN.com Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, when he was asked about his future. "Anything beyond that, once I know what my future plans are set, I'll let you know." Under Stewart-Haas' current plan, sources said, Harvick will drive a fourth SHR Chevrolet, teaming with #14-Tony Stewart, #39-Ryan Newman and #10-Danica Patrick to form a four-car stable. "Stewart-Haas Racing's driver lineup is all set for 2013, but if you're talking about 2014 and if Kevin Harvick is available, that's something the team would have to look at," SHR team spokesman Mike Arning said. "Any team in this garage would do the same. From the moment Stewart-Haas Racing was formed, becoming a four-car team is something it's been striving for. They have the infrastructure to accommodate a fourth team, and if everything aligns properly, it's something they'll do. So, if a driver the caliber of Kevin Harvick is available, it's something they would pursue."(ESPN)(11-9-2012)

Stewart-Haas announces 2013 crew chief lineup: With an eye on 2013, Stewart-Haas Racing is restructuring its team lineup beginning with the Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Martinsville. Tony Gibson, currently the crew chief of the #39 U.S. Army/Quicken Loans team of driver Ryan Newman, will move to the #10 GoDaddy.com team of driver Danica Patrick. Gibson will get a jump start on the 2013 season by serving as Patrick's crew chief during her last two Sprint Cup races of the 2012 season - Nov. 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Nov. 11 at Phoenix International Raceway. Matt Borland, currently the vice president of competition for SHR, will add to his duties by returning to the role of crew chief when he takes over the #39 team beginning at Martinsville. Borland served as Newman's crew chief for five years when the two were together at Penske Racing (2002-2006), earning 12 wins and 37 poles. The 2013 structure of the #14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 team of driver/owner Tony Stewart and crew chief Steve Addington will remain unchanged from 2012.(Stewart-Haas Racing)(10-20-2012)

Prelude to a Dream will not run in 2013: According to a news release issued Thursday by Eldora Speedway, the track will not host the Prelude to the Dream next year. "Eldora's commitment to the best possible experience for its loyal fans and competitors attending the Dirt Late Model Dream will result in a schedule change to Dream Week. The logistics associated with the Dream's expansion for the dirt Late Model teams that supplied the cars for the Prelude, along with speedway officials who must transition the facility, prevents the Prelude to the Dream from being included on the 2013 calendar. Advance ticket holders to the 2012 event will retain their renewal rights for the next scheduled Prelude to the Dream event going forward."(Eldora Speedway)(10-18-2012)

Stewart takes blame for big one at Talladega: #14-Tony Stewart discussed the last lap accident at Talladega:
ARE YOU OK AND WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? "I'm a finely tuned athlete. I mean I have a really strenuous workout regime (SMILES)"
OK WE STILL HAVE YOUR COMIC RELIEF:
"I just screwed up. I turned down across, I think it was Michael (Waltrip) and crashed the whole field. It was my fault blocking to try to stay where I was at. So, I take 100% of the blame."
PRODUCT OF TALLADEGA?
"Unfortunately. I was trying to win the race, and I was trying to stay ahead of Matt (Kenseth) there. Michael got a great run on the bottom, had a big head of steam. When I turned down, I turned down across the right front of his car. A mistake on my part. It cost a lot of people a bad day because of it."(Chevy)(10-8-2012)

Bass Pro Shops could still sponsor McMurray some: [Bass Pro Shops owner Johnny] Morris said Bass Pro Shops will not continue at the same level with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and driver Jamie McMurray in 2013, which means EGR now must find funding to replace the chief sponsor of its # 1 car. The Bass Pro relationship with EGR may not be over, though. EGR president Steve Lauletta said Friday the company is in talks to have Bass Pro remain as a primary sponsor, just in a much more limited capacity. "I anticipate you'll see the Bass Pro Shops logo on the hood of our car for a few races next year," Lauletta said. McDonald's and existing sponsors such as Liftmaster will have the chance to increase their involvement, Lauletta said, an opportunity which wasn't available before. EGR's teams have been fully sponsored for the last three seasons. In addition, Lauletta said there could be new sponsors who link up with EGR. "There's a number of new companies we've been talking to who have shown interest in doing primary races and we haven't had the ability to deliver on those - and now we will," Lauletta said. "I believe we'll get a few of those over the goal line."(SB Nation)(10-6-2012)

Bass Pro Shops will sponsor Stewart in 2013: UPDATE: After the smoke cleared, Tony Stewart emerged from his #14 Chevy in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World to a thunderous ovation from about 600 fans who gathered to hear confirmation of what many already suspected. "I want to introduce you to Tony Stewart, new driver of the Bass Pro Shops Chevy," Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris said late Thursday afternoon. And with that, a day before complete details are revealed at Talladega, the reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion had a new primary sponsor for 2013. Stewart-Haas racing was in the market for a sponsor after Office Depot announced earlier this year it was leaving the sport. And Bass Pro was in the final year of a sponsorship agreement with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's Jamie McMurray. Mobil One is staying as the second primary sponsor, Stewart said. Morris said Bass Pro also plans to continue as a sponsor for brothers Austin and Ty Dillon in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, respectively, and that he appreciates the bond with Joplin native McMurray over the last three seasons.(Springfield, MO News-Leader)(10-4-2012)
UPDATE: Bass Pro Shops, America's most popular outdoor retailer, announced it will join Mobil 1 as the primary co-sponsor of Tony Stewart and the #14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) beginning in 2013. Bass Pro Shops will adorn the hood of Stewart's #14 Chevy for 18 races, including the Daytona 500. Mobil 1, the world's leading synthetic motor oil brand, will be on the hood for 11 races. Nine primary races remain available for a brand to partner with Stewart, the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. Bass Pro Shops joining the Sprint Cup team Stewart co-owns with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world – is the culmination of a more than decade-long partnership between Stewart and Bass Pro Shops. Stewart has been a brand ambassador for Bass Pro Shops since 2001, beginning with a personal services agreement that morphed into sponsorship of Stewart's dirt Late Model stock car that he campaigns at various short tracks across the country, including the annual Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where Stewart is a three-time winner (2006, 2008 and 2009). It continued via a primary sponsorship of Stewart's World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series team beginning in 2005, and as an associate sponsor of SHR since the team's inception in 2009.(Stewart-Haas Racing), see an image of the car on the 2013 #14 team paint schemes page and see earlier updates about Bass Pro moving on the #14 team news page.(10-5-2012)

Sponsorship announcement for Stewart Haas: UPDATES: Stewart Haas Racing is expected to announce sponsorship for Ryan Newman Tuesday and likely will include existing nine-race sponsor Quicken Loans, according to those with knowledge of the announcement. Newman is losing the U.S. Army's 12-race sponsorship after this season. He re-signed with the team in early September even though it had not announced any sponsors for 2013. Stewart himself needs a sponsor to replace Office Depot and its 22 races for next season. Several sources indicated that SHR is talking with Bass Pro Shops and an announcement could come as early as late next week. Bass Pro Shops already is an associate sponsor of the organization and has been on the hood of Newman's car for a couple of races. A Bass Pro spokesman said last week the company had no comment on the speculation of the company sponsoring SHR.(Sporting News)(9-29-2012)
UPDATE: Quicken Loans, the nation's largest online mortgage lender, announced that it will double down on its partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Chevy in the Sprint Cup Series. Through the new agreement, Quicken Loans will serve as Newman's primary sponsor for 18 Sprint Cup races in 2013, marking the majority of the season. When not the primary sponsor, the company will be an associate sponsor on Newman's Chevrolet. Additionally, Quicken Loans will remain as an associate sponsor on the #14 Mobil 1 Chevy driven by three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart throughout the 2013 season. The company also announced details of its newly launched Skip-a-Year Sweepstakes, which will pay up to five entrants' mortgages for a full year. "We were not sure what to expect with the 2012 season being our first in the sport," said Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer for Quicken Loans. "What we quickly found was that NASCAR fans are tremendously passionate and loyal to the brands that help drive their sport. It was their commitment to our company that ultimately allowed us to significantly increase our involvement with the sport, Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan Newman." In 2012, Quicken Loans is a primary sponsor for nine races with Newman and the #39 team, while also maintaining an associate sponsorship with Stewart.(Stewart-Haas Racing)(10-2-2012)
UPDATE 2: SHR also is working on a potential deal with Bass Pro Shops to replace some of the 22 races left open on Tony Stewart's car after Office Depot announced plans to leave the sport after this season. "It's a huge first step in filling in a couple of large voids,'' Stewart said of expanding the sponsorship of Quicken Loans. "Hopefully, that will have a domino effect. "We're really close to getting Ryan's races sold. We're still working on getting mine taken care of. We feel we have a couple of good leads that hopefully will get done before the end of the year.'' The good news for Newman is his car is almost fully sponsored, with Wix Filters, Outback Steakhouse and Aspen Dental expected to return. He said getting Quicken Loans on the car for 18 races gives him more confidence that his one-year deal for next season could become more long-term.(ESPN)(10-3-2012)

Three pit crews make it to the track after flight delay: Pit crews for Richard Childress Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing were on a tight schedule for Sunday's Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Blame it on problems with a scheduled flight to bring them to the track. The crew members were scheduled to reach the track about 10:00am/et. However, mechanical issues at their Concord, N.C., departure point forced them to change planes, delaying their arrival for the race. They reached the track about 12:50pm/et with a rush job ahead. Team owner Richard Childress said Miami Air, whom he charters with for the race-day flights, was able to get another plane to carry the crews. The plane landed shortly before 12:00pm/et in Manchester, N.H., about 25 miles from the track. Vehicles carrying the crew members were expected to get a police escort to make it through the traffic. Reaching the track would be no easy assignment. Typically traffic would be heavy with a crowd of about 90,000 people expected at a track with only one main entrance on a road that is converted from two lanes to four lanes using the shoulder for the race.(Sporting News)(9-23-2012)

Stewart/Addington sits in on Hendrick meetings: during a Frontstretch Tech Talk interview with Steve Addington, crew chief for #14-Tony Stewart:
Frontstretch's Mike Neff: "You are affiliated with Hendrick. They supply you with chassis and engines and support. Since they got all four cars in and you guys are in, from the engineering and assistance side, how much are they able to give you? I don't know what the normal number of guys they give you is at the track or shop, but is that stretched thinner now that five cars are in the Chase?"
Steve Addington: "We have a mutual understanding. They know how we're going to the race track and we know how they're going to the race track and what they're going to work on. I am in their Tuesday meeting with their drivers for debrief. Me and Stewart are either there or on the phone to talk with them every Tuesday. We're very open about it and that is something that is the cool part of it that I didn't have last year, having just two drivers with the Dodge camp. Being able to have that affiliation with Hendrick and to have Rick's support and to be able to talk to him one-on-one is really cool. We all share and that is the way it is. We work hard together and we share information and we take it from there and everyone can run and do with it as they want".(Frontstretch)(9-19-2012)

Stewart to help BOA launch military appreciation platform: Continuing its long history of support for active members of the military, veterans, and their families, Bank of America will use the Bank of America 500 to help raise up to $250,000 for Wounded Warrior Project. As part of the bank's "Express Your Thanks" program, race fans will be invited to sign flags with messages of support for service members and veterans during race weekend. The flags will be converted into a patriotic mosaic that will be displayed during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the night of Saturday, October 13. For each flag signed, the bank will donate $1 to Wounded Warrior Project. #14-Tony Stewart will be on hand Tuesday, Sept 18th at CMS to officially launch the flag mosaic by writing words of support on a flag. He will also explain how fans can show their support for service members and veterans throughout race weekend.
Bank of America's "Express Your Thanks" program launched on 9/11 and will continue until Veterans Day. In addition to the activities on race weekend, Bank of America is hosting a website that will collect images and messages of thanks to service members and veterans. To participate, individuals can take a photo or write a message and share it on bankofamerica.com/troopthanks. Alternatively, they can upload a picture via Instagram or Twitter and tag it with #troopthanks. The images uploaded to the website will be turned into a patriotic digital mosaic. For each uploaded image, Bank of America will donate $1 to Wounded Warrior Project.(Weber Shandwick)(9-18-2012)

Bass Pro to sponsor Stewart? Bass Pro Shops is expected to be a co-primary sponsor for Tony Stewart's NASCAR Sprint Cup effort next season. Office Depot, which supported Stewart since the inception of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009, will withdraw its sponsorship at the end of the season. The company was the primary on 22 of the 38 NASCAR Cup races this season. Mobil 1, which was a co-primary with Office Depot this season, will continue in that role in 2013. Bass Pro Shops has enjoyed a long relationship with NASCAR. The outdoors company sponsored Martin Truex Jr. in a limited run at Dale Earnhardt Inc. when the driver won his first Nationwide Series title in 2004. The company took over as a full primary the following year and graduated with Truex to the Sprint Cup Series for his first full season in 2006. When DEI merged with Ganassi Racing prior to the 2009 season, Bass Pro Shops accompanied Truex and then remained with the team with Jamie McMurray when he returned to Ganassi in 2010 and has been with McMurray since.(Fox Sports)(9-13-2012)

Special scheme for Stewart at Chicago: Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy will once again [also ran at Kentucky] feature a special Copy & Print Depot scheme during the September 16 Chase-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicago. Stewart looks to have a repeat performance with the lucky scheme that he sported during last year's victory at Chicago, which sparked his first of five Chase wins en route to a third Sprint Cup title. NASCAR fans can rely on the Copy & Print Depot in their local Office Depot store to help them save time seven days a week - including race day. Now through 9/29, customers will receive 20% off same-day service for items such as select business cards, flyers, brochures, posters, presentations and much more at Office Depot stores nationwide (Office Depot Racing), see images of the scheme on my #14 Team Schemes page.(9-13-2012)

Stewart losing sponsor: Office Depot, co-primary sponsor for Tony Stewart's #14 Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since Stewart took over the team in 2009, will not return in that capacity in 2013, a team spokesman confirmed. "Office Depot has notified SHR that they will not be renewing as the primary sponsor of the #14 team," SHR spokesman Mike Arning said. "However, SHR is in continued discussions with Office Depot regarding possible future roles the company could have with the team." Asked what those future roles might be, Arning was unable to specify. "They want to be involved with Tony and the team, but are unsure how right now," he said. Office Depot's departure leaves quite a void for SHR. The office-products company held the primary sponsorship in 22 of 38 races in 2012. Mobil 1, which holds primary sponsorship of the #14 in the series' remaining 16 events, will carry the same investment in 2013, Arning said.
Mindy Kramer, Senior Director of Communications for Office Depot, said the decision to leave the three-time champion was difficult and not taken lightly. "The changing business landscape warrants a realignment of priorities and resources," Kramer said via written statement. "That being said, Tony Stewart has been an exceptional ambassador for our brand, and he has gone above and beyond in everything that he has done for our company. Being a part of his legendary 2011 championship run was a moment of tremendous pride for everyone at Office Depot." Office Depot is also currently the "Official Office Products Partner" of NASCAR, a status they've held since 2005. Kramer and NASCAR spokesman Jon Schwartz both said the two sides are still negotiating any future relationship.(ESPN)(9-2-2012)

Stewart talks about run in with Kenseth and helmet: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed some topics including the incident with #17-Matt Kenseth at Bristol, the transcript in part:
Q) YOU AND MATT (KENSETH) TALKED THIS MORNING IS EVERYTHING GOOD BETWEEN YOU TWO THEN?
Stewart: "Yeah, we are fine. It's like we mentioned earlier in the week, we have too much to do the last 10 weeks to be worrying about each other. It's just like we always said there are 43 people out there and they are not always going to agree on the track at the same time. The big thing is getting it done and over with now."
Q) THIS SPORT WAS BASICALLY THRUST INTO THE MAINSTREAM IN 1979 WHEN CALE (YARBOROUGH) AND DONNIE (ALLISON) WENT AFTER IT IN A FIGHT. THE FANS APPRECIATION FOR THAT RAW EMOTION HASN'T CHANGED ANY OVER THE YEARS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT RESONATES SO MUCH WITH THE FANS?
Stewart: "I don't know it still makes me wonder why NASCAR won't let that moment be relived fully. People like emotion every other sport gets a cool off period, every other sport you get time to calm down where our deal it's a little bit different we don't have that. It's not like one play is a bad play and you go to another play the bad deal for us is we are done for the day. That is where it's different."
Q) IF YOU GET THAT HELMET BACK WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?
Stewart: "Charity auction if I get it back. For some reason it's MIA (Missing in action)."
Q) IT MIGHT END UP IN THE HALL OF FAME…
Stewart: "That's fine too if it ends up in the hall of fame so be it. There have been a lot of charities that have asked to have that for an auction right now."
Q) HAVE YOU ASKED FOR IT (THE HELMET) BACK?
Stewart: "No, not yet."(Team Chevy)(9-1-2012)

Comments from Kenseth about Bristol incident: #17-Matt Kenseth met the media shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday. Afterwards, he met with Tony Stewart to discuss the much-discussed incident at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend that resulted in Stewart hurling his helmet at Kenseth's #17 Ford. "Honestly, last week I was really surprised," Kenseth said. "I wasn't trying to put our cars in a bad situation. I thought we were going to make it through there and I thought it was going to be alright, so I'm not sure what all went down there. But Tony and I, 99% of the time at least, show each other probably more respect and more room on the track than probably most people have. There have been a couple instances here and there, but I think, overall, we try to show each other a lot of respect and we usually get that back."(RacinToday)(9-1-2012)

Tony Stewart Takes Laps in Unconventional Vehicles at Charlotte: Mobil 1 fans select Formula Drift Camaro as the winning vehicle for Choose Tony's Ride with Mobil 1; Smoke also drives WW II-era tank. Last year, three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart swapped cars with Formula 1 World Champion Driver Lewis Hamilton for a day. This year, Mobil 1 gave fans the opportunity to Choose Tony's Ride. After three rounds of voting on the Mobil 1 Facebook page, Tony Stewart debuted the Mobil 1 Formula Drift Chevy Camaro SS as the "Choose Tony's Ride with Mobil 1" fan-favorite on Tuesday, August 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Smoke also decided he couldn't pass up the opportunity to operate the World War II-era M36 GMC Jackson Tank on the infield road course. Check out the photos and videos from the event, below. To see the results of the "Choose Tony's Ride with Mobil 1" voting and to learn more about all the vehicles involved, visit the Mobil 1 Facebook page.(Mobil1)(8-30-2012)

Stewart denies crew chief rumor: #14-Tony Stewart denied on Tuesday a weekend social media report that Greg Zipadelli would become his crew chief in 2013. "No, that's not true,'' Stewart said during a promotion for sponsor Mobil 1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "That's the first I've even heard about it. Nobody has thought about that or discussed that. We're pretty comfortable where we're at with our lineup right now.'' Stewart and Zipadelli won two Sprint Cup titles together at Joe Gibbs Racing before Stewart became the driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Zipadelli joined Stewart as competition director at SHR this season. Zipadelli also is the crew chief for #10-Danica Patrick's 10 Cup races this season. Stewart said there are no plans to leave Zipadelli with Patrick when she moves to Cup full time in 2013.(ESPN)(8-29-2012)

Stewart will not be penalized: NASCAR will not penalize #14-Tony Stewart for throwing his helmet at Matt Kenseth's car during the race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said Monday afternoon. The sanctioning body, which has been more lenient on driver behavior the past several years, did not penalize Camping World Truck Series driver Todd Bodine for throwing his helmet at another competitor's vehicle earlier this month at Pocono. NASCAR did confiscate Stewart's helmet.(Sporting News)(8-28-2012)

Stewart comments on wreck: The revamped Bristol Motor Speedway, where the banking in the upper groove of the racetrack was reduced to the same degree as the middle of the track surface, gave the .533-mile concrete bullring its luster of yesteryear with plenty of bent sheet metal that left plenty of drivers bent with one another. Count Tony Stewart among them, as the driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) finished 27th in the Irwin Tools Night Race after tangling with Matt Kenseth for the lead on lap 333. Stewart was none too pleased with Kenseth's driving tactics, and the 14-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran showed his displeasure to Kenseth when after climbing from his battered racecar, he threw his helmet at Kenseth. Stewart was as precise with his throw as he was with his words afterward, as the helmet struck Kenseth's Ford square in the nose.
"I checked-up twice to not run over him, and I learned my lesson there," said Stewart of Kenseth. "I'm going to run over him every chance I've got from now 'til the end of the year – every chance I've got. We ran on the restart faster than him each lap, so we just learned our lesson that next time – just drive through him, not even be patient by him. We're not going to give him that chance again."
The helmet toss was retro Stewart, as the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion was combustible in his early years on the circuit. However, experience and team ownership, as Stewart is a driver-owner at SHR, mellowed him in recent years. Nonetheless, the dustup with Kenseth, where Stewart was vying for the win, left him seething over what might've been. That Stewart was even in contention for the win was amazing. He went a lap down to leader Joey Logano on lap 74 with a racecar that plowed through the track's high-banked corners. Stewart dropped to as low as 34th in the 43-car field, but smart chassis adjustments by crew chief Steve Addington brought the Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy around. When the caution came out on lap 149, Stewart earned his lap back. With further chassis adjustments, Stewart climbed the leaderboard, cracking the top-10 on lap 270. When the caution came out again on lap 323, Addington kept Stewart out on the track to gain valuable track position. It worked, as Stewart lined up second to leader Kenseth for the restart on lap 329. "We weren't that great of a race car," Stewart said, "but we were definitely faster than that after that restart." Stewart doggedly pursued Kenseth, edging ahead of the 2004 Sprint Cup champion before the two drivers slapped doors coming off turn four and spun into the retaining wall separating the track from pit road. Stewart's car wouldn't restart and he climbed from it, scanning the track for Kenseth. When Stewart found Kenseth and his No. 17 Ford ambling down pit road, Stewart the southpaw unleashed his helmet, and as it caromed off the nose of Kenseth's car, the crowd roared in approval.(SHR)
AND #14-Tony Stewart was sidelined in accident with #17-Matt Kenseth on lap 333, some quotes from a Team Chevy PR:
Q) WHAT HAPPENED? YOU HAD A GREAT RACE CAR
Stewart: "We weren't that great of a race car. But we were definitely faster than that after that restart. I checked-up twice to not run over him (Kenseth) and I learned my lesson there; I'm going to run over him every him every chance I've got from now 'til the end of the year, every chance I've got."
Q) YOU'LL GET THAT HELMET BACK. YOUR AIM WAS PRECISE
Stewart: "I don't give a crap. The hell with the helmet."(Team Chevy)(8-26-2012)

Stewart has leads most stats at Watkins Glen:
In the last seven Sprint Cup races at Watkins Glen, Stewart has/is…
The best driver rating (124.8)
The best average running position (4.988)
The most laps led (145 or 22.9 percent)
The most fastest-laps run (105)
The fastest driver early in a run (119.975 mph)
The most laps spent in the top-15 (613 laps or 96.7 percent)
The most quality passes (179)
The second-best average finish (5.9)
The second-best average green-flag speed (119.891 mph)
The second-fastest driver on restarts (116.315 mph)
The second-fastest driver in traffic (118.203 mph)
The third-most quality passes (179)
The third-fastest driver late in a run (119.741 mph)(SHR)(8-11-2012)

Back to school scheme for Stewart: Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet will feature a special back-to-school paint scheme during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pennsylvania 400 race at Pocono Raceway. Along with the Office Depot Foundation's logo appearing on the hood of Stewart's car, the colorful paint scheme will also incorporate a variety of essential school supplies, including pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, a laptop and more. 3M, Lenovo, Elmer's and Monster are Office Depot partners with products featured on the car (Office Depot), see images of the car on the #14 Team Schemes page.(8-3-2012)

Stewart says he will have three teams in 2013: #14-Tony Stewart, driver of the #14-Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy and owners of Steweart-Haas Racing (#14, #10-Patrick & #39-Newman) was the guest on the NASCAR Weekly Teleconference. Below is the transcript in part, dealing with the loss of the U.S. Army on the #39 Chevy of Ryan Newman and plans for 2013:
: Q. With U.S. Army now leaving a few weeks ago, where does that leave you as far as commitments with new sponsorship for your team next year?
Stewart: We're working on it, it's definitely still a setback but --
Q. Is it your hope to have three cars next year? Stewart: Yes, and it has been since we signed Danica.
Q. On the sponsorship deal, last year at this time it seemed like the environment was changing a little bit and maybe getting a little bit better and if you're still seeing that kind of thing and what it's like out there now in terms of what kinds of things you're having to do to get sponsors now that maybe you were or were not last year at this time.
Stewart: Well, I still think it's gaining momentum. We have been able to bring in Aspen Dental and Quicken Loans on board and those are two companies that had not been a part of NASCAR racing in the past. I'm pretty proud of that side of it. You know, it was definitely a huge disappointment that we were going to lose the U.S. Army. But it's not something that we have had a lot of at Stewart Haas Racing, we have not lost a lot of partners. And especially a group like U.S. Army, they have been a lot of fun to work with and they been a very dedicated group and have been very involved with what the race team is doing and very such pore at this point. We are going to miss out having them on board next year. But I still think it's coming around. There's a lot of new companies that we are seeing in the sport, and we are seeing that in our organization. So we are not giving up hope and throwing in the towel thinking that we are losing one sponsor; we are going to hopefully be able to try to find somebody else.(Team Chevy)(7-25-2012)

Four NASCAR drivers in top 50 sports money earners: For the first time since SI.com began publishing the Fortunate 50 in 2004, Tiger Woods is not No. 1. He's not even No. 2. That honor goes once again to Phil Mickelson. The new No. 1 (for now) is Floyd Mayweather, who was unranked a year ago but scored two huge pay-per-view paydays to earn $85 million without a single endorsement. [SI's] findings consisted solely of salary, winnings, bonuses, endorsements and appearance fees. NASCAR has 4 drivers on the list. #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with a total of $28,164,690 in salary/winnings and endorsements, ranks 8th, #24-Jeff Gordon is 18th, #14-Tony Stewart is 29th, and #48-Jimmie Johnson is 33rd.(Sports Illustrated)(7-21-2012)

Tony Stewart Wins 2012 'Best Driver' ESPY Award: #14-Tony Stewart, three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ, last night took home the 2012 ESPY for "Best Driver" at the 20th annual ESPY Awards on ESPN, beating out four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and NHRA champion Del Worsham. Stewart put together an epic Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in what proved to be one of the most exciting seasons in NASCAR history last year. Stewart won five of the 10 races in the Chase, narrowly edging out Carl Edwards in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to take home the title. "I am thrilled to win the 'Best Driver' award after what turned out to be a great NASCAR season last year. I was fortunate enough to be able to take the checkered flag when it mattered most," said Stewart. "There were some great drivers and great champions in this category, so I cannot thank the NASCAR fans and everyone who voted enough for their unbelievable support." It is the third time Stewart has taken home "Best Driver" honors, winning in 2003 and 2006. Stewart was also nominated in the "Best Championship Performance" category this year.
"I want to congratulate Tony on winning the ESPY for 'Best Driver' last night," said NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps. "His dramatic run to the championship highlighted his overall performance on the track last season, and we're thrilled the sports world recognized this achievement. Hats off to Tony Stewart and the entire Stewart-Haas Racing organization." Jimmie Johnson, who was a presenter for the "Best Comeback Athlete" award during last night's show, won the "Best Driver" award in each of the four previous seasons. NASCAR Nationwide Series star Danica Patrick also presented the "Best Team" award along with Steve Nash at last night's show to the Miami Heat. She teamed up with Justin Bieber to present the "Best Team" award at last year's ESPYs to the Dallas Mavericks.(NASCAR)(7-12-2012)

#14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Team Penalized For Infractions at Daytona: NASCAR has issued a penalty as a result of rules infractions committed during last weekend's events at Daytona International Speedway. The #14 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR Rule Book); and 20-2.1J (unapproved open vent hose inside of the car). The violation occurred during post-qualifying inspection July 6. As a result, crew chief Steve Addington has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Car chief Jeff Meendering has been placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Driver Tony Stewart and owner Margaret Haas have been penalized with the loss of six championship driver and six championship owner points, respectively.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
STATEMENT The following is a statement from Greg Zipadelli, competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing, regarding today's penalty levied by NASCAR against the team's #14 Sprint Cup Series entry driven by Tony Stewart for a post-qualifying rules infraction July 6 at Daytona International Speedway: "While we respect and accept NASCAR's decision, we want to be clear that there was no malicious intent. In a rush to replace a cracked rear windshield that happened during tech inspection prior to qualifying, we jostled a cooling hose that was behind the seat. We understand NASCAR's position and will abide by its decision."(7-10-2012)

Stewart wins at Daytona: #14-Tony Stewart won the Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway for his 3rd win of the year and 47th career win.
#31-Burton finished 2nd followed by #17-Kenseth (the pole sitter), #20-Logano, #39-Newman, #99-Edwards, #5-Kahne, #2-Keselowski, #55-Waltrip, and #47-Labonte.
There were 6 cautions for 23 yellow flag laps. There were 12 lead changes among 9 drivers. The average speed was 157.653mph.
The estimated attendence was 115,000, the same as in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Daytona Race Results page (pdf) and the official rundown on the Official Race Report.(7-7-2012)

Office Depot Copy & Print Depot on the #14: Tony Stewart will feature an Office Depot Copy & Print Depot logo along with the phrase "We Do Printing Same Day" on the rear panel of his #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy during this weekend's race at Kentucky. NASCAR fans can rely on the fast service of Office Depot's Copy & Print Depot to help them save time seven days a week - including race day.(Edelman PR), see an image of the car on the #14 team paint schemes page.(6-27-2012)

Tony Stewart hosting SiriusXM Special from Eldora: Sirius XM Radio announced that #14-Tony Stewart will host a special edition of Tony Stewart Live from Eldora Speedway, Stewart's dirt track in Rossburg, Ohio, this Tuesday, June 5 (7:00 - 9:00 pm ET). The broadcast will be available to listeners nationwide on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90 on Sirius and XM Premier. The show airs the night before Stewart's annual "Prelude to the Dream," the all-star dirt Late Model race that will be run at the half-mile dirt oval and will feature some of racing's best drivers including NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Ray Evernham, Tony Stewart, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan and others. On the program, Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum will offer a preview of the Prelude, take calls from race fans across the country, and discuss the current NASCAR season. Scheduled guests on the program include Clint Bowyer, who won the 2011 Prelude, and Steve Letarte, crew chief for #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(SiriusXM)(6-2-2012)

Prelude To The Dream Pay-Per-View ordering now available: If you can't make the drive to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Wednesday, June 6 to see the eighth annual Prelude To The Dream in person, don't worry. Race fans across the nation now have their first opportunity to order the charity all-star race on pay-per-view. HBO Pay-Per-View will present the event LIVE in high-definition to the entire nation. Net proceeds from the telecast will support Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity that domestically has helped more than 365,000 families since 2009 through its Americans Feeding Americans Caravan. The 2012 edition of the Prelude To The Dream includes hot laps, qualifying, heat races and a 40-lap feature with double-file "shootout style" restarts. For the top-10 finishers in the Prelude To The Dream, Feed The Children will send a food truck to each driver's hometown or city of their choice. The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 8 pm/et with an immediate replay following. All that is necessary to order the event is a digital cable box or satellite service. You do not need HBO to order. The suggested retail price is $24.95. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com.(True Speed Communication)(6-2-2012)

Stewart suffers cut diving into lake, but is OK: #14-Tony Stewart was sporting a bandage covering a wound on the right side of his forehead Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I beat my head against the bottom of Lake Norman, unfortunately, on Sunday," Stewart said after practice Thursday. "I would have been easier on the car, but the lake still won." Stewart indicated that he hit his head while diving into the lake. The wound did not require stitches. "(The bandage) is to just keep the helmet from rubbing the skin," Stewart said. "It's got a road rash up there. The Band-Aid is just to keep the helmet from rubbing it and opening it back up." He said he was not knocked out during the incident. "I was able to swim," he said. "I was fine."(Sporting News)(5-25-2012)

Stewart honored at special ceremony: #14-Tony Stewart was honored Saturday afternoon in a special ceremony held by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Stewart was presented a magnificent 7-foot tall bronze statue of a wild turkey created by renowned artist Stefan Savides to commemorate his driving the #14 Bass Pro Shops/Wild Turkey Federation Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race on May 19th. Bass Pro Shops donated its sponsorship of the car as a salute to the National Wild Turkey Federation for all the organization does for wildlife habitat conservation across America and as thank you for their long-standing partnership with Bass Pro Shops. The presentation was also held to honor Stewart for being named the honorary chairman of the 2012 National Hunting and Fishing Day. Congress established National Hunting and Fishing Day to recognize hunters and anglers for their leadership in fish and wildlife conservation. Stewart joins an elite fraternity of other celebrities that have served as honorary chairs, including Travis Tritt, Jeff Foxworthy, Arnold Palmer, and Terry Bradshaw among others. National Hunting and Fishing Day events, classes and workshops will be held Saturday, September 29th at communities and businesses all over America.(Bass Pro Shops)(5-20-2012)

Stewart and Bass Pro Shops to honor National Wild Turkey Federation: The National Wild Turkey Federation's flying turkey logo will appear this weekend on Stewart-Haas Racing's Bass Pro Shops sponsored #14 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Richard Childress Racing's #3 Chevy Silverado driven by Ty Dillon in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Stewart will be going for a win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race on Saturday, May 19th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC. Dillon will be trying to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' North Carolina Education Lottery 200 race Friday, May 18th also at the speedway. The salute to the NWTF is a part of the Conservation Fund's "Racing for America's Wildlife" program. The program is designed to engage the NASCAR community in conserving America's hunting and fishing heritage through habitat protection, restoration, education, and outreach.
"We are very proud to partner with our good friends at Stewart-Haas Racing and Richard Childress Racing in this tribute to the NWTF and their work in conservation and education," said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. "All of us at Bass Pro Shops, SHR and RCR are happy to donate these special paint schemes as a tribute to this great conservation organization and their thousands of grassroots volunteers who are also NASCAR fans."
The NWTF is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. A nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage, the NWTF, its volunteers and partners have raised and spent more than $331 million to conserve nearly 16 million acres of habitat. Wild turkeys and hundreds of other species of upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse, pheasant and songbirds, benefit from this improved habitat.(Bass Pro Shops) see image of Stewart's scheme on the #14 Team Schemes page.(5-15-2012)

Newman surprised Stewart wasn't fined: #39-Ryan Newman doesn't see any difference between his 2010 comments about the racing at Talladega Superspeedway that resulted in him being fined and what Tony Stewart said on Sunday. NASCAR has said Stewart will not be fined. "I guess there's a difference when you hold a straight face versus when you don't hold a straight face," Newman said during a Thursday promotion for the upcoming Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I'm not sure exactly how that all works. I get criticized for being blah and straight-faced and all that stuff. I didn't know that saved you money." Stewart, in what the post-race transcript said was a tongue-in-cheek interview, went on for almost five minutes taking sarcastic shots at the racing at Talladega. In 2010, Newman was secretly fined for saying, "If they want to have these races for the fans, just let us do this, but don't let it affect our championship because it's not racing. We should be here for the Talladega Event Marketing, or something like that."(ESPN)(5-11-2012)

Stewart won't be penalized for Talladega post race comments: Sarcasm, when used correctly, can be a clever tool for making a point. It also can be harmful when overused. #14-Tony Stewart's news conference following Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway was full of both. It bordered from brilliant to a violation of Section 12-4-A of the NASCAR rulebook, which covers everything "detrimental to the sport." In one of the most bizarre postrace transcripts you'll ever read, the three-time Cup champion made a mockery of one of the sport's biggest races. He did it in such a sarcastic way that you may want to read twice just to catch the surgeon-like precision in which he ripped the race and governing body apart. The note accompanying the transcript says the interview was "tongue-and-cheek." According to several reporters there, Stewart never let on that he was joking and some left confused by what they heard. But Stewart's point was well made: NASCAR needs to change a few things before the sport returns to the 2.66-mile track for the Chase. To Stewart's point, as great as #2-Brad Keselowski's move to escape #18-Kyle Busch on the final lap of the green-white-checkered finish was for the win, several issues must be addressed. The overheating that ended the day early for #48-Jimmie Johnson and Stewart teammate #39-Ryan Newman with blown engines has to be fixed even if it means the return of tandem racing. So does the issues that caused cars to run out of fuel early. Catastrophe can't be avoided when that happens while running three-wide in packs at 200 mph.(ESPN)
According to Jenna Fryer of the Associate Press, no penalty will be given to Stewart. NASCAR said, "In NASCAR's opinion, these comments were made by a driver who clearly was not pleased with how his day finished. They were not disparaging given the context in which he delivered them nor were they a direct shot at the sport."
See video of a portion of Stewart's interview as broacasted on ESPN's NASCAR now, here, see the full transcript here.(5-8-2012)

Edwards questions penalty on late race restart: UPDATE: That #18-Kyle Busch won his fourth consecutive spring race at the .75-mile oval was overshadowed by the fact that #99-Carl Edwards and #14-Tony Stewart both thought a possible win was ripped from their clutches. Edwards felt he was incorrectly penalized for jumping a restart with 82 laps to go. A black flag forced him to pass through the pits at 40 mph, dropping him from second to 15th. "I don't think it's right. I don't agree with it," said Edwards, who wound up 10th. Stewart, meanwhile, thought a debris caution that ultimately cost him the lead on the race's final restart with nine to go wasn't necessary. "When the caution is for a plastic bottle on the backstretch, it's hard to feel good losing that one," said Stewart, who settled for third. For Edwards, the flap was anything but welcome. He was told by his crew that his #99 Ford was the leader - something the RIR infield scoring tower (and Fox TV's scrawl) validated in real-time - and said he reacted as such on the restart, even though he was starting on the unpreferred outside lane with Stewart on the inside. "They told my spotter Jason (Hedlesky) three times, 'The 99's the leader.' At that point, I'm thinking it's my job to start this race," said Edwards, who at the time thought NASCAR had made a mistake in not letting him pick the inside lane as the leader. "I think NASCAR then saw the restart, they didn't like what they saw for some reason, and they black-flagged us. Which I don't think they should've done." The Roush Fenway Racing driver, crew chief Bob Osborne and Hedlesky were summoned to NASCAR's hauler after the race, and they emerged disappointed. What was said? "I'd rather not say," Edwards said. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton was steadfast about two things: Stewart's #14 Chevy was the leader, and Edwards jumped the restart. "All of the above," he reiterated. Pemberton said the automated scoring system probably tallied Edwards as the leader under caution, even though he said NASCAR made teams aware that the starting order wa Stewart then Edwards. Even if Edwards was leading, Pemberton said he would have been black-flagged for starting before reaching the designated restart zone, which was Edwards' main point of contention.(USA Today)(4-29-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR's vice president for competition says there is radio communication supporting that Carl Edwards was second behind Tony Stewart when Saturday night's Sprint Cup race was restarted with 81 laps remaining. Edwards argued his spotter was told by a NASCAR official that he was the leader just before the restart when explaining why he was black-flagged for jumping the restart. "The confusion was on their part," NASCAR's Robin Pemberton said on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "That's something they have to work on in their communication. We work with the crew chiefs, and if the crew chief thought there was something, the crew chief would have radioed us. But multiple times during that last lap it was repeated 14-99 (Stewart-Edwards) from more than one source." Edwards met with officials after the race to further argue that spotter Jason Hedlesky "told me I was the leader" as they came to the box where the leader by rule restarts the race. Pemberton said that was a mistake by the spotter. "We weren't confused, and they weren't confused," Pemberton said at a promotion featuring the 1992 All-Star race at CMS, the first race run under the lights here. "We have audio of them and more than once (Edwards) was told by their spotter they were in second place. Just before the restart, he (spotter) came over the radio and said, 'You're the leader,' for whatever reason. If he was confused because of the scoreboard, that could have been the only thing." On another somewhat controversial issue, Pemberton said there was an aluminum object -- "a beer can or something" -- on the track in addition to the water bottle that Stewart said brought out the final caution with 14 laps to go.(ESPN)(5-2-2012)

Earnhardt Jr., Kahne and Stewart to guest on The Cleveland Show: NASCAR stars #88-Dale Earnhart Jr., #5-Kasey Kahne and #14-Tony Stewart will guest-voice on Fox's The Cleveland Show next season. In the episode, Cleveland (voiced Mike Henry) convinces Donna (voiced Sanaa Lathan) to lighten up and have a few drinks when she takes her run for local office way too seriously. "Unfortunately, they party way too hard - and wake up on the infield of a NASCAR track. It's up to guest stars Earnhardt, Jr., Stewart and Kahne to race Donna and Cleveland home," executive producer Rich Appel says.(TV Guide)(4-27-2012)

Stewart, 2011 Chase meet with the President: Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 17 [approx 4:20pm/et]. The event also will include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and each member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field: Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. This event will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.(NASCAR)(4-12/17-2012)
UPDATE: Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and his fellow 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series contenders changed their attire – from standard fire suits to business suits – for their annual visit to the White House on Tuesday.
President Barak Obama honored Stewart for capturing his third Sprint Cup Series title and celebrating the other 11 drivers who qualified for NASCAR's postseason last year. Speaking from the South Lawn, the President addressed the 12 drivers, honored quests and dignitaries in attendance in an approximate 4-minute speech. He thanked NASCAR CEO Brian France and NASCAR President Mike Helton for their leadership, NASCAR's commitment and support of the military, singled out driver Jimmie Johnson's unparalleled achievement of claiming five consecutive championships and 2011 Sprint Cup runner-up Carl Edwards's sportsmanship in the aftermath of falling just short of winning the title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, which was attended by First Lady Michelle Obama.
But, The President saved his best material in addressing Stewart, playing tribute to the 2011 champion's heart, attitude and determination as last season's regular season was coming to a close and Stewart on the postseason bubble. "Nobody saw it coming," said President Obama. "We've all heard about athletes who say they're going to do what it takes to win it all, but back in August with the season winding down, Tony predicted he wouldn't be able to pull it off. In fact, he said if he did end up winning the championship, and this is a quote, 'I'll declare I'm a total bumbling idiot.' But I think Tony's hero, the great AJ Foyt, put it best when he said the reason Tony won is because 'he drove the best race of his life, period.'"
Stewart's day started early with a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue residence and a meet-and-greet with the President. The champion roamed the famous halls and stepped foot in rooms frequented by the first family, including the East Room, the Library and more before heading to the South Lawn, where he was joined by fellow drivers Johnson, Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. The day ended with "Smoke" engaging in small talk with Obama by his No. 14 Chevrolet, which was prominently positioned off to the side of the podium.(NASCAR)(4-18-2012)

Stewart, 2011 Chase drivers to meet with President: Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 17 [approx 4:20pm/et]. The event also will include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and each member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field: Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. This event will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.(NASCAR)(4-12-2012)

Special Mobil 1 scheme for Stewart: Tony Stewart's #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy will sport a swath of green across its hood and rear bumper as it promotes Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy during the Samsung Mobile 500 race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy fully synthetic motor oils are engineered to deliver outstanding engine protection and provide improved fuel economy (True Speed Communications/SHR), see an image of the scheme on the #14 Team Schemes page.(4-12-2012)

Special NASCAR Unites schemes to run UPDATES & Images: as part of the NASCAR Foundation's NASCAR Unites program, a few drivers will run special paint schemes at various races including #47-Bobby Labonte, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #55-Mark Martin, #56-Martin Truex Jr. and #99-Carl Edwards at Charlotte in May;
#2-Brad Keselowski (no image), #29-Kevin Harvick (no image) and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Charlotte in May and Daytona in July;
#16-Greg Biffle at Michigan in June. See links to the images of the schemes on the Paint Scheme Gallery page.(4-9-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR announced the launch of "NASCAR Unites – An American Salute," a patriotic initiative uniting the NASCAR industry and fans this summer to celebrate America and support U.S. military families. NASCAR Nation will be covered from head to toe – and from splitter to spoiler – in red, white and blue to highlight the summer season, starting and ending at two traditionally patriotic summer NASCAR events held at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-27) and Daytona International Speedway (Independence Day Weekend, July 5-7). Additional activities related to the six-week initiative will take place between these "tent-pole" events, including retail programs and other sponsor promotions.
To launch the initiative, the "NASCAR Unites – An American Salute" paint scheme for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 National Guard Hendrick Motorsports Chevy was revealed today in the nation's capital for more than 30,000 children and their guests attending the 134th Annual Easter Egg Roll event at the White House.
Among those NASCAR drivers already committed to "NASCAR Unites – An American Salute" paint schemes are Earnhardt, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion #14-Tony Stewart, #16-Greg Biffle, Danica Patrick, #2-Brad Keselowski and #99-Carl Edwards. As part of the program, NASCAR and The NASCAR Foundation will work with charities to fund initiatives that support military families. A social media promotion utilizing a #NASCARUnites hashtag will highlight track activations as well as patriotic activities from teams, broadcast partners and sponsors.(NASCAR)
AND In the Nationwide Series, #88-Cole Whitt, will run in the Kentucky race in June and #7-Danica Patrick will run in the Nationwide race at the Daytona race in July. See images of the cars on the #7 NNS team paint schemes and #88 NNS paint schemes page.(4-9-2012)

Stewart leads in sponsor exposure through four races: Through television coverage of the this season's first four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races, defending champion #14-Tony Stewart leads in securing on-screen time for his sponsors, while #99-Carl Edwards collected the most verbal mentions for his supporting brands and #1-Jamie McMurray bested all drivers with $18.3 million of exposure value. According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc.- which has monitored every NASCAR race telecast over the last 28 seasons - McMurray's appearance on the Fox set during the Sunday rain-delay portion of last month's Daytona 500 led to quality exposure for several of his brands during some of the most valuable broadcast time of the season.
Stewart ranked number-one in camera time, as 29 of his sponsors enjoyed a combined two hours, 42 minutes, 42 seconds of clear and in-focus exposure time during live and replayed coverage of the first four races. #2-Brad Keselowski (2:28:34), #48-Jimmie Johnson (2:27:53), #17-Matt Kenseth (2:18:54) and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2:08:23) rounded out the top five in accumulated TV time. Meanwhile, #99-Carl Edwards, who led all drivers in sponsor mentions last season-either by him, or by announcers referencing his team-is off to another fast start with a Series-high 37 verbal brand mentions.
In terms of delivering television exposure to the Series' participating automobile manufacturers, McMurray was the top exposure producer, posting $2.5 million on behalf of Chevrolet. #11-Denny Hamlin and Kenseth garnered $2.3 million for Toyota and Ford, respectively, while Keselowski gathered $1.5 million on behalf of the Dodge nameplate.(Joyce Julius)(3-31-2012)

Stewart wins at Auto Club: #14-Tony Stewart won the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway for his 2nd win of the year, his 2nd at ACS and 46th win of his career. The race was called early after 129 of 200 scheduled laps due to rain. #18-Busch led the most laps with 18.
#18-Busch finished 2nd followed by #88-Earnhardt Jr., #29-Harvick, #99-Edwards, #16-Biffle, #39-Newman, #56-Truex Jr., #51-Busch and #48-Johnson. The pole sitter, #11-Hamlin, led 2 laps and finished 12th after pitting just before the rain came. #48-Johnson's car was smoking from a hole in the oil cooler just before the rain fell and finished 10th.
There were 1 cautions for 5 yellow flag laps. There were 9 lead changes among 5 drivers. The estimated attendence was 90,000, up from 88,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Auto Club Race Results page (pdf).(3-25-2012)

Stewart visits the Small Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center: #14-Tony Stewart displayed a different side of his personality Tuesday afternoon, decompressing for over two hours at the Small Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center in the rolling hills of Northeast Tennessee. Stewart not only chatted with a group of wide-eyed special needs children, he helped lead their horses around the barn. He also posed for family photos, signed autographs and shared personal stories. "This place is really close to my heart because I have a cousin who has a similar situation," Stewart said. "To see how programs like this help children, it's much bigger than what we're doing with racing." Stewart became so enamored with the young riders that he had to be pulled away at the last second to conduct a scheduled satellite interview with ESPN. "To see how these kids connect with their horses and ponies is pretty cool," Stewart said. "We over complicate our lives a lot of times. It's neat to be able to detach from all that and make life simpler for a couple hours."(Bristol Herlad Courier and see images of the event here)(3-14-2012)

Stewart wins at Las Vegas: #14-Tony Stewart won the Kobalt Tools Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his 1st win of the year, his first win in Las Vegas, and 45th win of his career. #48-Johnson finished 2nd followed by #16-Biffle, #39-Newman, #99-Edwards, #15-Bowyer, #27-Menard, #1-McMurray, #21-Bayne, and #88-Earnhardt, Jr.
There were 8 cautions for 33 laps. There were 16 lead changes among 11 drivers. The estimated attendence was 105,000, down from 152,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won and more on the Las Vegas Race Results page (pdf).(3-11-2012)

2011 #14 team sponsor schedule:
Bud Shootout, Daytona - 2/12, Mobil 1 (1)
Gatorade Duel, Daytona - 2/17, Office Depot (1)
Daytona - 2/20, Office Depot (2)
Phoenix - 2/27, Office Depot (3)
Las Vegas - 3/6, Mobil 1 (2)
Bristol - 3/20, Office Depot (4)
Auto Club - 3/27, Office Depot (5)
Martinsville - 4/3, Office Depot (6)
Texas - 4/9, Mobil 1 (3)
Talladega - 4/17, Office Depot (7)
Richmond - 4/30, Mobil 1 (4)
Darlington - 5/7, Office Depot (8)
Dover - 5/15, Mobil 1 (5)
Sprint All-Star Race, Charlotte - 5/21, Burger King (1)
Charlotte - 5/29, Office Depot (9)
Kansas - 6/5, Office Depot / The Glades (10)
Pocono - 6/12, Mobil 1 (6)
Michigan - 6/19, Office Depot (11)
Infineon - 6/26, Office Depot (12)
Daytona - 7/2, Burger King (2)
Kentucky - 7/9, Office Depot (13)
New Hampshire - 7/17, Office Depot (14)
Indy - 7/31, Mobil 1 (7)
Pocono - 8/7, Office Depot (15)
Watkins Glen - 8/14, Office Depot (16)
Michigan - 8/21, Mobil 1 (8)
Bristol - 8/27, Office Depot (17)
Atlanta - 9/4, Office Depot (18)
Richmond - 9/10, Office Depot (19), Honoring Our Heroes
Chicago - 9/18, Office Depot Copy & Print Depot (20)
New Hampshire - 9/25, Mobil 1 (9)
Dover - 10/2, Office Depot (21)
Kansas - 10/9, Office Depot Tech Depot Services (22)
Charlotte - 10/15, Mobil 1 (10)
Talladega - 10/23, Office Depot (23)
Martinsville - 10/30, Office Depot (24)
Texas - 11/6, Office Depot (25)
Phoenix - 11/13, Mobil 1 (11)
Homestead - 11/20, Office Depot (26)

Tony Stewart and Rick Eckert voted EMPA Drivers of the Year: By a vote of the membership, NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and World of Outlaws Late Model Series titlist Rick Eckert have been elected Drivers of the Year by the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA). The awards will be presented at the group's annual Convention set for January 6-8, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Stewart, who won the Sprint Cup title in dramatic fashion, will receive the EMPA/Al Holbert Memorial National Driver of the Year award, while Eckert, a winner in both sanctioned and independent 2011 races, has earned the EMPA/Richie Evans Memorial Northeast Driver of the Year accolades.
In other announced awards, IZOD IndyCar head Randy Bernard was chosen T. Wayne Robertson Newsmaker of the Year; NASCAR Modified sensation Jason Bonsignore will receive the John Blewett III Young Guns Award presented by New England Race Fuels; and longtime midget racing supporter Stan Lobitz will be presented with the Junie Donlavey Spirit of the Sport award. New this year, race track promoter Alan Kreitzer has been named the recipient of the inaugural Jerry Reigle Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing Award presented by the World of Outlaws. New inductees into the EMPA Hall of Fame include previously announced NASCAR executive Jim Hunter, sportswriter Frank Blunk, and retired Modified driver Jack Johnson. Also elected to the EMPA Hall of Fame are driver Merv Treicher, speedway owner Jack Arute Sr., and racing announcer Bill Singer. EMPA member awards and journalism contest winners will be announced during annual EMPA/NASCAR Hall of Fame Banquet Saturday evening during the Convention.(Eastern Motorsport Press Association)(12-23-2011)

Zippy back with Stewart? UPDATE 3: hearing that Greg Zipadelli, currently the crew chief for #20-Joe Logano, could be headed to Stewart-Haas Racing in the future. Greg Zipadelli would take over as the crew chief for #14-Tony Stewart, who he won two Sprint Cup titles with [2002, 2005]. Current #14 crew chief, Darian Grubb, would move into Bobby Hutchens old position of director of competition. Hutchens and Stewart-Haas recently parted ways. Hutchins was Stewart-Haas Racing's Director of Competition and Stewart said they are looking for a replacement. Matt Borland was promoted to vice president of competition and is serving as Stewart-Haas Racing's interim director of competition. Stewart said recently that "once that position is filled, the director of competition will report to Matt."(6-21-2011)
See past denials and news on my #20 Team News page.
UPDATE 3 - Zipadelli Named Competition Director for Stewart-Haas Racing: Greg Zipadelli, winner of two championships and 34 victories as a crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been named competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). He will work with Vice President of Competition Matt Borland and oversee the #14 and #39 teams, while also building the #10 team for which Danica Patrick will run a 10-race Sprint Cup schedule with in 2012. Zipadelli comes to SHR from Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) where he served as crew chief for the #20 team since 1999. It's where the 44-year-old from Berlin, Conn., began a 10-year tenure with Tony Stewart, the co-owner of SHR along with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. From 1999 through 2008, Zipadelli was Stewart's crew chief, with the duo winning Sprint Cup titles in 2002 and 2005 while claiming 33 victories and 10 poles. When Stewart left JGR following the 2008 season to form SHR, Zipadelli stayed and spent three years as the crew chief for Joey Logano, where he helped deliver Logano's first career Sprint Cup victory on June 28, 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. "We're very proud to have Greg Zipadelli join Stewart-Haas Racing," said Stewart, the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. "Greg and I have a long and successful history together. I know him and he knows me, and we both know what it takes to build race teams. We took our time in searching for a competition director because it's an important role with a lot of responsibility. Greg knows all that goes into the job, understands the importance of teamwork and communication across all levels of the organization, and is ultimately someone I have a great deal of trust in."
The addition of Zipadelli to the SHR family is a reunion on two fronts – Stewart, of course, but also with Steve Addington, who spent 2004-2008 at JGR and is now Stewart's crew chief at SHR with the #14 team. (Tony Gibson serves as crew chief for the #39 team and driver Ryan Newman.)
"Joe Gibbs always says that you win with people, and Tony Stewart is a winner," Zipadelli said. "We won a lot together at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it was a sad day when he left. But Tony had an unbelievable opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing, and he's obviously made the most of it. To become a part of what he's already built, but to do it in a new role with a new set of responsibilities, was a challenge I wanted. I really appreciate Joe and J.D. Gibbs for all that that they've given me over the years and for allowing me to seize this opportunity."(Stewart-Haas Racing)(12-16-2011)

Stewart wins 2011 Driver of the Year Award: #14-Tony Stewart was voted both 2011 Driver of the Year and Fourth Quarter winner, respectively, by an elite panel of broadcasters and journalists. Unlike this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, decided in a tiebreaker, the voting in the Annual - as well as the fourth quarter - were landslides. Stewart was also voted Driver of the Year in 2005 after his second NASCAR Sprint Cup title. The Columbus, Ind., native put on a performance not seen before in the Chase with five wins in the season's final 10 races in the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. Stewart, who in his third season as co-owner Stewart-Haas Racing with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, was quick to credit his team for the title at NASCAR's Award banquet. Upon learning of taking both the final quarter and the coveted Driver of the Year AWARD for the second time Stewart said, "I have a lot of pride in this. This is an award that comes from a highly esteemed group. These are the awards that mean the most." Commenting on the Chase Stewart added "The last quarter was a history maker, for sure. There are so many champions honored this way (the Award). It's just amazing I don't know how to put it words. It's truly an honor."
It's certainly ironic that last year's vote involved a spirited debate, but this year's was a slam dunk," said Driver of the Year president Barry Schmoyer. "Stewart's come from behind victory at Homestead will thrill fans for ages," Schmoyer added. Journalist and broadcasters, who voted in a secret ballot for a single driver, gave Stewart 15 votes, Carl Edwards, Dario Franchitti, Jason Meyers and Del Worsham all received one vote. In the quarterly voting Stewart beat Edwards and Meyers (162-73-51, respectively) getting all but one of the first place votes.
In its' 45th year, the Driver of the Year title is unique because it is the original award of its' type that encompasses all of the racing series and all of the drivers in the United States. A panel of 20 leading journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. are eligible to vote. One vote was not tabulated this year. Stewart will receive his trophies and Tissot wristwatches at presentations at places and times to be announced later.(DOTY)(12-13-2011)

Tony Stewart wins Indy Karting Classic: Before Sunday's Indy Karting Classic, Tony Stewart declared that he wouldn't have an advantage because he'd be the heaviest driver in the field. He didn't need any advantage. Smoke won the Indy Karting Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse, beating fellow IndyCar and NASCAR drivers to the checkered flag. IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani was second and John Andretti was third. Stewart made his eventual race-winning pass on Camping World Truck Series champion Austin Dillon.(Yahoo Sports)(12-12-2011)

Ford out as Hamlin's crew chief: UPDATE 3 - Grubb in: Mike Ford was let go Tuesday as crew chief for #11-Denny Hamlin after a disappointing season in which the duo failed to contend for the championship. "I'm kind of relieved," Ford told The Associated Press. "It had been dragging on for so long, I'm actually relieved there's finally a resolution." Joe Gibbs Racing team owner Joe Gibbs met with championship-winning crew chief Darian Grubb [formerly of #14-Tony Stewart] last week in Las Vegas, the day after the season-ending awards ceremony. Grubb has also toured the JGR facility. Ford said JGR officials made no mention of Grubb in telling Ford he was out late Tuesday.(Associated Press), no word on Mike Ford's plans.(12-6-2011)
UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing announces that Mike Ford has been released from his duties as crew chief for its #11 Sprint Cup Series team. "Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing appreciates what Mike has done for our organization over the past six seasons as crew chief with our #11 team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We've decided it was best to make a change with the team now to allow Mike the opportunity to pursue other opportunities." There will be no immediate announcement regarding a replacement crew chief for the #11 team.(Joe Gibbs Racing)(12-6-2011)
UPDATE 2: Darian Grubb says he's close to announcing his plans for 2012. The 2011 Sprint Cup championship crew chief attended Tuesday night's Stocks-for-Tots fundraising event at the NASCAR Technical Institute and said he hopes to reveal his plans by the end of the week. "I'm hoping to get it all ironed out by the end of the week because we have to get things rolling for 2012, and get things going no matter where I go." With today's announcement of the departure of Mike Ford as crew chief for the No. 11 FedEx Toyota and driver Denny Hamlin, the open slot at Joe Gibbs Racing is one possibility for Grubb. "It's all still rumors at this point," Grubb said. "I've talked to a lot of people and I have narrowed down my list a little bit and I still haven't made any decisions myself. Hopefully, by the end of the week we'll have some decisions made and get some announcements out there."(Motor Racing Network)(12-7-2011)
UPDATE 3: Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Darian Grubb has been named crew chief for its #11 FedEx Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. "Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our #11 FedEx team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny (Hamlin) toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing." Grubb is coming off an impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing which included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. He spent the past three seasons as crew chief for Stewart on the No. 14 car after the driver left JGR to start his own race operation. Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb spent six years with Hendrick Motorsports; rising through the organization's engineering ranks and gaining invaluable crew chief experience. "I'm thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing," said Grubb. "The chance to work with Denny is something I'm excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs you can't help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here and I'm looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization."(Joe Gibbs Racing)(12-9-2011)

Stewart returns for Festival of Lights in hometown: There was only one thing that NASCAR driver Tony Stewart said would have pulled him away from Las Vegas: the opportunity to celebrate in his hometown. Stewart, a Columbus native, won his third Sprint Cup title Nov. 20 in a championship that came down to the last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. He jetted back from a Vegas awards show to Columbus Saturday night to take part in the city's annual Festival of Lights Parade. "I love it," Stewart said of the parade. "I'm really appreciative that they asked me to be the grand marshal, and I'm very honored to be back home." Stewart's fans were equally happy to see their hometown hero.(Columbus Republic)(12-4-2011)

Stewart Announces 2011 'Stewie Award' Winners on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: Winners of the fifth annual 'Stewie Awards' were announced last night by 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart live on Sirius XM Radio and in front of a studio audience at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The 'Stewie Award' winners were decided by fans who voted for the best, boldest and funniest moments of the NASCAR season. Listeners around the country tuned in to experience the event live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as "The Best of Sirius"). 'The Stewies' will be rebroadcast on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio several times over the coming weeks, including this Saturday, Dec. 3 (3:00 pm/et) and Sunday, Dec. 4 (6:00 pm/et).
Guests on last night's program included: NASCAR President Mike Helton, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, auto racing legends A.J. Foyt and Leonard Wood, and celebrities Jerry Springer and Robin Leach. Video highlights of the event are available now at siriusxm.com/stewieawards. See winners in my Awards News page - Stewie Awards section.(12-2-2011)

News - Day 4: Stewart All Smiles As Champion's Week Comes To A Close: Each crew member from the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet team lined up inside the media room at the Wynn Las Vegas where championship photos were being taken. Each waited his turn to pose with the gleaming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy from Tiffany & Co. – and the boss, new three-time series champion, Tony Stewart. Stewart's smile never vanished, even as the number of shots from Friday's Champion's Week finale crept into the hundreds. Why? Well, for one, these were his guys, and Stewart had said that this final night of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week was all for his team. And two, he was having too good a time to do anything BUT smile.
"This is by far the most fun from start to finish of any championship week I've ever been a part of," Stewart said prior to tonight's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony, the official end to Champion's Week in Las Vegas. "I love Vegas a lot. There's just so much you can do, so much to see."
This week was an eventful and memorable one for Stewart. He started the week on Tuesday, running through a number of media hits, including the Landmark Photo Shoot which including photos taken at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, the iconic lion at the MGM Grand Hotel and, finally, the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. To view and download the photos from Tuesday's shoot, click here.
Wednesday began with an honor befitting a champion: a call from the President of the United States Barack Obama congratulating him on his impressive feat. Stewart's roll continued later in the day, as he and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman won a NASCAR-themed version of the Newlywed Game, which was held on Fremont Street for the fans.
On Thursday, Stewart took home four awards at the annual NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon before taking part in a number of fan-focused events: the NASCAR Victory Lap, the NASCAR After The Lap, and the Stewies – a light-hearted awards show on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Friday evening's awards ceremony will feature a star-studded entertainment lineup, with host Reba, and performances by Kid Rock, Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation the Jersey Boys. The winner of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will also be announced during the ceremony. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on SPEED, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio at 9 pm/et.(NASCAR). See more day to day events and links on my 2011 Sprint Cup Awards News and Links page.(12-2-2011)

2011 Championship "Tire Specialist" award announced: Champion Tire & Wheel has announced the recipient of the 2011 Sprint Cup "Consistently Smooth" award is Stewart-Haas Racing's, Aaron Kuehn. The award recognizes the skill and effort of the team's tire specialist in overseeing the #14 teams' tire and wheel program. The tire specialist is an important piece in the performance formula for a championship effort as it requires managing a program of over 2,500 tires and wheels throughout the full Sprint Cup season. When the call for a pit stop comes, the efforts to find the right combination of tires, wheels, and air pressure is critical in the overall handling and performance of the race car. The lead crystal trophy will be presented to Kuehn at the team's shop in Charlotte, NC with Owner/Driver -Tony Stewart, Vice President of Competition - Matt Borland, and Crew Chief - Darian Grubb. In addition to the Sprint Cup series recipients, Champion Tire and Wheel will also present Roush-Fenway Racing's Kevin Kramzer, the Championship tire specialists award for the Ricky Stenhouse driven Nationwide Series team, and Dustin Keath, the tire specialist for Richard Childress Racing and the Austin Dillon driven Camping World Truck Series Championship effort.(Champion Tire and Wheel PR) (12-1-2011)

President Obama calls to congratulate Tony Stewart: On Wednesday, November 30th, President Obama called #14-Tony Stewart to congratulate him and the entire Stewart-Haas Racing team on winning the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Championship and on the incredible season they had. The President said he was impressed that Mr. Stewart was able to come from the back of the pack to edge out Carl Edwards for the win. The President said that the First Lady and Dr. Biden enjoyed being at Homestead for the Ford 400 and how grateful they were to have NASCAR honor military families. The President commended Mr. Stewart and the other drivers for being such positive role models and great ambassadors for NASCAR, and said that he looks forward to congratulating Mr. Stewart in person at the White House next year.(White House)(12-1-2011)

Day 3: Grubb Stands Tall; Stewart Gets Call: Darian Grubb spoke for mere minutes at Thursday's NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, but the words that tumbled from the champion crew chief's mouth were a good two months in the making. Prior to October's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Grubb learned that his tenure as Tony Stewart's crew chief would end after the season. Then, six races and three victories later, Grubb won an improbable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship atop the pit box for the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet. A few days later, the move was confirmed. Grubb was out, Steve Addington was in as Stewart's crew chief in 2012. That draining sequence of events framed the highlight of Thursday's traditional NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon at the Bellagio – Grubb's acceptance speech as champion crew chief. With emotion in his voice, Grubb thanked Stewart for the opportunity – and his friendship. During the post-event media availability, Grubb explained his feelings from the roller-coaster ride. "It's just tough," Grubb said. "It's just awkward because we want to enjoy it, but we know things are changing. So we're trying our best to enjoy the championship and everything we've earned and deserved and go from there."
Stewart, who filled his expanding trophy case with four more awards on Thursday, continued a dream week. Enjoying the spoils as guest of honor during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week, Stewart picked up the phone on Wednesday morning to speak with President Barack Obama – calling from Air Force One. "It is a huge honor to get a call from the President of the United States," Stewart said. "I was more nervous that I wasn't going to be able to hear on the phone very well, being from Air Force One, but they got great service up there. He just congratulated us on a great season. … The First Lady was giving him updates from the track, so I was really proud that he was following our sport and cared enough to call yesterday."
A number of postseason awards were given out during the luncheon, the last of which was the event's namesake: the NMPA Myers Brothers Award. This year, the honor was given to former CEO of Pocono Raceway Dr. Joe Mattioli and his wife Rose. Also announced today was the Wheaties Fuel Most Popular Driver Award, given to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the ninth consecutive year.
At the event's conclusion, the top-12 drivers hit The Strip for what has evolved into one of the most hotly anticipated events of Champion's Week: the NASCAR Victory Lap. For the third consecutive year, thousands of fans lined The Strip to watch the top 12 roar down The Strip. Starting at Planet Hollywood and ending at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, celebratory burnouts smoked the closed streets of Las Vegas. A large crowd also enjoyed a Q&A session with the top 12 at the popular NASCAR After The Lap, held at the Hard Rock. The tell-all format has gained mass appeal, as drivers show fans a more personal side.
Here is the complete list of Thursday's award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:
Myers Brothers Award: Drs. Joe and Rose Mattioli
NASCAR Foundation Track of the Year Award: Michigan International Speedway
Wheaties Fuel Most Popular Driver Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Buddy Shuman Award: Richard Childress
NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Toyota
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Andy Lally
Growth Energy American Ethanol Green Flag Restart: Matt Kenseth
Coors Light Pole Award: Carl Edwards
Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Tony Stewart
DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Year Award: Bob Osborne
MOOG Chassis Part Problem Solver of the Year Award: Alan Gustafson
O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Tony Stewart
Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Roush Fenway Racing #99
Mahle Engine Builder of the Year Award: Roush Yates Engines #99 (Doug Yates)
Goodyear Gatorback Belts & Hoses Fastest Lap Award: Kyle Busch
Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Tony Stewart
Goodyear Tires Award: Tony Stewart
Champion Sponsor Award: Office Depot and Mobil 1
Champion Crew Chief: Darian Grubb
Following is a rundown of tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week activities.
Friday, Dec. 3
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony: The big show starts at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), crowning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and team Stewart-Haas Racing, and honoring the other drivers who finished in the top 10 in the final series standings. The star-studded entertainment lineup for the ceremony includes country music icon Reba as host, a performance by Grammy-award winning rocker Kid Rock, as well as performances by two recent additions: up-and-coming country artist Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation Jersey Boys. SPEED, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio will broadcast the event, live at 9 p.m. ET.(NASCAR)(12-1-2011)

Day 2: 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart Finishes First Again: Tony Stewart's on a roll. And that's a good feeling when you're in Las Vegas. Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman won Wednesday's "This Ain't the Newlywed Game," a riff on the television original hosted by Bob Eubanks. Stewart and Newman edged the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch by most accurately recalling the estimated attendance of March's Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The game had a myriad of humorous moments – some broad, others ribald – and in some cases more resembled a roast of the top 12 finishers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Stewart, who suggested engineering graduate Newman would be a better driver "if he didn't think all the time," got in the final zinger to his teammate's incorrect answer that he would be the driver the champion most likely would bump out of the way on the final lap to win the race. "I figured you'd pick me," said a disappointed Newman. Stewart answered, "There you go thinking again." Stewart thought Newman's answer would've been "Brian Vickers."
Carl Edwards said Roush Fenway Racing partner Matt Kenseth would be a better driver "if he didn't qualify in the back." Kenseth responded, "Are you kidding me? I beat Ryan Newman for poles this year." Actually, they both won three Coors Light Poles during the 2011 season. Kenseth set up Eubanks by telling Edwards his most annoying habit was always being late. Eubanks said, "Even late crossing the finish line" in reference to Edwards' second-place finish to Stewart in the championship deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "This could be the end of my career," said Eubanks. "I'm not sure I'll ever do it again but it's been fun."
The Newlywed-style event, held on downtown Las Vegas' historic Fremont Street Experience, drew several thousand fans. Some carried signs welcoming their favorite drivers. The six teams were comprised of Stewart/Newman, Hamlin/Kyle Busch, Edwards/Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski/Kurt Busch.
There were other activities as well, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week rolled into its second day working toward Friday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet at Wynn Las Vegas. Travis Pastrana sat for a featured one-on-one interview during Wednesday's second and final day of the Motorsports Marketing Forum at Caesars Palace. Pastrana noted his recovery process from a broken ankle, which delayed his NASCAR Nationwide Series career, saying, "I actually became a bigger fan and feel like I learned a lot by watching on television." Pastrana said the biggest challenge he faces in 2012 is working with crew chief and crew to make the optimum adjustments. "In Rally, if you want to make up time, you can take chances to jump up further," he said. "In NASCAR, you really have to not only know what the car is doing, but how to relate that."
Stewart hosts the popular 5th Annual "Stewie Awards" with co-host Matt Yocum at 9:30 pm/et Thursday on the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. The Stewies honor the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season. Thursday is Champion's Week longest day with the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, NASCAR Victory Lap and NASCAR After the Lap on the schedule (NASCAR)(11-30-2011)

Day 1: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week 2011: Tony Stewart left Las Vegas Motor Speedway a second-place finisher last March but returned to Las Vegas as No. 1 on Tuesday to begin celebrating his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. It's Stewart's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week in Las Vegas. His 2002 and 2005 titles were celebrated in New York City. There was perhaps a bit of déjà vu during Tuesday's annual Landmark Photo Shoot, with the faux Big Apple skyline of New York, New York appearing as background in one of the shots. "There's so much to do here in Las Vegas," said Stewart. "It's the perfect place to have the year-end celebration. I look forward to having everyone from the Stewart-Haas Racing team, Office Depot and Mobil 1 here on Thursday night and spending some time with them." Stewart hit a number of notable Las Vegas photo op hot spots for the traditional photo shoot. On this year's agenda: the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, the iconic lion outside the MGM Grand Hotel and an evening shoot at the Foundation Room in the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, which overlooks the Las Vegas strip.
Stewart also participated in interviews with ESPN Radio, four Las Vegas television stations, members of the print media, all culminating with an appearance on MRN Radio's NASCAR Live With Eli Gold. No surprise – Stewart admits to being a bit winded during his cross-country championship festivities that followed his Nov. 20 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Miss Sprint Cup, Monica Palumbo, accompanied the champion on his Las Vegas media rounds and suggested Stewart "had better be on your game this week" because it will be a busy four days, culminating with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Banquet on Friday night at The Wynn Resort. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week festivities begin in earnest on Wednesday at Las Vegas' famed downtown Fremont Street where Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts a Newlywed Game-type competition featuring the top-12 drivers.
Tuesday also marked the opening day of the NASCAR Motorsports Marketing Forum being sponsored for the 12th year by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. The conference, featuring an array of insight from sports and marketing executives from within and outside the motorsports industry, continues Wednesday at Caesars Palace. Stewart was interviewed to open the two-day event. Among the attendees and panelists were NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps, Chief Operating Officer of NASCAR Media Group Jay Abraham and NASCAR Managing Director, Entertainment Marketing and Business Development Zane Stoddard. Dylan Kwasniewski and Darrell Wallace Jr., two of NASCAR's stars of the future, were also among first-day participants. See more day to day events and links on my 2011 Sprint Cup Awards News nad Links page.(NASCAR)(11-29-2011)

Grubb is narrowing down his options: Darian Grubb will take his seat at the head table in Las Vegas this Friday night as 2011's Sprint Cup Champion Crew Chief. His future after that, however, remains a question mark. Grubb provided few details in an interview for Wednesday night's NASCAR Performance Live broadcast on MRN Radio. "I'm definitely going around, talking to a lot of people and trying to decide what direction I want to go in," Grubb said. "I've talked to pretty much everybody in the garage area at some point. I've got it narrowed down to a couple of choices now and I'm trying to make the best out of that situation and see what I want to do. I wish them the best there with everything they're doing at Stewart-Haas Racing, but I'll be moving on hopefully to greener pastures somewhere else."(Motor Racing Network)(11-29-2011)

Hometown holiday parade will honor Tony Stewart TODAY: #14-Tony Stewart's central Indiana hometown will celebrate his winning of a third NASCAR championship as he takes part in the city's Christmas parade. Columbus officials announced that Stewart would be a guest of honor during its annual Festival of Lights Parade that begins at 6 p.m. Saturday. Columbus held a parade in Stewart's honor in 2005 after he won that year's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stewart also won NASCAR championships in 2002 and 2005.(Associated Press)(11-29-2011)

Zipadelli unable to get release from Gibbs? Darian Grubb's future with the Stewart-Haas, if any is unknown, although the Competition Director position remains unfilled. Greg Zipadelli [crew chief for #20-Joey Logano], according to several sources has been the frontrunner for that job but has been unable to secure a release from his Joe Gibbs Racing contract. Signed through 2012, those sources say the former crew chief for Stewart and current head wrench for Joey Logano has met with strong internal opposition from J.D. Gibbs to secure his release.(Frontstretch)(11-28-2011)

Addington leaves Penske: UPDATES: Steve Addington finally came clean with #22-Kurt Busch on Monday. Busch said Addington called him around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon to inform the driver he was "indeed leaving" the team. Addington is expected to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox Sports)(11-22-2011)
UPDATE: Steve Addington will become the new crew chief for 2011 Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, multiple sources close to the situation told ESPN.com. An announcement could come as early as Monday. Darian Grubb, who was Stewart's crew chief during the title run, said after the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway that he was told midway through the Chase he would not return in 2012. Addington informed Penske Racing last Monday that he would not return as Kurt Busch's crew chief. This will be the third driver Addington has worked with in the past four seasons. He was with Kyle Busch from 2005 through 2009 and with Kurt Busch the last two seasons.(ESPN)(11-28-2011)
UPDATE 2: Steve Addington, winner of 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as a crew chief, has been named to the same position for three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 team of Stewart-Haas Racing effective immediately. The Spartanburg, S.C., native is only the third crew chief Stewart has had during his 13-year Sprint Cup career, and it comes just a week after Stewart captured the 2011 Sprint Cup title. Addington replaces Darian Grubb, who served as Stewart's crew chief since the inception of SHR in 2009. "Darian was a very important part of the success we've had at Stewart-Haas Racing," Stewart said. "I'm very proud of everything he helped accomplish, especially this year when we all rallied to win the championship. He's a great person and I know he'll continue to be successful in this sport."(TrueSpeed Communications/Stewart-Haas)(11-28-2011)

Tony Stewart to Present Annual 'Stewie Awards': Tony Stewart will host the fifth annual 'Stewie Awards' show on Thursday, December 1, live from Las Vegas on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The 'Stewies,' which features Stewart's entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the 2011 NASCAR season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 1 (9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT). The live broadcast will air nationwide on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as "The Best of Sirius"). The broadcast will be open to the public for fans in Las Vegas. Fans can vote for the 'Stewie Award' winners online at www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards. The 2011 'Stewies' categories are:
Best Original Drama - For the year's most dramatic moment or sequence.
Bonehead Move of the Year Award
"Feels Like The First Time" Award - For the most notable "first" of the NASCAR season.
Best Vocal Performance - For the year's most memorable quote.
Best "Driver2Crew Chatter"
Best Original Comedy - For the year's most entertaining "incident."
Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) - For the year's most remarkable crash.
'Boys, Have At It" Award - For the year's most memorable on- or off-track bumping and/or dumping.
The Social Stewie Award - For the year's best social media quote.
Golden Stewie Award
"Stewie" Lifetime Achievement Award
(Sirius PR)(11-26-2001)

Stewart comments on crew chief rumors: From Stewart's media teleconference Tuesday afternoon:
Q. Penske Racing announced that Steve Addington won't return to its organization next year. Are you interested in him being your crew chief or have you changed your mind at all as far as Darian is concerned?
TONY STEWART: We're looking at all of our options right now. After we get through with all the media obligations today, I'll getting to back to the shop and we'll sit down as a group and try to come up with a decision and figure out. We already know some options that are available, and we'll try to sit down and see what we think is the best option and decision for the company.(Chevy PR)(11-23-2011)

Tony Stewart Wins 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship: Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart went from all-time great to legend, capturing his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in grand fashion – a number that places him among a short list of historic NASCAR figures. With a victory in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Stewart became the seventh champion to win the season finale in his championship season. He out-dueled runner-up Carl Edwards in a finale befitting a championship showdown, tying Edwards in points – but winning the championship on a tiebreaker. Stewart's five wins bested Edwards' one, clinching the title for Stewart.
Stewart won his first championship in 2002 and second in 2005. The Indiana native now joins David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough – all NASCAR Hall of Fame members or inductees – as three-time champions. Nine drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history have won three or more championships.
Stewart entered the season-ending race trailing Edwards by three points. It marked the second consecutive season and fourth time since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975 the champion has overcome a points deficit entering the final race. Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas, is the first driver-owner to claim the championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. The 2011 season is the organization's third under its current ownership.
Stewart failed to win a race during the 26-race regular season. But he quickly caught fire, winning the first two races of the Chase, at Chicagoland Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He ultimately won five times – twice on consecutive weekends – to break the record for most Chase wins in a single season. Stewart has won 11 times in Chase history, second only to Jimmie Johnson's 20. Entering Sunday's season finale, Stewart had led the points just twice in 2011, ironically after Edwards' only victory in Las Vegas and following the fall race at New Hampshire. He finished the year with 44 career victories, tied for 15th on the all-time wins list. Those wins wound up trumping Edwards' consistency during both the regular season and the playoffs. Stewart's nine top-five and 19 top-10 finishes trailed Edwards, however, the series-high five wins ultimately were the decisive factor in the championship's outcome.(NASCAR)(11-22-2011)

Stewart wins at Homestead AND the Championship: #14-Tony Stewart won the FORD 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for his 44th career win and 5th of the season and the chase. With the win Stewart captures his 3rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Stewart and #99-Carl Edwards, who finished 2nd, tied with 2403 points, but Stewart wins the champions by the tiebreaker, 5 wins to 1. It is the 2nd time in Edwards career that hew has finished 2nd in the Championship. Stewart is the first owner-driver to win the championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
The rain started to fall just after Stewart pulled in to victory lane.
#99-Edwards finished 2nd followed by #56-Truex Jr., #17-Kenseth, #24-Gordon, #33-Bowyer, #4-Kahne, #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin and #31-Burton.
There were 26 lead changes among 15 drivers and 8 cautions for 54 yellow flag laps and an 1 hour and 14 minute red flag for rain. The attendance is listed as 73,000, up from 65,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: Monday, November 21 at 1:00am/et on ESPN2; Wednesday, November 23 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Fast Facts:
#14-Tony Stewart won his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. His other titles came in 2002 and 2005.
Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships. The other drivers with three: Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson are either NASCAR Hall of Fame members or nominees.
Stewart tied second-place Carl Edwards in points, but won the tiebreaker: five wins to Edwards one. Stewart is the seventh champion to win the season finale in his title-winning season.
Stewart won a record five Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2011. His average finish during the Chase was 6.3. Runner-up Carl Edwards had a Chase-record average finish of 4.9.
Stewart is the second consecutive driver to overcome a points deficit going into the season finale to win the championship. Only three other drivers have accomplished the feat since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975 (Richard Petty in 1979, Alan Kulwicki in 1992 and Jimmie Johnson in 2010).
Stewart finished the 2011 season with five wins, nine top fives and 19 top 10s.
Owner Champion: Stewart-Haas Racing
This is Stewart-Haas Racing¡¦s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Tony Stewart has been co-owner with Gene Haas since 2009. Stewart has won 11 races as driver-owner.
Crew Chief Champion: Darian Grubb
This is Darian Grubb¡¦s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Grubb won the Daytona 500 as crew chief for Jimmie Johnson in 2006.
Grubb has 14 career wins (11 with Tony Stewart; two with Jimmie Johnson; one with Casey Mears).(NASCAR Statistics)(11-20-2011)

Championship Notes-n-Nuggets:
• Tony Stewart Won his third Cup Series championship in 464 starts. He won the 2002 and 2005 Cup championships.
• Tony Stewart is the only driver to win a Cup championship in the pre-chase format (2002) and the Chase format (2005,2011).
• Tony Stewart has been in the Chase's seven of eight seasons, all but 2006 when he missed the Chase by 16 points.
• Tony Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships in the 63 Cup Series seasons.
• Tony Stewart is the first driver to enter the Chase winless in the regular season to win the championship.
• This is the first time 1-2 in points have been tied at the end of the season.
• Tony Stewart made his first Cup start at Daytona in Feb. 1999 and has started every race since.
• Tony Stewart has at least one Cup victory in each of his 13 seasons -- the longest active streak.
• Tony Stewart is the eighth driver to win Cup Series championships for more than one organization and the first since Terry Labonte in 1996.
• Tony Stewart is the first owner/driver to win a championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
• Tony Stewart is the seventh driver to win the championship and the season finale.
• This is the first-time the champion and second in points finished 1-2 in the season finale.
• Tony Stewart's nine top-fives are the fewest top-five finishes by a champion since Bill Rexford had five in the 1950 season with only 17 starts.
• This is the 28th Cup Series title for a Chevrolet driver including the past seven.
• Tony Stewart is 40 years old (May 20, 1971) from Columbus Ind. He is the oldest champion in the Chase era.
• Crew Chief Darian Grubb earned his first Cup Series championship. He has been a Cup crew chief for 148 races.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(11-20-2011)

Man arrested after firing gun in NASCAR celebration: A Clover, SC man was arrested Sunday night after police say he fired his gun multiple times while drinking and celebrating Tony Stewart's NASCAR Race for the Cup championship victory. According to the York County Sheriff's Office police report, the man was arrested for disorderly conduct, use of a firearm under influence and malicious injury to real property. Police responded to his home around 9 p.m. after neighbors complained of hearing gun shots. Police say the man admitted to shooting his 9mm handgun in celebration of Stewart's victory. An officer told the man to "stop the shooting because he had been drinking and it was dark." Police left his home, but five minutes they received another report of gun shots. According to the report, an officer returned and again spoke with the man while he held a beer in his hand and told officers he shot his handgun four more times and was then arrested.(Charlotte Observer)(11-21-2011)

Grubb comments on his future with Stewart-Haas Racing UPDATE 2: on Tuesday, November 15th, the final guest on the weekly NASCAR Teleconference was Darian Grubb, the crew chief of the #14 Office Depot Mobil 1 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart. The 14 team has a 3-point deficit in the standings and is entering this weekend as one of the closest points battles in NASCAR history. Besides much talk about the Chase, a couple questions were asked about Grubb's future with Stewart Haas Racing after this season.
Q. There's been so much speculation about the team. You guys have been without a competition director for half of the year. Are you going to be back with Stewart-Haas next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: We'll leave that to after Sunday and figure out what's going to happen there. Our goal is to win the championship and we'll decide everything else after that.
Q. Along those same lines, has it been difficult at all to work through the last few months with all the rumors and uncertainty and not knowing necessarily who is going to be in what position where next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: Definitely not. We've still got the same goals we've always had that we want to go out and win the championship. Winning races is the way to do that. What we've done the last nine weeks, we've shown that we have the capability to do that. We're almost 50-50 on that, so hopefully we can continue that streak and get it to be a 50% deal and win at Homestead.(in part from the NASCAR Teleconference Transcript)(11-15-2011)
UPDATE: Grubb is expected to be promoted to Director of Competition at Stewart Haas Racing next season, replaced atop the pit box by current [#22-Kurt Busch] Penske Racing crew chief Steve Addington. Penske Racing holds an option year on Addington's contract, however, and sources say team owner Roger Penske has not yet agreed to grant him his release (Sirius Speedway).
AND another scenario....am hearing Grubb could be headed back to Hendrick Motorsports either taking over the crew chief duties for #48-Jimmie Johnson with current crew chief Chad Knaus moving up to Director of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports or Grubb taking that spot.(11-17-2011)
UPDATE 2: Crew chief Darian Grubb, who made several key calls in helping #14-Tony Stewart win his third Sprint Cup championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, is looking for a job. Grubb said after Stewart won the title by a tiebreaker over Carl Edwards that he was told midway through the Chase at Charlotte that he would not be back with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2012. Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Grubb has been offered a job to return to Hendrick Motorsports, where worked for four seasons as an engineer and administrative assistant. Sources also said Grubb, who won a Daytona 500 as an interim crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, has been contacted by Michael Waltrip Racing and several other teams about a crew chief job. Stewart declined to discuss whether winning the title has changed his mind on Grubb possibly returning.
Among the speculation is that Stewart will hire former Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Greg Zipadelli to be his director of competition and Steve Addington, the crew chief for #22-Kurt Busch at Penske Racing, to be his crew chief. JGR president J.D. Gibbs told ESPN.com before Sunday's finale that he planned to have Zipadelli, who is under contract for 2012 and beyond, back next season with Joey Logano and the #20 team. Sources said Addington is not expected to return to Penske Racing, but could not confirm where he would go. Grubb said he would sit down with Stewart this week and see where things stand. Asked if winning the title would change things, he said, "It all depends.''(ESPN)(11-21-2011)

A.J. Foyt comment on Stewart winning the Championship: Following the thrilling race down to the wire between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship which A.J. Foyt watched from his home in Houston, Foyt had this to say about Stewart winning the race at Homestead Miami Speedway and with it the title—his first as a team owner and third as a driver. "It was a great race. I was a little worried in the beginning because it seemed like something happened to Tony every time he got to the front. He had to win it to win the championship and I think Tony drove the best race of his life. It was great to see the 14 win again. I am real proud of him!"(AJ Foyt Racing)(11-21-2011)

Stewart going for 12th driving title: #14-Tony Stewart has earned 11 driving titles since he first wheeled a go-kart at a Westport, Ind., racetrack in 1978.
- 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships (2002 and 2005) - 1 IROC Series championship (2006, which was the 30th and final year of IROC) - 1 IZOD IndyCar Series championship (1997) - 4 USAC championships (1994 Midget championship; 1995 Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown championships, a.k.a. the "Triple Crown") - 3 Karting championships (1980 Columbus, Ind., Fairgrounds 4-cycle rookie junior class title; 1983 IKF championship; 1987 WKA championship)
Stewart is attempting to do what hasn't been done in Sprint Cup since 1992 – a driver/owner winning a championship. The late Alan Kulwicki was the last driver/owner to win a Sprint Cup title. Stewart co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool builder in the western world.(SHR)(11-18-2011)

Grubb comments on his future with Stewart-Haas Racing UPDATE: on Tuesday, November 15th, the final guest on the weekly NASCAR Teleconference was Darian Grubb, the crew chief of the #14 Office Depot Mobil 1 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart. The 14 team has a 3-point deficit in the standings and is entering this weekend as one of the closest points battles in NASCAR history. Besides much talk about the Chase, a couple questions were asked about Grubb's future with Stewart Haas Racing after this season.
Q. There's been so much speculation about the team. You guys have been without a competition director for half of the year. Are you going to be back with Stewart-Haas next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: We'll leave that to after Sunday and figure out what's going to happen there. Our goal is to win the championship and we'll decide everything else after that.
Q. Along those same lines, has it been difficult at all to work through the last few months with all the rumors and uncertainty and not knowing necessarily who is going to be in what position where next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: Definitely not. We've still got the same goals we've always had that we want to go out and win the championship. Winning races is the way to do that. What we've done the last nine weeks, we've shown that we have the capability to do that. We're almost 50-50 on that, so hopefully we can continue that streak and get it to be a 50% deal and win at Homestead.(in part from the NASCAR Teleconference Transcript)(11-15-2011)
UPDATE: Grubb is expected to be promoted to Director of Competition at Stewart Haas Racing next season, replaced atop the pit box by current [#22-Kurt Busch] Penske Racing crew chief Steve Addington. Penske Racing holds an option year on Addington's contract, however, and sources say team owner Roger Penske has not yet agreed to grant him his release (Sirius Speedway).
AND another scenario....am hearing Grubb could be headed back to Hendrick Motorsports either taking over the crew chief duties for #48-Jimmie Johnson with current crew chief Chad Knaus moving up to Director of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports or Grubb taking that spot.(11-17-2011)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Clinch Scenarios Set For Homestead: Only one finish guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship – a victory in Sunday's season-finale Ford 400. Just three points separate points leader #99-Carl Edwards and second-place #14-Tony Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards regardless of where Stewart finishes. Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best finishes), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship. All other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention. Edwards' three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup history, and third-closest since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.(NASCAR)(11-14-2011)

Edwards - Stewart Homestead comparisons:
1 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8
2011 Rundown
· One win, 18 top fives, 25 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 9.5
· Led 24 races for 784 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.7 in seven races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.7
· Series-best Driver Rating of 117.5
· Series-high 173 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.956 mph
· Series-high 1,379 Laps in the Top 15 (86.0%)
· 236 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), seventh-most
2 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, eight top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.3
· Led 20 races for 848 laps
Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 12.4 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 14.6, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.6, 11th-best
· 60 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 415 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.140 mph, 10th-fastest
· 1,037 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), seventh-most
· 235 Quality Passes, eighth-most
(NASCAR)(11-16-2011)

Darian Grubb Named Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of Year: Darian Grubb, who has guided driver #14-Tony Stewart to four victories and a second-place standing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Series Championship, was named as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year during a ceremony held at Phoenix International Raceway. In one of the closest battles in the history of the award, Grubb, crew chief for the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy of Stewart-Haas Racing, captured four Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race awards (which were presented after each 2011 Sprint Cup Series race as part of the Wypall Crew Chief Challenge). There was a four-way tie for second with three weekly awards: 2010 Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year Gil Martin (#29 of Kevin Harvick), Alan Gustafson (#24 of Jeff Gordon), Jimmy Fennig (#17 of Matt Kenseth) and Paul Wolfe (#2 of Brad Keselowski). Prior to the start of Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix, Grubb was presented a check for $10,000.00 on behalf of Wypall Wipers, proud sponsor of Saturday's Nationwide Series race - the Wypall 200.(Wypall WIpers/HB&M Sports)(11-14-2011)

Stewart wins at Texas: #14-Tony Stewart won the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway for his 43rd career win and 4th of the season, all of them coming in the chase.
#99-Edwards finished 2nd followed by #4-Kahne, #17-Kenseth, #16-Biffle, #24-Gordon, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #56-Truex, Jr., #33-Bowyer, and #43-Allmendinger
#99-Edwards now leads the Chase by 3 points over #14-Stewart.
There were 23 lead changes among 10 drivers and 5 cautions for 21 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 151,000, down from 156,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: Monday, November 7 at 3:00am/et on ESPN2; Wednesday, November 9 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Texas Race Results/Awards page.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(11-6-2011)

Special scheme for Stewart at Texas: Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy will feature the Office Depot Copy & Print Depot logo along with the message "We Do Printing" during the November 6 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. If Stewart wins the race at Texas Motor Speedway, fans will be able to download a special coupon from officedepotracing.com and bring it to the Xerox Certified Print Specialists at their local Office Depot store's Copy & Print Depot center to redeem 14 FREE color copies on Monday, November 7, only. NASCAR fans can rely on the Copy & Print Depot center at their local Office Depot store to help them take care of business seven days a week – including race day! Services provided by the Copy & Print Depot include color and black & white copies; posters, signs and banners; binding and laminating; design services; business cards and stationery; promotional products and much more.(Office Depot Racing), see image of the car/scheme on my #14 Team Schemes page.(11-3-2011)

Stewart wins at Martinsville: #14-Tony Stewart won the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway for his 42nd career win and 3rd of the season. He passed #48-Johnson with two laps to go to take the lead.
Johnson finished 2nd followed by #24-Gordon, #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #31-Burton, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #56-Truex, Jr., #99-Edwards (who was a lap down on two separate occasions and got the lucky dog twice), and #39-Newman. #17-Kenseth, who came into the race second in points and started second, was involved in a late race accident and finished 31st.
#99-Edwards leads the Chase by 8 points over #14-Stewart.
There were 23 lead changes among 12 drivers and 18 cautions for 108 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 62,000, up from 56,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: ESPN2, Monday, October 31 at 12:00am/et; SPEED, Wednesday, November 2 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Martinsville Race Results/Awards page.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(10-30-2011)

Quicken Loans to sponsor Newman: UPDATE: Stewart-Haas Racing has obtained a new sponsor which will help fill a sponsorship hole on its #39 Chevy next season. Quicken Loans Inc., headquartered in Detroit and the largest online mortgage lender in the country, is expected to serve as primary sponsor on the #39 driven by Ryan Newman in at least half a dozen Sprint Cup Series races beginning in 2012, multiple sources confirmed. SHR has scheduled a news conference Tuesday at its headquarters in Kannapolis, N.C., to announce the new partnership.(Charlotte Observer), see an image of the car on my #39 team paint schemes page.(10-29-2011)
UPDATE: Quicken Loans Inc., the nation's largest online retail mortgage lender, has formed a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. Quicken Loans will be the primary sponsor of SHR's #39 team and driver Ryan Newman for nine races in 2012, and when not serving as a primary sponsor, will be an associate sponsor. Additionally, Quicken Loans will be an associate sponsor on the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy of Stewart throughout the 2012 Sprint Cup season. To kick off this partnership, Newman and the #39 team will carry a special paint scheme to highlight the upcoming Quicken Loans Carrier Classic during this weekend's Sprint Cup event at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Quicken Loans Carrier Classic pits #No. 1 North Carolina Tarheels against the Michigan State Spartans in an unprecedented season-opener to the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball schedule, as the game will be played on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson on Nov. 11, 2011 - Veterans Day.(Stewart Haas Racing)(11-1-2011)

Kraft Foods extends partnerships with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing: NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Kraft Foods jointly announced an extended agreement for Kraft Foods to continue as the Official Cookie (Oreo, Nilla and Nutter Butter) and Cracker (Ritz and Wheat Thins) of NASCAR, and that the iconic Oreo and Ritz brands would continue to serve as Associate Sponsors of Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, respectively, in the Sprint Cup Series. Kraft Foods, an Official NASCAR Partner since 2000, will continue its long tradition of creating NASCAR-themed, specially-marked packages of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers for a national consumer sweepstakes. For the first time in 2012, Ritz will host a national digital and social media sweepstakes on its Facebook page where a fan will have the chance to win a prize package to go to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony.(NASCAR)(10-26-2011)

El Monterey To Serve as Primary Sponsor for Stewart at Talladega: El Monterey, the No. 1 frozen Mexican food brand in the United States, is looking to be No. 1 at the end of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The line of convenient Mexican snacks will adorn Tony Stewart's #14 Chevy throughout the Talladega race weekend in its first stint as a primary sponsor at the elite Sprint Cup level, joining longtime sponsor Office Depot. "We're obviously very proud to have El Monterey join Office Depot this weekend at Talladega," said Stewart, who won at Talladega in October 2008 while totaling six second-place finishes in 25 career Sprint Cup starts at the 2.66-mile oval. "It's a partnership that has only grown since they joined Stewart-Haas Racing, and to see El Monterey on the hood tells me this partnership works well for them, too." El Monterey has served as an associate sponsor of Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy since the beginning of the 2011 season, with its sister snack brand, Tornados, serving as an associate sponsor on Stewart's car since 2010 and as a primary sponsor of Stewart's SHR teammate, #39-Ryan Newman.(Stewart-Haas Racing), see an image of the scheme only #14 Team Schemes page.(10-19-2011)

Office Depot Tech Depot Services: "We Fix Computers" scheme: Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy will feature a special Office Depot Tech Depot Services logo along with the phrase "We Fix Computers" during Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The Tech Depot Services team helps NASCAR fans take care of business, by providing great services like a FREE computer tune-up, with a next-day guarantee! The tune-up helps boost startup and shutdown speeds, removes unwanted files and scans your computer for viruses (Office Depot Racing), see images of the car on the #14 Team Schemes page.(10-6-2011)

Stewart going for triple: #14-Tony Stewart has already accomplished the unthinkable in going 2-for-2 to open the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, winning at both Chicagoland Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In capturing his first two victories of 2011 in such a fashion, Stewart became only the second driver to start the Chase with two consecutive wins. The first was in 2008 by Greg Biffle, who went on to finish third in that season's championship points.
Now, can he do the seemingly impossible? For one, he'd be the first to open the Chase with three consecutive wins. Two, it'd be the first time in his career he has ever won three straight. Three, you have to go all the way back to the 2007 Chase for the last time anyone won three straight in the Chase (Jimmie Johnson won four consecutive Chase races that season). And four, he'd have to win at Dover, something that hasn't happened for Stewart in more than a decade.
Stewart enjoys-loathes a love-hate relationship with Dover. His career at the one-mile concrete oval, a series of peaks and valleys, includes two victories – but none since his Dover sweep of 2000. There has been the good – that 2000 sweep at Dover, the only track sweep in his illustrious career. There has been the bad – a Driver Rating of 71.4, making Dover his worst track (by a good bit) in terms of the Loop Data statistic. Driver Rating includes all Dover races since 2005, a span of 13 events. His second-worst track in terms of Driver Rating is Charlotte Motor Speedway (82.2).
And there has been the bizarre – the Dover race in June of 2006, when he opted to hop out of the car after he injured his shoulder a week earlier. Ricky Rudd relieved Stewart after 38 laps, finishing the race in what was then Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy. Stewart's cushion going into Sunday's race is a small one – seven points ahead of Kevin Harvick. The last time Stewart led the points during the Chase: In 2005, when he won his second NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.(NASCAR)(9-30-2011)

Chevy Teams Add Pink Numbers and Bowties for Dover Race: Several Chevy teams will showcase pink numbers and Chevy Bowties in their paint schemes during this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway in support of Chevrolet's ongoing efforts to help the American Cancer Society in raising awareness during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The participating teams will have pink car numbers on the roof and doors, pink Chevrolet Bowtie on the hood and rear bumper, and pink Impala nameplate on the front bumper.
"October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Chevrolet is extremely proud to help support the American Cancer Society's efforts to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays," said Jeff Chew, Chevy Racing Marketing Manager. "Several Team Chevy Impalas are carrying the pink awareness message, which will be seen by countless race fans, and hopefully will help to serve as a reminder that we can all do our part in helping in the fight against cancer." Chevrolet dealers across the country will be working in their communities to support the fight against breast cancer through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program.
In September, Chevrolet donated $29,800 to the American Cancer Society as a result of a combined 149 caution laps during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Chevrolet had pledged to donate $200 for each caution lap that a specially-themed "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" pink 2011 Camaro SS pace car led the field during those two races.(Team Chevy), see some of the cars are posted: #14, #27, #29, #31, #42 & #78.(9-30-2011)

Stewart wins at New Hampshire: #14-Tony Stewart won the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for his 41st career win, 2nd win in a row and 2nd of of the season.
The race again came down to fuel mileage with Stewart passing #33-Bowyer for the lead with 2 laps to go when Bowyer ran out of gas. #2-Keselowski finished 2nd followed by #16-Biffle, #24-Gordon, #83-Vickers, #17-Kenseth, #6-Ragan, #99-Edwards, #42-Montoya, and #78-Smith. Pole-sitter #39-Newman ran up front early, but had to pit late and finished 25th.
#14-Stewart now leads the points by 7 over #29-Harvick.
There were 19 lead changes among 15 drivers and 3 cautions for 14 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 95,000, the same as last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Monday, September 24 at 1:00am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, September 28 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's New Hampshire Race Results/Awards page.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-25-2011)

Stewart doesn't elaborate on Victory Lane comment about 'dead weight': from a Team Chevy Post-Race Winner's Press Conference Transcript:
Q. Tony, ever since you were on TV in Victory Lane, the buzz all around the track and Internet is wondering what you meant when you said, We dropped some dead weight earlier this week.
TONY STEWART: We're just going to leave it at that.
Q. Could we ask if that was
TONY STEWART: You can't ask anything. It is what it is. That's all it was is what you said. That's where we'll leave it.
Q. Darian said there's not been any personnel changes on the team.
TONY STEWART: No, there hasn't. (Team Chevy)(9-25-2011)

Stewart wins at Chicago: #14-Tony Stewart won the rain delayed GEICO 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway for his 40th career win and 1st of the season.
The race came down to fuel mileage with several chase drivers running out on the last lap. #29-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #99-Edwards, #2-Keselowski, #22-Busch, #33-Bowyer, #39-Newman, #5-Martin, and #48-Johnson. Pole-sitter #17-Kenseth ran out of gas on the last lap and finished 21st after being penalized for receiving a push from another car.
#29-Kevin Harvick now leads the points by 7 over #14-Stewart.
There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers and 6 cautions for 25 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 42,000. Las't year's Chicago race, held in July, drew 67,500.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
SPEED, Wednesday, September 21 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Chicago Race Results/Awards page.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-19-2011)

#14 to run Copy & Print scheme at Chicago: Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy will feature the Office Depot Copy & Print Depot logo along with phrase "Printing Done Right" during Sunday's Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. NASCAR fans can rely on the Copy & Print Depot in their local Office Depot store to help them take care of business seven days a week - including race day! (Office Depot Racing), see images of the scheme on the #14 Team Schemes page.(9-14-2011)

Stewart 'Honoring our 9/11 Heroes': Tony Stewart will race a special "Honoring Our 9/11 Heroes" paint scheme on his #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy during Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. As the world marks the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Stewart's red, white and blue scheme will honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day. "Like so many others, September 11th, 2001, is a day I will remember forever," Stewart said. "I'm humbled and honored to help pay tribute to the thousands of heroes we lost. Their stories and acts of courage live on, and we will never forget them or the families, friends and loved ones they left behind." Stewart's "Honoring Our 9/11 Heroes" paint scheme will be produced as a Lionel NASCAR Collectables diecast car for purchase. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Stephen Siller "Tunnel To The Towers" Foundation. The Foundation's logo will be featured on Stewart's car as part of the special scheme. Siller was a firefighter who lost his life on 9/11 after bravely running through the tunnel into the World Trade Center towers to rescue people who were trapped. His family created the Foundation in his memory, which works to support firefighters, children who have lost a parent and military who have been seriously injured in the line of duty.(Office Depot Racing), see images of the scheme on the #14 Team Schemes Page.(9-9-2011)

Stewart would like to have Martin but: Could Mark Martin be driving for Tony Stewart next year? Stewart would like it. Martin has stated that he's looking for a part-time ride in Cup next year after he moves on from his Hendrick Motorsports ride after this season (Kasey Kahne takes over that ride next year). Danica Patrick is scheduled to run eight to 10 races in a third entry for Stewart's team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Pairing Patrick and Martin could give Patrick an additional mentor, besides Stewart, and also give the team a driver to run the remaining races Patrick doesn't. "I would love to have him," Stewart said of Martin. "The biggest thing is us getting the financial backing to run the remainder of those races. I would love nothing more than Mark in all the races that Danica doesn't run next year. I've been a Mark Martin fan for a long time and trust me I would love nothing more than to have Mark in one of our cars."(Roanoke Times)(9-5-2011)

2010 Chase drivers to be honored by the President UPDATES: Heading into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off race at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be honored by President Barack Obama at The White House on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The event will also include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, plus several drivers from the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Drivers who are scheduled to attend: Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart cannot attend due to schedule conflicts (NASCAR).
Stewart's comment: THE WHITE HOUSE INVITED 12 DRIVERS TO VISIT PRESIDENT OBAMA AND YOU'RE ONE OF THE FIVE THAT SAID YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO, WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON ALL OF THAT? "We had an obligation that we have to fulfill. I've enjoyed every trip that I've been invited and very honored to be invited every time we've had that opportunity and I'm very sorry I'm going to miss the chance to go again because there's a lot of people in this nation that would love to have that opportunity to spend time with the President and just have a couple of minutes of his time. I'm very regretful that I'm not going to be able to make it but it's a tough schedule that we have and if I could have rescheduled and got the scheduling to work out I would have been there in a heartbeat because I've not missed one yet."(Team Chevy)

Greg Biffle: WHY ARE YOU NOT GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE?
"First of all, I'll start by saying that I'm disgusted by the comments I see, that people say we rejected or 'I can't believe that Biffle rejected'. For one, that's disrespectful for people not knowing why I can't go. Number two, I've got a picture of myself and the President, Barack Obama, in my bookshelf in my office right behind my desk shaking hands at the White House. I've been there and I've done that and I respect that. I was very flattered to get the invitation. I got the invitation less than two weeks ago to go and I've got a function that I'm obligated to be at with 3M in Minnesota that they've had planned for basically nine months. It's an annual thing, but they have over 100-and-some of their business people and customers at that I go for two days. We arrive Wednesday morning early and I don't get to Richmond until late Thursday night. I called them and talked about the invitation and this was very important to them because the function is designed around me and they really can't have it if I don't go. Unfortunately, the date conflicts with the invitation. First of all, define what rejected means. Does that mean I refuse to go? Or does rejected mean I can't make it, I want to go but I can't? It's kind of discouraging to see those comments when somebody doesn't know the circumstance. If I hadn't been and hadn't met him and shook his hand and been in the Oval Office with him before, I might try to chisel my sponsor a little harder to let me go, and I don't want to put it on them, it's simply I have an obligation that I accepted long before this. A lot of times we can move our schedules around depending on what it might be, but when you have people coming from other countries that are planning on meeting you and being with you for a day-and-a-half, it's really hard to change that."(Ford Racing)(9-3-2011)

Biffle, Stewart In Small Business Showdown UPDATE: This weekend, #16-Greg Biffle will face off against #14-Tony Stewart at Atlanta Motor Speedway to determine the 2011 "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" and possibly deliver a $1 million payday to the one of two small business finalists. Biffle will carry the logo of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Bales Mold Service, Inc., on his #16 3M Ford, while Stewart will feature the logo of Daytona Beach, Fla.-based HuckleBerry Pets on his #14 Office Depot Chevy. The small business featured on the highest-finishing driver's car will be named the 2011 "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot," and if Biffle or Stewart wins the race, the small business on the winning car will walk away with $1 million. Both finalists receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP experience this weekend at Atlanta.(RFR/Office Depot Racing), see images of the cars on the #14 Team Schemes page and #16 Team Schemes page.(8-31-2011)
UPDATE: Office Depot announced the two small businesses finalists who could take home $1 million in its annual "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" sweepstakes. Office Depot, the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR, has partnered with 3M for this promotion. The two small business finalists are Kacie Howard, owner of HuckleBerry Pets, in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Sara Mortensen, owner of Bales Mold Service, Inc., in Downers Grove, Ill. As part of the finalists prize package, Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy and team owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford will each feature one finalist's logo on their respective race cars at Atlanta. Howard was randomly paired with Stewart, while Mortensen was matched with Biffle. The small business featured on the highest-finishing driver's car at the end of Sunday's race will be named the 2011 "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" and receive the use of the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" logo for one year. Additionally, if Stewart or Biffle win the race, the small business featured on the winning car will walk away with $1 million. As finalists, both Howard and Mortensen receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP experience this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.(Office Depot Racing)(9-3-2011)

Stewart looking for driver to split ride with Danica: Tony Stewart is searching for a driver and sponsor that will split the 2012 Sprint Cup schedule with Danica Patrick, who announced on Thursday she will drive eight to 10 races next year for Stewart-Haas Racing. The purpose would be to keep Patrick's car ranked in the top 35 in points, guaranteeing her and sponsor GoDaddy.com a spot in the starting lineup each week. "We'd love to,'' Stewart said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. "If we can put together a package to run somebody in the rest of the races we'd love to do that. It's in everybody's best interest to do that. It would be good for us as a team to be able to go ahead and run that car full-time if that opportunity presents itself.'' Among the drivers who have surfaced is Mark Martin, who is driving the GoDaddy.com Cup car for Hendrick Motorsports this season. Sources said the key for Martin would be finding a sponsor. GoDaddy.com CEO and founder Bob Parsons was noncommittal when asked if he would sponsor the remainder of the season for the third SHR car. Stewart said he has not set Patrick's Cup schedule yet, although Patrick said the odds of her debut coming in the 2012 Daytona 500 were good.(ESPN)(8-26-2011)

Bass Pro on 3 cars at Bristol: NASCAR fans will be seeing triple during the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol on Saturday, August 27th as the world famous Bass Pro Shops logo will be seen not just on the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's #1 Chevy driven by Jamie McMurray but also on the hood of Stewart-Hass Racing's #14 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman's #39 Chevy. The three Sprint Cup Cars are Bass Pro Shops way of celebrating the start of the nation's fall hunting seasons and to kick off a special promotion celebrating Bass Pro Shops three ways to shop and take care of all their customers hunting needs through their award winning destination retail stores, catalogs and online at www.basspro.com.(Bass Pro PR)(8-26-2011)

Realtree to sponsor four cars at Bristol: Realtree Camouflage Designer and President Bill Jordan announced sponsorship on four different Chevrolet Sprint Cup cars atthe August 27 Bristol Night Race. Look for Realtree's new Antler Logo in the primary sponsor position on Richard Childres. Racing's #29 Realtree/Bad Boy Buggies car, driven by Kevin Harvick; Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's #1 Bass Pro Shops car, driven by Jamie McMurray; and Stewart-Hass Racing's #14 and #39 cars, piloted by Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, respectively. "All of us at Realtree are excited to have such a big presence at one of NASCAR's most prestigious races of the year," said Jordan. "Of course, this race comes at a time of year when hunters are really getting fired up about the fall. It's amazing how many of our fans are passionate about both racing and hunting. And many of the drivers feel the same way. In fact, three of the guys we're sponsoring at Bristol… Harvick, Stewart and Newman… have hunted with me and the Realtree cameras many times, and McMurray is an avid outdoorsman too. For many years now, Realtree, Chevrolet and NASCAR have been partners in connecting fans to the outdoors, and just recently we all teamed up with Outdoor Channel to bring fans 'Realtree's NASCAR Outdoors'. The show has been a huge success. Fans really enjoy seeing their favorite drivers on hunts, and drivers and others from around the NASCAR garage are strong ambassadors for the outdoors. It really is a fun project for everyone involved, including the fans."(Realtree), see an image of the #29 scheme on my #29 Team Schemes page.(8-22-2011)

Stewart's Smoke Show raises $131k: The Tony Stewart "Smoke Show" fantasy camp, the highest-grossing, single-day event for Speedway Children's Charities-Texas, produced $131,000 for the Texas Motor Speedway charity earlier this week to bring the event's four-year total to $810,000. Hosted by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart on Tuesday, the "Smoke Show" gave race fans a chance to walk in a NASCAR driver's shoes for a day. Guests participated in pre- and post-race celebrations, received two 10-lap driving sessions in a stock car, and experienced Stewart's own driving style in a three-lap two-seater ride. The fantasy camp was followed by the annual dinner and auction, where campers were presented with a framed certificate highlighting their fastest lap of the day and had the opportunity to bid on unique racing memorabilia and experience packages. The item that drew the highest bid of the evening was a pair of tickets to Stewart's suite at the 2012 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which sold for $8,000.(TMS)(8-21-2011)

Stewart still mum about Danica: #14-Tony Stewart met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed a few items, and was asked about Danica Patrick, the transcript in part:
CAN YOU ADDRESS THE DANICA SITUATION?
Stewart: "It's like I've always said when we have something to tell everybody we'll tell them but there's nothing to tell yet. I know there's a lot of speculation but there is nothing to really talk about yet."
I'VE HEARD FROM MANY SOURCES
Stewart: "I don't care about your sources. When we have something to talk about we'll talk about it. I promise we won't leave any of you guys out I promise."
DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE SOON?
Stewart: "What will be soon? I don't know. I don't know. If we knew that we'd already be talking about it wouldn't we. When we have something to talk about I promise you I will not let any of you be late for the deal."
YOU'RE STILL OBVIOUSLY LOOKING TO ADD A THIRD TEAM
Stewart: "We've said that from day one. We've never wavered from that, never said anything different from that. We're definitely to a third team and want to be a four-car team eventually."(Team Chevy)(8-20-2011)

Milestone starts at Watkins Glen: Terry Labonte will attempt to make his 875th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, Tony Stewart will make his 450th series start and Brad Keselowski will make his 75th series start.(NASCAR)(8-11-2011)

Stewart Earns First WoO Win: Tony Stewart fought off charging Sammy Swindell Wednesday night to capture the first World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory of his career in front of a huge crowd at Ohsweken Speedway south of Hamilton, Ontario. Stewart is no stranger to the World of Outlaws. He's won three championships as a car owner in the series to go with his driving titles in the NASCAR Cup ranks and the Indy Racing League. However, for a native of Indiana who as a kid idolized legendary World of Outlaws racers like Steve Kinser and Doug Wolfgang, winning with the Outlaws fulfills a dream. "Wow, this is big," said Stewart, of Rushville, Ind. "I saw Sammy dive below me once and that was one too many. We had such an awesome car tonight and I still just can't believe we won this thing. I grew up watching a lot of these guys like Kinser and Wolfgang. My career path didn't take me into a lot of winged sprint car racing but it's certainly something I enjoy. This just isn't something that Kasey (Kahne) and I do for the heck of it. We're passionate about putting together great teams and winning races."(WOO site)(7-28-2011)

1-2 finish stats: A couple interesting stats from Sunday's race, provided by ESPN's Marty Smith:
1) Sunday's 1-2 start/finish by #39-Newman/#14-Stewart is the first teammate 1-2 start and finish since the 1989 Daytona 500 (Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader for Hendrick Motorsports).
2) The last time a team started/finished 1-2 with the same drivers in the same order was back on April 7, 1957 at North Wilkesboro with DePaolo Engineering. Fireball Roberts won from the pole, while teammate Paul Goldsmith started second and finished second.
AND Newman and Stewart qualified and finished 1-2, that's the first time in a Cup race that drivers have qualified and finished 1-2 since Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch qualified and finished 1-2 at Pocono in June 2006.(7-18-2011)

Special scheme for Stewart at Kentucky: NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will sport a colorful "Back-To-School" paint scheme on his #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala during the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 race at Kentucky Speedway on July 9th. The paint scheme features a fun variety of school supplies and technology, including a notebook, calculator, laptop, thumb drive, white board, ruler, crayons, pencils, glue and much more. Gateway, Brother, Mead, Sandisk, PaperPro and Elmers are Office Depot partners with products featured on the car. "We always get excited about sporting a new back-to-school paint scheme on our #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy," Stewart said. "As parents begin thinking about the start of a new school year, this paint scheme is a fun way to remind them that Office Depot provides one-stop, back-to-school shopping for their children's school supplies."(MATTER/Edelman PR), see images of the car/scheme on the #14 Team Schemes page.(7-2-2011)

Stewart not expecting to expand in 2012: #14-Tony Stewart's goal since becoming co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing prior to the 2009 season was to eventually build the NASCAR Sprint Cup team up from two cars to four. But that probably won't happen next season, Stewart said. Asked by SPEED.com if SHR would remain a two-car team next year, Stewart said, "I would think so. We're kind of in that crunch time of the year where if a package was going to happen, it would pretty much be that the wheels would have to be in motion by now." Nevertheless, Stewart said SHR already has the infrastructure in place to expand, if need be. "The good thing is that our shop is set up and capable of doing a three-car team," Stewart said. "It's not like we have to go build a building just to do it. We have that side of it in place and have made provisions to do it, if something were to come about."(SPEED)(6-30-2011)

Zippy back with Stewart? DENIED UPDATE 2: hearing that Greg Zipadelli, currently the crew chief for #20-Joe Logano, could be headed to Stewart-Haas Racing in the future. Greg Zipadelli would take over as the crew chief for #14-Tony Stewart, who he won two Sprint Cup titles with [2002, 2005]. Current #14 crew chief, Darian Grubb, would move into Bobby Hutchens old position of director of competition. Hutchens and Stewart-Haas recently parted ways. Hutchins was Stewart-Haas Racing's Director of Competition and Stewart said they are looking for a replacement. Matt Borland was promoted to vice president of competition and is serving as Stewart-Haas Racing's interim director of competition. Stewart said recently that "once that position is filled, the director of competition will report to Matt."(6-21-2011)
UPDATE: There was a published report this week that Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's long-time crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, might move to Stewart-Haas and Stewart's crew chief, Darian Grubb, would become the team's director of competition. "I laughed when I saw that," Stewart said. "It's not the first time I've read something that's not true."(Sports Illustrated)(6-22-2011)
UPDATE 2: A rough start to a season that began with high expectations has Greg Zipadelli admittedly unhappy right now. But the crew chief downplayed speculation that he's so upset with how Joey Logano has been running he's considering reuniting with Tony Stewart. Zipadelli won 33 races and two titles with Stewart, but stayed at Joe Gibbs Racing when the driver left to own a team. Now that Stewart is seeking a director of competition -- he fired Bobby Hutchens earlier this month -- there's been talk that Zipadelli could move to Stewart-Haas Racing in some capacity. But Zipadelli said he's got two years left on his contract with JGR, and no immediate plans to leave the organization. "I love Tony, he's as close to me as my brother," Zipadelli said. "But that doesn't mean anything. I love the organization I work for, they've been very positive and very supportive for over 13 years. I learned a long time ago to never say never in this sport about anything." Stewart, while not speaking specifically about Zipadelli, said SHR isn't close to hiring a new competition director. "We haven't got anywhere yet. We are still looking at our options," he said. "It would be nice to have a person in that position. We definitely want to get that role filled. At the same time, we want to make sure just like we did when we hired Bobby, we want to make sure we're hiring the right person. So we'll take our time on it."(Associated Press)(6-29-2011)

Indiana license plate to aid Stewart's foundation: Indiana motorists will have the opportunity next year to purchase specialty license plates benefiting the charity of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart and soccer programs, among other causes. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles approved 10 new plates Tuesday for 2012, bringing to 99 the number offered by the state. The plates cost $40, with $25 going to the plate's cause. The Indianapolis-based Tony Stewart Foundation's plate will fund grants to Indiana nonprofit groups. Other sports-themed plates are sponsored by Ducks Unlimited for wetland conservation and Indiana Soccer.(Indianapolis Star)(6-17-2011)

Hamilton, Stewart swap rides; Stewart wants change to course at The Glen: Lewis Hamilton looked at Tony Stewart, smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Shake and bake. That's what we're going to do," Hamilton said Tuesday as he climbed behind the wheel of Stewart's # 14 Chevy at Watkins Glen International to prepare for a day like no other in his racing career. And that's exactly what the two star drivers did in an event dubbed the Mobil 1 Car Swap at The Glen, with Hamilton taking the helm of a non-open-wheel race car for the first time and Stewart hopping in an F1 car. Not even a cool, drizzly day that forced them to use rain tires at the storied road course could dampen their spirits. Hamilton wowed the crowd, spinning the tires of Stewart's Chevy as he left pit road and turned six laps. The track was slowly drying after a morning rain, and when he was finished, Hamilton did an impressive burnout as the crowd roared. After a shaky departure from the pits, Stewart got up to speed fast in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 despite not having driven an open-wheel car in a decade. Among his four laps, he turned a fast one of 1 minute, 42 seconds in tricky conditions. That was 8 seconds faster than Hamilton's best setup lap, which Hamilton ran on a much wetter surface.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)
AND: Before Tuesday's ride swap with Lewis Hamilton, there was a section of the Watkins Glen International road course Stewart had never seen, the .95-mile boot-shaped section called-you guessed it-the "boot." After racing on it in both a Sprint Cup and a Formula One car, Stewart would like to see NASCAR incorporate the boot into its August Cup race here. "I enjoyed the long course," Stewart said. "I'd never been around it till today. I told (NASCAR executive and pace car driver) Brett Bodine when we got out of the car after our setup runs that I would like the opportunity to see us having a shot at running the long course. I think it would create more passing opportunities, for sure, and it's just such a historic racetrack, and there are some really cool corners down there that we don't get a shot to run on a Cup weekend." Jimmie Johnson said much the same thing after running a Grand-Am race at the Glen last year. Armed with the endorsements of Stewart and Johnson, WGI president Michael Printup plans to lobby NASCAR president Mike Helton, vice president of competition Robin Pemberton and senior vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell about running the full course. The tradeoff would be a reduction in the number of laps on a longer course.(Sporting News)(6-15-2011)

Taking Orders for Seventh Annual Prelude to the Dream: If you can't make the drive to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Wednesday, June 8 to see the seventh annual Prelude to the Dream in person, don't worry. Beginning Monday, June 6, race fans across the nation will have their first opportunity to order the charity all-star race on pay-per-view. The event will feature stars from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the IZOD IndyCar Series and the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. All will join two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in piloting 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower around Eldora's half-mile oval.
HOW TO ORDER:
· The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 8:00pm/et.
· All that is necessary to order the event is a digital cable box or satellite service. You do not need HBO to order.
· The suggested retail price is $24.95. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com.
· Updates can also be found on Twitter at @PreludetoDream and follow the hashtag #RideWithUs, or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludetoDream.
· If you have Cable, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, DIRECTV or DISH, fans can order the Prelude to the Dream beginning June 6.
· If any problems are encountered during ordering, contact a customer service representative anytime on Wednesday, June 8, to make sure the order is processed and the race can be viewed. Once it is ordered, sit back and enjoy the ride.(True Speed Communication), more info on Jayski's Prelude to the Dream page.(6-8-2011)

Tony Stewart Chat on ESPN.com today:
On Tuesday, June 7th, ESPN will have NASCAR driver Tony Stewart stopping by to chat about the upcoming seventh annual Prelude to the Dream children's charity race. On June 8, HBO PPV will host coverage of the event starting at 8pm/et on the dirt track at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Send your questions now and join Stewart Tuesday at 5:30 pm/et at espn.com.(6-7-2011)

Hutchens out at Stewart Haas: Stewart-Haas Racing has promoted Matt Borland to vice president of competition. Matt has been with Stewart-Haas Racing since its inception as technical director, and with his extensive racing background that includes being a crew chief and competition director, he's well-suited for this new role. "Bobby Hutchens, who served as our director of competition since 2009, has been released. Bobby played an integral part in building Stewart-Haas Racing into a team that wins races and contends for championships. We're grateful for all his hard work and dedication, and I am personally appreciative for the responsibilities he took on Friday through Sunday that allowed me to be just a driver. We wish him nothing but the best. In his new role as vice president of competition, Matt Borland will serve as Stewart-Haas Racing's interim director of competition. Once that position is filled, the director of competition will report to Matt."(Stewart Haas Racing)(6-6-2011)

"The Glades" scheme for Stewart at Kansas: Tony Stewart is literally bringing the THE GLADES from South Florida to East Kansas in the form of his #14 Chevy. The 800-horsepower stock car fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will carry the design and colors of A&E's original-scripted drama series THE GLADES throughout the Kansas race weekend. Stewart shot a cameo for an upcoming episode of THE GLADES at Homestead-Miami Speedway that's slated to air June 26, and in doing so, befriended lead actor Matt Passmore, who stars as Jim Longworth, an attractive and brilliant Chicago homicide detective with a reputation for being difficult. Season two of THE GLADES debuts Sunday night on A&E just a few hours after the checkered flag drops on the Sprint Cup race at Kansas. Ideally, NASCAR fans and followers of THE GLADES can catch Stewart doing what he typically does at Kansas - running up front and winning - before turning into THE GLADES at 10 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CDT.(TrueSpeed Communications), see an image of the car on my #14 team paint schemes page.(6-02-2011)

Some drivers to drive "Honoring Our Heroes" schemes at RIR: Lionel NASCAR Collectables, in partnership with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, unveiled a multi-car, on-track program which pays tribute to the 10th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and helps raise funds to build homes for the only three surviving quadruple amputees of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – United States Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco, United States Marine Corps Corporal Todd Nicely and United States Marine Corps Corporal John Peck.
As part of the "Honoring Our Heroes" program, NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, David Gilliland, Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart will drive special patriotic paint schemes which feature the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation logo during the September race weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a charitable organization founded in 2001 by the family of Stephen Siller – an FDNY firefighter. Siller was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got the call about the attack on the World Trade Center. When he couldn't drive his truck through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Siller donned 75 pounds of firefighting gear and ran through the tunnel to the towers to help rescue his fellow Americans. Siller lost his life as a result of his heroic actions.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each "Honoring Our Heroes" die-cast and associated merchandise will be donated to The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation which has earmarked these funds for the construction of customized "smart" homes for wounded United States servicemen Marrocco, Nicely and Peck.
To bring even more attention to the Foundation's charitable efforts, David Gilliland will run the #34 Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports on Sept. 10. Front Row Motorsports has donated Gilliland's entire paint scheme to honor the legacy of Stephen Siller and to help increase awareness of the Foundation's efforts to help the heroes of the U.S. military.
Danica Patrick will drive a special version of the #7 Go Daddy Get Your.Net Chevrolet for JR Motorsports during the Sept. 9 Nationwide Series race at Richmond. Patrick's car will feature a star-covered design and a black paint scheme. "Each star on the Go Daddy #7 Chevrolet represents a soul lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attack," said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. "We will always remember 9/11. I'm glad to see NASCAR supporting this extraordinary tribute!"
During the Sprint Cup Series race on Sept. 10, Greg Biffle will drive the #16 3M Ford Fusion, Jamie McMurray will drive the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and Tony Stewart will drive the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet – all in patriotic paint schemes.
Following the events at Richmond, Lionel NASCAR Collectables will take part in the 2011 Tunnel to Towers Run on Sept. 25. Tunnel to Towers is an annual run in Manhattan hosted by the Foundation in which thousands of runners and walkers retrace the steps of Stephen Siller, honor his legacy and remember the fallen of Sept. 11, 2001. This year for the first time, Tunnel to Towers Runs will be held in cities nationwide on 9/11 as a way to mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.(Lionel NASCAR Collectables), see images of the Cup schemes on the #1 Team Schemes page, #14 Team Schemes page, #16 Team Schemes page and #34 Team Schemes page.(5-27-2011)

Danica considering full time NASCAR in 2012? UPDATEs: Danica Patrick and her management team are working on a plan that would bring her full-time to NASCAR in 2012, sources said Tuesday. Patrick hopes to finalize a deal soon that would have her race full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next season. She would also race a few Sprint Cup events in 2012 before going full-time to Cup in 2013. The plan includes Patrick continuing to compete in the Indianapolis 500 next year. Which team she will race for and how the details will work out are still being finalized, sources said. GoDaddy.com, which sponsors her Indy car and the car she drives in the Nationwide Series, is expected to stay with her if she moves to NASCAR full-time. Her contracts with Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series and JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series end after this year. Patrick said last week at Indianapolis that she hasn't made any decisions about her future.(ESPN.com)(5-24-2011)
UPDATE: Tony Stewart says he'd be interested in signing Danica Patrick if she moves to NASCAR's top series. Stewart is the owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and is always looking for opportunties to grow the team from two to four cars. He's given Patrick advice during her trial period in NASCAR, and moving full-time from IndyCar is a possibility when her contract ends later this year. Stewart said Wednesday he's not had talks with Patrick about driving for SHR. He also said he would not field a Nationwide Series team for Patrick.(Associated Press)
AND Danica Patrick on Wednesday said there was "no truth" to an ESPN report that her and her management team were working on plans for a fulltime NASCAR schedule in 2012. SI.com's Bruce Martin, in a previously-scheduled interview with Patrick on Wednesday in Indianapolis, asked her for her reaction to the report. Here was Patrick's complete response: "I'm watching TV and see it scroll across the bottom of the screen. I don't know where it came from but it's all speculation. Anybody can speculate that and write that. I don't know where it came from but there is no truth to it; it's just speculation," she said. "It's no different than it was last month or even last year. There is nothing new in it."(Charlotte Observer)(5-25-2011)

Stewart could had drove for Hendrick...in 1997: When Tony Stewart was a hot prospect in the IndyCar Series, Rick Hendrick (whose Hendrick Motorsports team was in the midst of four consecutive Sprint Cup championships from 1995-98) offered him a full-time ride in the Nationwide Series for the 1997 season. Stewart (who had run eight races in NASCAR's second-tier series) declined because he felt his experience didn't merit the ride. "I just didn't want to make that move too soon and not succeed and lose that opportunity," Stewart said. "As hard as it was, I thanked him and didn't accept that offer. I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. It's the first time I ever was in a situation I had to turn somebody down." It might have turned out for the best. Stewart won the 1997 IndyCar championship, joined Joe Gibbs Racing and won two Cup titles. When he decided to buy into Stewart-Haas Racing two years ago, the deal united him with Hendrick.(USA Today)(5-13-2011)

Stewart to drive F1 car in exhibition: UPDATE: Barring an unforeseen scheduling hiccup, two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will swap racecars in an exhibition later this year, Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning confirmed Saturday. The seat swap comes at the hands of Mobil 1, a mutual sponsor for the two drivers, and is expected to take place at Watkins Glen International sometime during the summer. The cars involved will not be show cars. They will be legitimate race-prepared machines. Hamilton will man Stewart's road course ready # 14 Chevy, and Stewart will drive Hamilton's 2010-model F1 McClaren. The respective drivers' race teams will travel with them to the event to tune the cars.(ESPN.com)(2-27-2011)
UPDATE: Mobil 1 is bringing Formula 1 World Champion driver Lewis Hamilton and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart together to swap race cars at the legendary Watkins Glen International in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. This exhibition builds upon Mobil 1's more than three decades of supporting motorsports champions and globally renowned race teams. The Mobil 1 Car Swap will take place on Tuesday, June 14. Hamilton will take laps in Stewart's #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala and Stewart will climb into the cockpit of the team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23. The drivers will drive each other's car on the long course at The Glen, experiencing the 3.4-mile, 11-turn lap course.(The Glen)(5-7-2011)

Stewart to visit Wounded Warriors: Office Depot announced that #14-Tony Stewart will make a special visit to U.S Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Thursday, April 28. Stewart will visit with Wounded Warriors and hold a private autograph session for service members during the Quantico ServMart Customer Appreciation Day celebration event taking place on base at Barnett Field. A replica of Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 show car will also be on-site. Stewart's appearance at the base is in conjunction with Quantico's Third Annual Customer Appreciation Day. This event is sponsored in part by the General Services Administration and its vendors, including Office Depot. Marine Corps Base Quantico's mission is to optimize readiness by providing operation and training support, infrastructure and community services (Office Depot)(4-28-2011)

Stewart to visit Wounded Warriors: Office Depot announced that #14-Tony Stewart will make a special visit to U.S Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Thursday, April 28. Stewart will visit with Wounded Warriors and hold a private autograph session for service members during the Quantico ServMart Customer Appreciation Day celebration event taking place on base at Barnett Field. A replica of Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 show car will also be on-site. Stewart's appearance at the base is in conjunction with Quantico's Third Annual Customer Appreciation Day. This event is sponsored in part by the General Services Administration and its vendors, including Office Depot. Marine Corps Base Quantico's mission is to optimize readiness by providing operation and training support, infrastructure and community services (Office Depot)(4-28-2011)

Drivers to star in A&E's "The Glades": On April 11-12, Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted Arts & Entertainment Television Network for filming of its police-drama "The Glades" and the episode will air later this summer. A cast and crew of more than 250 turned Homestead-Miami Speedway into an outdoor TV studio for a taping of "The Glades" second season. Homestead-Miami Speedway played itself as the host of NASCAR's series-crowning finales during Ford Championship Weekend featuring Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers and Joey Logano. The garage area and the 1.5 mile Homestead-Miami Speedway functioned as a movie set for this summer's "Moonlighting" episode. A&E Network summarizes its TV hit this way: "THE GLADES" is a one-hour drama featuring actor Matt Passmore who plays "Jim Longworth," a sly Chicago cop who relocates to a slower-paced small town in Florida where the sun shines, the golf is plentiful, and the crime less ubiquitous, so he thinks. In this episode, when Longworth investigates a NASCAR-related murder, he goes head to head with NASCAR's top drivers, and takes a few laps around the track.(HMS)(4-14-2011)

Stewart testing at the Rock: gearing that #14-Tony Stewart is testing at "Little Rock" today, the 1/2 mile track at Rockingham Speedway.(3-14-2011)

Stewart driving a cab Wednesday in Vegas: "Taxicab Confessions" is back. Not on HBO, but on the Las Vegas Strip, at least for a couple of hours on Wednesday. Tony Stewart will be a taxicab driver for a day. Stewart's ride will be familiar to NASCAR fans and slightly outlandish to those calling Las Vegas home. His taxi will actually be a bona fide #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy stock car made street legal thanks to some headlights and taillights. With a passenger seat installed as well as a lighted "Taxi" sign on the roof, Stewart will be in business. No horn will be needed. The 358 cubic-inch V-8 that rests under the hood and is controlled by Stewart's right foot will suffice. He'll begin at Lucky Cab where the real pros will show Stewart the ropes before making pick-ups at the MGM Grand. Expect to see Las Vegas icons David Copperfield and Elvis riding shotgun with Stewart, along with some familiar faces, such as Miss Sprint Cup.(TrueSpeed Communications)(3-2-2011)

Forbes names most valuable NASCAR teams & highest paid drivers: The weak economy has pummeled NASCAR over the past three years, with sponsorships, merchandise sales, race winnings and subsidies from automakers falling. Fans have tuned out, sending TV ratings down 24% since 2006 and leaving more than 40,000 empty seats at some races last year. One of its longest-tenured teams, Richard Petty Motorsports, was scrambling for cash on a week-to-week basis so it could race on weekends last fall. Is NASCAR headed for a full-blown meltdown? Hardly. Yes, the value of the top 10 teams slid 5% in 2010, on average, to $136 million by [Forbes] count, as prize money dropped and sponsors dialed back their commitment, but a rebound in 2011 for the sport is a strong possibility. NASCAR's strongest and most valuable team remains Hendrick Motorsports. With a valuation of $350 million on revenues of $177 million in 2010, Hendrick is worth 56% more than the next-highest-grossing team, Roush Fenway Racing, which [Forbes] value at $224 million on revenues of $140 million last year. Hendrick earned a NASCAR-high $18 million in operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in 2010. Richard Childress Racing was third on the list, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing. Rounding out the top 10: Stewart-Haas, Michael Waltrip Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Red Bull Racing.
AND: Despite his lack of success in recent years on the track, Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains NASCAR's highest-paid driver, earning $29 million in 2010 thanks to merchandise sales that are the best in the sport and reportedly account for one-third of all NASCAR licensed merchandise sales. Other income streams include an annual salary from Hendrick and a 50% share of his $4.9 million in winnings and bonuses in 2010 from Sprint Cup races. Earnhardt also has a bevy of personal endorsements, including Chevrolet, Nationwide and Wrangler. Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon follows Earnhardt in the NASCAR money standings with earnings of $25 million last year. It is a clean sweep for Hendrick at the top with five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, the third-highest-paid driver at $24 million. The rest of the top 10: Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Matt Kenseth.(Forbes)(2-24-2011)

$5 million bonus for win in Indy Car finale by outsider: The Izod IndyCar Series confirmed its 2011 season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with an enticing twist: A $5 million reward to any driver from another series who can win the race. IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard says a selection committee would be created to select a group of five entrants from outside IndyCar, likely determined by mid-summer. A test session also will be held at Las Vegas, and Bernard singled out the series' top teams -- Penske Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport -- as prime candidates for offering rides to the interlopers. Bernard wouldn't speculate on who might be interested in the proposition, but the race date was designed with NASCAR in mind. IndyCar will make its return to Las Vegas' for the Oct. 16 race, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Sprint Cup Series will race the night before at Charlotte, with the Bank of America 500 ending sometime between 11-11:30 p.m. in Concord, N.C. The Charlotte race is the fifth of 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup, which might dissuade many big names in Cup from participating because of focus on the title hunt. The obvious candidates would be former IndyCar drivers Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Sam Hornish Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. But Montoya has indicated no interest in racing Indy cars again, and Stewart has said he doesn't want to do a one-off. Gordon and Hornish, however, might be interested in returning, and other veterans (such as Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne) have admitted intrigue in the prospect.(USA Today)(2-23-2010)

Stewart could be in more trouble in Australia: The repercussions for the Tony Stewart fracas in Australia may still reverberate, and Australian media is now reporting that not only was the incident more serious than first reported, but that the possibility of formal charges being filed is still a very real possibility. After spending nearly a month in Australia vacationing and dirt racing, Stewart got into a confrontation with the co-owner of the Parramatta City Raceway Brett Morris, himself a former racer, on the final night of his trip last Saturday. Witnesses reported that Stewart was upset over the condition of the track and threw a helmet at Morris. Morris retaliated with his fist and the two exchanged several blows before being pulled apart. First reports said Stewart had sustained a cut over his eye but had been questioned and released by police. But as it turns out the injuries to Morris appear more serious and include a broken eye socket which will require Morris to undergo surgery next week. It also turns out that Stewart was placed in a patrol car, in the front seat, and then placed in a holding cell at the police station. He was later released and allowed to travel back to the US. According to one report Stewart was held for a couple of hours in the holding cell 'to reflect on the benefits of controlling his temper.'(NASCAR Examiner and see the full story at the Sydney Morning Herald )(1-23-2011)

Stewart talks about incident in Australia: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at Daytona International Speedway during Preseason Thunder at Daytona and discussed a recent reported altercation at a dirt track in Australia. The transcript in part:
Q.) Australian newspapers reported that at the end of your trip down there that there was sort some of altercation or something. Can you give us some facts or shed some light on what happened?
A - Stewart) There was an altercation at the racetrack. It was a dispute between myself and one of the owners of the facility. But as it also reported, we went down to the police station, we gave them a statement. They told us after the statement that we were free to go back to the hotel room and free to get on the plane the next day. But definitely wasn't the way I wanted to end my trip. We had a fun trip over there. Obviously there was a lot of flooding and raining while we were there, but at the same time we still...we had a good race trip over there and didn't end that last night the way we wanted to by any means. But it's not uncommon to see drivers and track owners have disputes over what's going on, but this one went a little bit further than a normal dispute.
Q.) Can you tell us what you told the police in Australia?
A - Stewart) I can't tell you that, but that's why they take you there is to talk to you behind closed doors. But the police department was very cordial over there. They were very professional, and we did exactly what they asked us to do and went through that process, and they let us go.
Q.) Given how much fun you've had in Australia in the past, do you think you'll go back?
A - Stewart) Love to. Like I said, except for the last night we had an excellent trip again. I mean, that's the most time that I've ever been able to spend at one time, and even though the weather wasn't very nice it was still a good vacation. I woke up every day not to a ringing telephone, so it was nice to get away on a good vacation, and I still want to go back and still want to go back and race. I'm glad this will be over with soon hopefully.
Q.) Do you anticipate that the matter is settled, or is there any concern you might have to go back to answer any further questions?
A - Stewart) I'm not concerned about it. If there is and we have to go back, we'll deal with it. But it's nothing that we're concerned with at this point. I mean, like I said, when they were done with us, they said we were able to go back to the hotel and were able get on our flight and come back. I made sure that they knew exactly where we were staying, when our flight was, what the flight number was and how to get a hold of us the whole time. We'll deal with it if anything else comes about.
Q.) You seem remarkably calm and at peace, and you look good and fit, and yet you had an altercation. What could have possibly led to such a dispute, and talk about your mood and how you're feeling?
A - Stewart)Well, I'm definitely not proud of what happened, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have dealt with it much different. But we had been over there for almost five weeks, and we had been dealing with the same problem with the racetrack, so it wasn't something that was just one incident that led up to it. It was a combination of the whole trip. But there was such a dispute on how they were doing a couple different aspects of preparing the racetrack and what it was putting the drivers in the situations that we were put in. You know, I've always been one to speak up for what I think is right, especially when it comes to the safety side of it, and I didn't think it was the conditions were safe to run on, and they felt differently.
I'm home, and I'm back doing things that are getting my mind off of it, obviously. Like I said, this isn't something that I've blown off. I mean, I've lost a lot of sleep over it because I'm very embarrassed that I made it through a whole trip and the night before I come home I get in an altercation with somebody, and that really hasn't happened for a while. I'm not at all the least bit proud of it. I'm ashamed about it, but at the same time it's been nice to get back with the team and it's nice to come down here and worry about driving the race car again. And it's not that it's making me forget about it, but it's at least getting my mind off of it enough to relax. And I had a good vacation. That's the thing. It's a very relaxing vacation. I felt like I alleviated a lot of stress over there, and like I said, we just had one bad night out of a 30 day trip. I think for the most part the trip was a success.(Team Chevy PR)(1-21-2011)

Wix teams up with Stewart Haas Racing: WIX Filters has joined Stewart-Haas Racing as the team's official filter. The two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team will use WIX Filters in Tony Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy and Ryan Newman's #39 U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevy. To kick off the partnership, WIX Filters will be the primary sponsor of Newman and the #39 team in the Feb. 12 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. WIX Filters will rejoin Newman and the #39 team as primary sponsor for the Aug. 21 Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Newman is a two-time Sprint Cup race victor and a one-time pole winner. When not serving as a primary sponsor, WIX Filters will have brand identification beneath the hoods of both Stewart-Haas Racing entries and on the sleeve of Newman's uniform.(Stewart-Haas Racing)(1-19-2011)

Stewart questioned/released by Australian police UPDATE2: #14-Tony Stewart has allegedly been involved in a off-track incident at Sydney Speedway which has seen him interviewed by Parramatta police this morning. Stewart was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with speedway co-owner and former driver Brett Morris after early-evening time trials. It is believed that Stewart, who is racing for a team owned by Morris' business partner and Australian speedway legend Garry Rush, had issues about track conditions after a Hot Lap session and made them known to Morris. A helmet and punches were rumored to be thrown and exchanged during the alleged altercation. Stewart has been competing for the second consecutive year in Australia during his NASCAR "off season". Staff at Parramatta Police Station confirmed to Speedcafe.com.au this morning at 12.49am (AEDST) that Stewart was being held for questioning, but indicated that nothing could be confirmed about the incident until later today – including whether Stewart had been officially charged or whether similar charges were being pursued by Stewart against Morris. The final outcome of this situation could result in a raft of ramifications including Stewart's scheduled departure from the country later today, legal requirements back in Australia if it is found he has questions to answer and the overall effect this will have on Australia-US speedway relationships.(SpeedCafe)(1-15-2011)
UPDATE: Tony Stewart has walked free after being arrested by local police at the Sydney Raceway last night, but his troubles might not be over just yet. It is understood that Stewart was free to fly back to the US today with fellow US star Donny Schatz, but that further investigations of an alleged assault between Stewart and Sydney Raceway co-owner Brett Morris are on-going. It is believed that Morris, while talked to at the scene of the alleged incident last night, is yet to be formally interviewed. If Morris is interviewed and it is found that Stewart has a case to answer, there is a chance that Stewart may be required to return to Australia for court proceedings. The NSW Police media unit issued the following statement yesterday, which was authorised by area commander, acting Superintendant, Garry Sims.
"Police from Rosehill local area command were alerted to an altercation involving two men at a car racing track at Wentworth St Granville (Sydney Raceway) about 7.30pm last night. A 39 year-old man was arrested at the scene and was taken to Parramatta Police Station after a 46 year-old man was allegedly struck in the face by a racing helmet. The 39 year-old man was released by police without charge, pending further investigation." Sydney Speedway General Manager, David Lander had little to say about the incident, shrugging off the incident as basically a "tiff" between two drivers. "It is a matter for those two guys (Stewart and Morris)," said Lander. "It was a Ruckus in the pits between two drivers. It happens. There is no more that I can say or I am prepared to say."(SpeedCafe)(1-16-2011)
UPDATE 2: But the Sydney Morning Herald said Stewart didn't escape the incident without some damage – namely, a black eye. Stewart's public relations representative confirmed to SB Nation the driver has left the country and was "simply questioned about the alleged incident. After the questioning, he returned to his hotel, got a good night's rest and is currently en route to the states," Stewart spokesman Mike Arning said via e-mail. "No charges were filed."(SB Nation)(1-17-2011)

Furniture Row aligns w/Stewart-Haas Racing for pit crew: Regan Smith's #78 over-the-wall pit crew for Furniture Row Racing will be employed and trained by Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. "We are excited to partner with SHR as it relates to the pit crew," said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. "After reviewing SHR's program, personnel and facility we are confident that SHR will deliver a crew that meets all of our objectives." The #78 pit crew will be under the supervision of SHR pit crew coach Joe Piette, who also oversees the pit crews for Tony Stewart's #14 team and Ryan Newman's #39 team. The SHR team is based in Kannapolis, N.C. "We are very excited about our new partnership with Furniture Row Racing and having the opportunity to help contribute to the growth of their program, while also giving our pit crew the chance to compete and improve on a weekly basis," said Bobby Hutchens, director of competition, Stewart-Haas Racing. The first race for the new Furniture Row Racing pit crew will be the invitational Budweiser Shootout, Feb. 12 at Daytona International Speedway. Smith qualified for the non-points race on the basis of being a former NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie of the year (2008). The first Sprint Cup points race is the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.(Furniture Row Racing)(1-11-2011)

2010 #14 Sponsor Schedule
2/6: Bud Shootout/Daytona, Old Spice
2/14: Daytona, Office Depot
2/21: California, Old Spice
2/28: Las Vegas, Old Spice
3/7: Atlanta, Office Depot
3/21: Bristol, Office Depot
3/28: Martinsville, Old Spice
4/10: Phoenix, Office Depot Goes Green
4/18: Texas, Office Depot
4/25: Talladega, Old Spice Matterhorn
5/1: Richmond, Office Depot
5/8: Darlington, Old Spice
5/16: Dover, Office Depot
5/22: All-Star, Burger King
5/30: Charlotte, Office Depot
6/6: Pocono, Old Spice
6/13: Michigan, Old Spice
6/20: Sonoma, Office Depot
6/27: New Hampshire, Old Spice
7/3: Daytona, Burger King
7/10: Chicago, Office Depot Back to School
7/25: Indianapolis, Old Spice
8/1: Pocono, Office Depot
8/8: Watkins, Old Spice
8/15: Michigan, Office Depot
8/21: Bristol, Office Depot
9/5: Atlanta, Office Depot
9/11: Richmond, Old Spice
9/19: New Hampshire, Office Depot
9/26: Dover, Office Depot
10/3: Kansas, Office Depot
10/10: California, Office Depot
10/16: Charlotte, Old Spice Showtime
10/24: Martinsville, Office Depot
10/31: Talladega, Office Depot
11/7: Texas, Office Depot
11/14: Phoenix, Old Spice
11/21: Homestead, Office Depot

Stewart wins Humanitarian award: The Home Depot and the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) announced recently that Tony Stewart is the winner of the 2010 NMPA Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Stewart was presented with the specially-designed Humanitarian of the Year crystal award and a $100,000 cash donation to the Tony Stewart Foundation during the annual Myers Brothers Award luncheon in Las Vegas. “It was a great honor to be nominated, but to win is incredibly humbling,” Stewart said. “When we set out and created the Prelude to the Dream, and worked with Eddie Gossage and his staff at Texas Motor Speedway to establish the Smoke Show, our goal was really simple – to help people. We’re proud to say we’ve done a lot of that, but there is still a lot more to do. We’re grateful for this award, because the recognition will allow us to make the Prelude and the Smoke Show better than they ever were before.”
Stewart established the Tony Stewart Foundation to raise and donate funds to help care for critically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and to support other charitable organizations in the protection of various animal species. The inaugural Prelude to the Dream took place in 2005 and has grown to become a must-see event as it is an annual sell-out that features an exclusive HBO Pay-Per-View television package. The Smoke Show, a stock car racing fantasy camp, has raised more than $676,000 since its inception in 2008.
Plans for the annual events are already taking place for 2011. The seventh annual Prelude to the Dream will take place June 8 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, while details of the fourth annual Smoke Show at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth will be announced in early 2011.
“The Home Depot is excited to be able to present this award to Tony,” said Frank Bifulco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “We enjoyed a long relationship with Tony and are very familiar with his generous spirit. We have first-hand knowledge that these events are more than just a charitable effort for Tony, but a way of life. We salute all of the winners and are very proud to have The Home Depot brand associated with all of their hard work.”
“The charitable efforts by the candidates were inspiring,” said NMPA President Dustin Long, who was on the selection committee. “Tony’s efforts stand out for the variety and far-reaching impact his programs have had and will continue to have. The longevity and popularity of the ‘Prelude to the Dream’ has impacted NASCAR and other groups across the country in countless ways.”
The finalists and winner of the 2010 Humanitarian Award were selected by the Humanitarian Award Selection Committee comprised of members of the NMPA and The Home Depot. All of the nominees for the award were judged based on their community commitment and dedication, impact on the community and charitable giving of their time and talents. The three nominees with the highest scored were named finalists for the award. Stewart was one of the three finalists for the award along with Joe Gibbs Racing team president J.D. Gibbs and driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Both Gibbs and Montoya each receive $25,000 cash donations to their respective charities for being selected as finalists. The NMPA Home Depot Humanitarian Award was established in 2007. The inaugural Humanitarian Award winner was Don Miller, former Penske Racing executive, for his work in establishing the Stock-for-Tots program which collects toys and raises funds for Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN). Richard Childress, president and CEO of Childress Racing, won the 2008 edition of the Humanitarian Award for establishing the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in 2008. The 2009 award was presented to Tim Booth, Michigan International Speedway’s Director of Guest Services. He was honored for his work creating the Spirit of America Blood and Marrow Drive after the September 11 attacks on the United States.(Stewart Haas Racing)(12-13-2010)

Stewart's property to be used as a 'laboratory': Tony Stewart is turning his Hidden Hollow Ranch into “a 414-acre laboratory” for Mississippi State University wildlife biologists for their study of habitat, overpopulation and other deer-related issues. And marrying his interests in wildlife preservation and providing outdoor opportunities for young people, he is locking in his commitment to host children with life-threatening illnesses to outdoor experiences on his Columbus [Indiania] property. Stewart made the announcement Monday [Dec 7th] morning at his Columbus home, and although he did not name a dollar figure pledged, said he expects his Tony Stewart Foundation to be a long-time partner with the scientists and the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, which grants hunting and fishing experiences to children who have a life-threatening illness. Catch-A-Dream director Martin Brunson said the foundation has granted wishes to 339 children ages 6 to 18 in 45 states since 2001.(The Republic / Indy Channel)(12-13-2010)

Tony Stewart's 'Stewie Awards' announced: Winners of the fourth annual ‘Stewie Awards’ were announced Thursday by Tony Stewart on SIRIUS XM Radio and in front of a live audience at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The 2010 ‘Stewie Award’ winners were decided by fans who voted for the best, boldest and funniest moments of the NASCAR season. Listeners around the country tuned in to experience the event live on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128 for SIRIUS subscribers and XM subscribers with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package. “The Stewies” will be rebroadcast on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio on Friday, Dec. 3 (7:00 pm/et), Saturday, Dec. 4 (5:00 pm/et) and Sunday, Dec. 5 (3:00 pm/et). Guests included: 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, who captured the title for an unprecedented fifth straight year, Chase drivers Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, owners Chip Ganassi and DeLana Harvick, Ford Martin and celebrity Robin Leach. Winners in 10 categories, including “Best Original Drama,” “Best Driver2Crew Chatter,” “Best Vocal Performance” and others were honored. See the list of winners and links on my Awards page - Stewie's section.(Sirius)(12-3-2010)

Tony Stewart's ‘Stewie Awards’ return (2010): SIRIUS XM Radio announced that two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart will host the fourth annual ‘Stewie Awards’ on Thursday, December 2, live from Las Vegas on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio. The ‘Stewies,’ the acclaimed awards show that features Stewart’s entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the 2010 NASCAR season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 2 (9:30 pm/et / 6:30 pm/pt). The live broadcast will air nationwide on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128 for SIRIUS subscribers and XM subscribers with the “Best of SIRIUS.” The broadcast will be open to the public for fans in attendance in Las Vegas.
The two-hour event will feature live interviews with five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson and other drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Las Vegas, plus other special guests. Fans can determine the ‘Stewie Award’ winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/stewieawards.
The 2010 ‘Stewies’ nominees are:
Best Original Drama – Honoring the year’s most dramatic moment or sequence.
* Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson: Gordon expresses post-race frustrations about Johnson to the media at Talladega.
* Clint Bowyer wins the Sylvania 300 at Loudon on Sep. 19 but later loses win after failing an inspection for being 1/16th of an inch too high on left rear. The loss costs the #33 team a shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives a throwback #3 Wrangler Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona – the same track where his iconic father lost his life.
* Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton: After Burton collects Gordon during a caution at Texas, both drivers exit their cars and Gordon shoves Burton. Burton later apologizes. Gordon says he has lost respect for Burton.
* Denny Hamlin goes from first to ninth to first in the final 15 laps of a wild overtime finish at Martinsville on Mar. 29. Off a late pit stop, the Virginia native bullies his was to his first win of the season.
Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) – For the year’s most spectacular crash
* In overtime of Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, Jamie McMurray causes a wreck that takes out much of the field including Mark Martin. Asked if he likes the new “green/white/checker” rule post-race, Martin quips, “It’s good for the fans.”
* At Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas, Jeff Gordon taps Tony Stewart, who gets bumped by Carl Edwards. Stewart turns into Gordon and the ensuing wreck claims nearly 10 cars.
* During Sonoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono, Elliott Sadler plows head first into SAFER barrier wall in one of the hardest impacts ever recorded by NASCAR. As a result of numerous safety improvements made in the sport, Sadler was not injured.
* At Talladega on October 30, Ron Hornaday’s truck ends up on its roof after flipping four times. Hornaday crawls out of the truck on his own, grabs hat and steering wheel and laughs as crowd cheers him on.
Best Original Comedy – Honoring the year’s most entertaining “incident.”
* After missing his pit box at Darlington on May 8, Tony Stewart suggests his crew get a bigger pit sign.
* At Atlanta race, Stewart’s father, Nelson, shows some creativity by suggesting a new method to signal his son into the pits. Smoke’s dad’s idea: Shine a flashlight for Tony to see!
* Joey Logano rips Kevin Harvick to reporters at Pocono saying, “His wife wears the firesuit in the family and tells him what to do.”
* After the Michigan race on Aug. 15, Joey Logano confronts Ryan Newman and pokes him in the stomach. Newman appears ready to fight, but Logano tells reporters later he only asked Newman why he races him so hard.
Bonehead Move of the Year Award
* Clint Bowyer pulls away from his pit with the jack still under the car at Dover on May 16.
* Denny Hamlin puts a proven, three-win car into the wall during his victory burnout at Pocono on Jun. 6.
* At Sonoma on Jun. 20 Marcos Ambrose, while leading the race, shuts off his engine to coast downhill then can’t re-fire it. NASCAR penalizes him for being “off the pace” and he ends up finishing sixth.
* Kasey Kahne pulls out of his pit at Phoenix with gas can still attached on Nov. 14.
“Feels Like The First Time” Award – For the most notable “first” of the NASCAR season.
* NASCAR Hall of Fame opens and inaugural class is enshrined – Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Junior Johnson.
* Chip Ganassi becomes the first owner to win the “Trifecta” – Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 – in the same year.
* At Bristol, Kyle Busch becomes the first driver in history to win all three of NASCAR’s top racing series events (NSCS, NNS, NCTS) in the same weekend.
* Open wheel star Danica Patrick makes her much-anticipated NASCAR debut.
* Brad Keselowski gives Roger Penske his first NASCAR Championship by winning NASCAR Nationwide Series title.
‘Boys, Have At It” Award
* At Atlanta on March 3, Carl Edwards “pays back” Brad Keselowski and ends up flipping Keselowski’s car onto its roof. Edwards, though unapologetic, says he didn’t mean to flip Keselowski. Keselowski calls for a response from NASCAR.
* After being bumped by Kyle Busch at Bristol on Aug. 20, Brad Keselowski says he is “gonna go to work on beating [Busch’s] ass.”
* After contact by Jeff Gordon at Martinsville on Oct. 24, Kyle Busch retaliates by putting Gordon into the wall and ending his day.
* After several poor performances, Chad Knaus replaces Jimmie Johnson’s #48 team pit crew with the #24 crew in mid-race at Phoenix. Change remains in place for remainder of the season and Johnson ends up winning his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange – Acknowledging the year’s most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Lance McGrew exchange colorful words about “laying down” at Bristol on Mar. 21.
* After a series of incidents, David Reutimann’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, suggests a way to end the scuffling between his driver and Kyle Busch at Kansas on Oct. 3.
* “The Best of” Kevin Harvick and the #29 team (montage)
* Kyle Busch expresses his displeasure at Jimmie Johnson not letting him pass at Martinsville on Oct. 24.
Best Vocal Performance – Honoring the year’s most memorable quote (Visit www.sirius.com/stewieawards to hear audio of nominees)
* Kevin Harvick shares his post-race thoughts on the #48 team’s luck at Fontana on Feb. 21.
* Juan Pablo Montoya vents about teammate Jamie McMurray at Las Vegas on Feb. 28.
* Kurt Busch comments on losing to Jimmie Johnson at Bristol on Mar. 21.
* Actors/Comedians Adam Sandler and Kevin James deliver a memorable “Start Your Engines” command at Michigan on June 13.
* Greg Biffle jokes with media about what it takes to win at NASCAR’s highest level at Bristol on Sep. 24.
Golden Stewie Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary figure from the Golden Era of racing, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event
“Stewie” Lifetime Achievement Award – Chosen by Stewart and Yocum, the winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event.(11-29-2010)

Stewart has no plans to run Indy 500: #14-Tony Stewart met with media at Phoenix and discussed Chevrolet's return to IndyCar in 2012, part of the transcript:
Q) BIG NEWS TODAY ABOUT CHEVROLET COMING BACK TO THE INDYCAR SERIES. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
Stewart: “I am excited about it. I think it’s something that…………….this Honda program they had over there was a joke anyway. I mean the way that they did it and the way the guys were limited on practice time……..it was just a fiasco. So thank God we finally have an American-made engine back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
Q) DOES THAT INCREASE THE ODDS THAT WE WILL SEE YOU IN AN INDYCAR OR AS A TEAM OWNER?
Stewart: “No. No, no, no and no. I don’t have any extra time to do any of that right now.”(Team Chevy)(11-13-2010)

A Hall-Worthy Career for Jim Halsey: You didn’t see him working beneath the hood of a racecar or in many victory lane photos, but Jim Halsey has been an integral part of the success of Stewart-Haas Racing. Hired in December 2001 at what used to be Haas CNC Racing, Halsey has served as SHR’s director of purchasing, where he managed all matters relating to procurement. The native of Norco, Calif., will retire on Dec. 17 where in his first official act as a retiree, will spend large amounts of time with his family. Halsey was the very first employee of Haas CNC Racing, and he relocated to North Carolina from Southern California. Now, as he readies to return to California, Halsey is being remembered for his tireless efforts on behalf of Haas CNC Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. “Years of dedication and an excellent body of work define Jim Halsey,” said Gene Haas, co-owner of SHR and founder of Haas Automation, the largest machine tool manufacturer in the western world. “SHR and, I personally, will miss Jim. We wish him the best going forward.” A replacement to oversee purchasing at SHR has not been named.(SHR)(11-3-2010)

Stewart still has goal of a four car team: During a NASCAR teleconference, #14-Tony Stewart was asked about plans to expand his Stewart-Hass team.
Q. Have you considered adding a third member to your team or is everything still in a hold position?
Stewart: Well, we're at the end of October. If we were going to do that, we would have liked to have had it started and had the decision made by the middle of summer. It's not going to happen for next year. We obviously would love it. The goal of the organization is to be a four-car team eventually. Yes, I mean, down the road we want to have a third team and a fourth team after that. Like you said, there's a lot of challenges right now in the sport. It's hard keeping the two cars that we have financed right now. It is something we want to do. It didn't work out to do for us for the 2011 season. When we get the right opportunity, and the right partner and driver, if we can get that combination, we're definitely interested in that for sure.(Chevy PR)(10-29-2010)

Showtime scheme for Stewart: #14-Tony Stewart is sporting a special paint scheme at Charlotte promoting Old Spice's popular Showtime scent. His traditional red Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet has been transformed into a red-and-green showpiece that celebrates Stewart's showmanship. To see how the car was wrapped, go to oldspice.com.(SHR/True Speed Communications), see an image of the scheme on my #14 Team Schemes page.(10-14-2010)

Mobil 1 to Sponsor Stewart-Haas Racing: ExxonMobil signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing beginning in 2011. The new agreement allows ExxonMobil to build on Mobil 1’s “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR” designation and demonstrate its ongoing commitment to NASCAR. “With Mobil 1’s long tradition of partnering with world-class race teams around the globe, we are proud of our new association with one of NASCAR’s top drivers,” said Nigel Searl, vice president marketing, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties Company. “We look forward to helping Stewart-Haas Racing secure a Sprint Cup Series championship and add to the list of successful teams that Mobil 1 has supported for more than 30 years.”
Mobil 1 will serve as the co-primary sponsor of the #14 Chevy with Office Depot, the “Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR.” Mobil 1 will be prominently featured on the hood of Stewart’s car for 11 races, while taking a high-profile associate role in the remaining 25 races, as well as the two non-point races. In addition, ExxonMobil will provide Mobil 1 lubricant technology and engineering support to Stewart-Haas Racing and Mobil 1 will be an associate sponsor of Ryan Newman’s #39 Chevy, which is also fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing.
“As a team owner, I’m absolutely thrilled to add such a respected technology partner to our race team,” said Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. “And as a driver, it’s exciting to partner with a brand that has such an incredible racing pedigree. ExxonMobil is committed to producing the highest-quality racing motor oil and shares the same winning attitude that champions must have to succeed at this level.”
Mobil 1 has been the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR since 2003 and is used by more than 50% of the teams in NASCAR’s top-three series.(Stewart-Haas Racing), see image of the scheme on the 2011 #14 Team Scheme page.(10-12-2010)

Mobil 1 to the #14? UPDATE 3: Stewart Haas Racing has emerged as the leading candidate to get the Mobil 1 sponsorship that Penske Racing will vacate in 2011, when it switches to Pennzoil as sponsor for Kurt Busch (in the #22 Dodge). If SHR lands Mobil 1, it will replace Old Spice as the co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart’s #14 Chevy. The team’s other car, Ryan Newman’s #39, will have the U.S. Army and Tornado’s back for part-time schedules next year and is trying to woo Wix Filters for a partial schedule as well.(Ford Racing), Wix Filters will be the sponsor for Newman this week at Bristol, see an image of the scheme on my #39 Team Schemes page.(8-17-2010)
UPDATE: from a Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports:

Q) WITH QUAKER STATE ON YOUR CARS NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT STEWART-HAAS HAS TO USE QUAKER STATE NOW?
Hendrick: "No. The folks that rent or lease motors for us, do whatever they want to do. That's their call."(Team Chevy)(9-5-2010)
UPDATE 2: Stewart-Haas Racing has scheduled a news conference Tuesday and is expected to announce Mobil 1 will be a sponsor for the team next season.(Ronoke Times)(10-9-2010)
UPDATE 3: Stewart-Haas Racing will announce on Tuesday that Mobil 1 will join Office Depot as a primary sponsor on Tony Stewart's #14 Chevy in 2011, sources told ESPN.com. A press conference has been called for 12:30 pm/et, at Stewart-Haas Racing [Kannapolis NC]. Stewart has been looking for a second sponsor since it was announced that Old Spice would not return next season. The exact numbers were not provided, but Office Depot is believed to have 22 races as the primary.(ESPN)(10-12-2010)

Stewart wins at Auto Club: #14-Tony Stewart won the Pepsi Max 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway for his 2nd win of 2010, 1st ever at ACS and the 39th win of his career. #33-Bowyer finished second followed by #48-Johnson, #9-Kahne, #39-Newman, #5-Martin, #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #24-Gordon and #00-Reuitmann. Pole sitter #1-McMurray finished 17th.
There were 23 lead changes among 14 drivers and 9 cautions for 36 yellow flag laps. The attendance was reported at 70,000, same as 2009.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Monday, October 11 at 3:00am/et; and SPEED, October 13 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Auto Club Race Results/Awards page.(10-10-2010)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(10-10-2010)

Stewart and Biffle looking to win $1 million for fan: Office Depot recently teamed up with NASCAR stars Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevy, and Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, to provide small business owners with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to become the sixth annual "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot." The two finalists, Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Service in Greer, SC and Mike Pagano, owner of PaganoPhoto - Photos by Mike Pagano in Cedar Brook, NJ, will each receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP experience this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Plus, each finalist will have a chance to win $1 million.
Stewart and Biffle will each feature one finalist's small business logo on their respective race cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday. Berger was randomly paired with Stewart, while Pagano was matched with Biffle. The small business featured on the highest-finishing driver's car at the end of the race will be named the 2010 "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot." And if Stewart or Biffle win the race, the small business featured on the winning car will take home $1 million!(Edelman for Office Depot Racing)(9-25-2010)

Stewart comments on sponsorship issues: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed sponsorships on Friday:
Q) IN YOUR SEARCH FOR SPONSORSHIP, HAVE YOU BEEN FORCED TO TRY NEW APPROACHES OR APPROACH DIFFERENT KINDS OF COMPANIES THAT YOU DIDN'T NECESSARILY THINK YOU WOULD TRY TO REACH OUT TO?
Stewart: "I think you always have to be that way. I think you always have to think outside the box. When you're selling something, and you go in there with the same approach that everybody else has, what makes your organization stand out from theirs? I think that's kind of the way we thought about it from day one because we were a new company anyway, so it was easy to start with new ideas and a new approach."
Q) EVEN WITH THE ECONOMY IN A SLUMP, IS IT SURPRISING THAT GUYS LIKE YOU AND JEFF GORDON, STARS OF THE SPORT, ARE LOOKING FOR SPONSORS AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON?
Stewart: "Not necessarily. We all understand the situation. We all understand why corporate America has had to pull the reigns back a little bit. So is it a surprise and a shock? No, not necessarily. If you look in this garage area, it's still a thriving sport and it's still represented by a lot of Fortune 500 companies. I wouldn’t stand here and say that we're all in bad shape, because the sport is very healthy right now. All you've got to do is walk through the garage area and see that."(Team Chevy transcript)(9-18-2010)

Gordon, Stewart, Busch Visit ESPN Campus; Stewart Wins 5-lap Race: NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch visited the ESPN campus in Bristol, Ct., today and appeared on various ESPN programs and platforms in advance of Sunday’s first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. During their day at ESPN, the three drivers competed against each other with radio-controlled race cars on an oval track set up outside of some buildings on the ESPN campus. They raced for five laps, with Stewart taking the win. Gordon finished second and Busch was third after rolling his car trying to catch Stewart on the last lap. Highlights were shown on NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Sad News - Gaylord Marshall: Chase driver #14-Tony Stewart raced with a heavy heart Saturday night at Richmond after his grandfather Gaylord Marshall, died at age 95 earlier in the day.(USA Today)(9-12-2010)

Stewart wins at Atlanta: #14-Tony Stewart won the Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2010, 3rd at Atlanta and 38th of his career. Stewart has one at least one race in every year of his Sprint Cup career, now 12 straight years with at least a win every season. Stewart is the 11th winner of 2010. #99-Edwards finished second followed by #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, #18-Busch, #2-Busch, #33-Bowyer, #39-Newman, #42-Montoya and #47-Ambrose. Pole sitter, #11-Hamlin dominated the first part of the race, leading 74 laps before imploding an engine and finishing 43rd. Bowyer's 7th place finish and #1-McMurray finishing 15th and dropped to 14th. #39-Newman moved to 13th in drivers points, but is 117 points out of 12th with one race to go. Bowyer needs to finish 28th or better at Richmond to clinch a spot in the chase. The top-10 in drivers points have clinched a spot in the Chase.
There were 22 lead changes among 7 drivers and 8 cautions for 53 yellow flag laps. The attendance was reported at 93,200, down from last years 111,300.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Monday, September 6 at 3:30am; and SPEED, Wednesday, September 8 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Atlanta Race Results/Awards page.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(9-5-2010)

Back To School Celebration with Stewart: #14-Tony Stewart will headline a special “Back To School Celebration” event on Thursday, Sept 2nd at a local Office Depot store in Atlanta. Stewart will be helping Atlanta-area kids begin the new school year with the tools they need to succeed. Stewart is partnering with Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation for a special “Back To School Celebration” to donate book bags to Atlanta-area children in need. During the event, Stewart will assist the Foundation in donating 4,000 book bags to representatives from local organizations as part of the Office Depot Foundation’s National Backpack Program. The Foundation donates backpacks and book bags across the United States in an effort to help kids succeed in school. This year, the Office Depot Foundation is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its National Backpack Program. Since the program began in 2001, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation have donated approximately 2.3 million backpacks and book bags to children in need.(Office Depot Racing)(8-31-2010)

Tony Stewart “Smoke Show” raises $200k: The Tony Stewart “Smoke Show” fantasy camp, held Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway, raised more than $200,000 to benefit the Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter for the third consecutive year. The “Smoke Show,” a driving school extravaganza hosted by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, raised a one-day total of $202,000 to push the program’s three-year charitable donations for SCC-Texas to $676,000. The “Smoke Show” remains the highest-grossing, single-day event for the Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter. The “Smoke Show” attracted 25 participants for this year’s edition of the ultimate motorsports fantasy camp hosted by Stewart. The fastest lap was posted by Kelly Reed, of Erath, La., at 148.350 mph (36.4 seconds) on Texas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval.(TMS)(8-19-2010)

Stewart flips in World of Outlaws race: Tony Stewart heads into Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International with three races already under his belt this week. He wound up on his top in one of them. Stewart, who fields open-wheel teams in the World of Outlaws Series, was not injured Friday night after flipping his car while competing in an event at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, N.Y. "We're good," Stewart said after qualifying his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet sixth at Watkins Glen on Saturday. "It cost us a race car last night." Stewart said the only thing hurt was "just my pride.(Scene Daily)(8-8-2010)

Silly Season kicking in gear at IMS:
• All signs point to Richard Childress Racing announcing the week of the Watkins Glen Race next month that Budweiser will be on #29-Kevin Harvick's car. Mobile 1 had been courting #24-Jeff Gordon, but HMS ended that by reupping with Quaker State. Don't be surprised to see that sponsor pop up at Stewart-Haas.
• Richard Petty Motorsports' future seemingly hangs on what #43-AJ Allmendinger does. If he and sponsor Best Buy stay, then #98-Paul Menard and his sponsor may hang around, as well. But Allmendinger has talked to several teams, including Penske Racing. Menard is beating the bushes as well, with speculation he'll be in the fourth car at Richard Childress Racing. All we know for sure is Stanley is the only sponsor contractually committed to the organization beyond this season. Odds are RPM will shrink from four teams to three, two or none. The last would be a huge blow to the garage and increase the possibility of fields of fewer than 43 cars next season. It also could end Richard Petty's presence in the garage, which would be sad to see.(ESPN.com)(7-25-2010)

Back to School scheme for Stewart: Tony Stewart will sport a colorful “Back-To-School” paint scheme on his #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy during next Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 race at Chicagoland Speedway. The paint scheme features a fun rendition of every parent’s back-to-school shopping list, complete with pens, pencils, crayons, a laptop and even a backpack on the hood. “It’s always fun to switch up the look on our #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy,” Stewart said. “The back-to-school paint scheme is a fun way to remind parents that they can pick up all of their children’s school supplies at any Office Depot store.” Stewart is a two-time Cup Series race winner at Chicagoland Speedway and has recorded seven top-5 finishes in nine career Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track near Joliet, Illinois.(Office Depot Racing), see images of the scheme/car on my #14 Team Schemes page.(7-7-2010)

Stewart still has no plans for third team: #14-Tony Stewart participated in this week's NASCAR teleconference and was asked about plans for a third team in 2010:
Q. I know you're still looking for sponsorship for your two cars. At this point what would you list as the percentage likelihood you could or would expand to a third team for next year?
TONY STEWART: I would say there's probably a zero percent chance we'll expand to a third team for next year. We're still trying to fill the void when Old Spice changes this year. We're talking to a lot of great people. There's a lot of good opportunities out there. It's just a matter of finding a package that works for somebody to fill our spot. There's still races we're trying to take care of on Ryan's car. The hard part about it is, it just takes funding. We could be up to a four-car team very quickly. But it takes the funding to get it done.(Chevy PR)(7-7-2010)

Office Depot & 3M team add twist to Small Business of NASCAR deal: Office Depot, the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR, is teaming up with 3M®, also an Official NASCAR Partner, and Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy, and Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, to put a competitive new twist on its sixth annual “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” sweepstakes. This year, two small business owners will be randomly selected as finalists in the sweepstakes, with Stewart and Biffle going head-to-head on the race track to determine their fate during the nationally televised AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway in September. Stewart will carry the name or logo of one small business finalist on his #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy during the AAA 400, while Biffle will feature the name or logo of a second small business finalist on his #16 3M Ford. The small business that appears on the highest-finishing driver’s car will be named the “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot.” Additionally, if Stewart or Biffle wins the race, the small business featured on the winning car will take home a thrilling $1 million. Both finalists will receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot* and a VIP race weekend experience for two during the September 24-26 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race weekend at Dover International Speedway.(Office Depot)
The #16 3M Ford and #14 Office Depot Chevy will feature a special rear TV panels at Infineon Raceway this weekend to help promote the launch of the “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Much more info on the sweepstakes on the Racing Contest page.(6-16-2010)

No plans for a third SHR team in 2011: Bobby Hutchens, competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing, said that he had a personal deadline of June 1 for expanding to three teams for next season. "I think anything past June 1, trying to put something together, unfortunately, could distract these two teams and I don't want that to happen,'' Hutchens said. "If we're doing something, we need to be moving pretty fast.'' Hutchens said there's been "pretty much zero'' conversations about adding a third team for next season within the last month. Hutchens did say that if a decision was made much later to add a third team, it still could be done.(Roanoke Times)(6-12-2010)

Tony Stewart: “Buy A Printer, Support Military Families”: In recognition of Memorial Day, #14-Tony Stewart is helping Office Depot and Lexmark International, Inc., promote a new joint program benefiting Operation Homefront. The program will provide military families with much-needed technology to help them stay in touch with their loved ones serving in the armed forces. From May 30 through June 5, Office Depot and Lexmark will donate a new Lexmark printer to Operation Homefront each time a customer purchases a qualifying Lexmark printer in an Office Depot store or online at www.officedepot.com/lexmark/operationhomefront. Operation Homefront is a non-profit organization dedicated to the needs of military families nationwide. During Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, Stewart’s #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy will also feature a special rear TV panel with the Office Depot, Lexmark and Operation Homefront logos, as well as the message, “Buy A Printer, Support Military Families.” The Goal is to Donate 4,000 New Lexmark Printers To Military Families. As part of the Office Depot and Lexmark program, people can also engage with Operation Homefront and support members of the military via Twitter. Beginning now through June 5, people can give a “Shout Out” to someone serving in the military and be entered for a chance to win one of 10 Lexmark printers. For more information visit www.officedepot.com, see an image of the TV Panel on the #14 Team Schemes page.(5-28-2010)

Stewart Haas has not talked to Hendrick about 3rd team: Stewart Haas Racing competition director Bobby Hutchens said on Sunday that he has had no formal discussions with Hendrick Motorsports about adding a third team for next season to accommodate Kasey Kahne. Though such decisions are usually finalized by late summer, he’d prefer to have a decision on a new program – including driver and sponsor – by June 1 to avoid disrupting the programs of #14-Tony Stewart and #39-Ryan Newman and “not be in a panic” in building cars and purchasing equipment for 2011. Kahne has signed to drive the #5 Chevy at Hendrick, but Mark Martin, the current occupant, is contracted through the end of 2011. Hendrick is working to outsource Kahne to a Chevrolet team under the premise that his current lineup will not change before 2012. “We have not had what I call permanent discussions with Mr. Hendrick or anybody at Hendrick Motorsports to zero in on (Kahne),” Hutchens said. “Kasey Kahne was definitely a possibility back when we started looking at this thing for ourselves in the middle of last year, so we’re going to just see how all this shakes out.” Hutchens said that in the current sponsor marketplace – neither existing Stewart Haas team is fully funded for 2011, and Old Spice announced last week that it would not return after this season – a new driver would almost certainly have to bring a sponsor.(Charlotte Observer)(5-17-2010)

Stewart and father jump with US Army: #14-Tony Stewart and his father - Nelson Stewart -- said they experienced a thrill of a lifetime Thursday (May 13) by participating in a tandem jump with the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army Parachute Team. The jump took place outside of Cincinnati at Warren County Airport in Lebanon, OH. Before the Stewarts boarded the U.S. Army Golden Knights airplane to make the 13,500-foot jump, they attended a pre-jump instruction class and then were outfitted in Golden Knights gear. Though Tony Stewart appeared to be a little timid prior to the jump, his feelings took a 180-degree turn after landing with his tandem partner Staff Sgt. Joe Jones. "I just got to experience one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life," said the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy. "I would do it again - right now if I could. Yes, I was a little nervous before the jump, but when you're with the Golden Knights you're with the best of the best. These guys are Army Strong Soldiers and that was a comforting feeling before the jump." Stewart, who owns the #39 U.S. Army Chevy driven by Ryan Newman added, "I am so proud to be affiliated with the U.S. Army. We have a great partnership and to have the opportunity of jumping with the Golden Knights is a privilege that I immensely appreciate." Stewart's 72-year-old father, Nelson, said jumping with the Golden Knights was something he wanted to do for a long time. "I knew beforehand that this was going to be a blast and it was everything and more," said the elder Stewart. "The Golden Knights are the best and it was an honor to jump with them. I had a great teacher and partner in Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott." Nelson Stewart's excitement following the jump became a concern for his son. "My dad is 72 going on 15," said Stewart. "I am not sure what he wants to do next -- I am afraid to ask."(Stewart Haas Racing)(5-15-2010)

Hutchens Selected As First Quarter Winner Of NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award: Members of the National Motorsports Press Association selected Bobby Hutchens, director of competition at Stewart-Haas Racing, as the first quarter winner of the NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award. The award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are selected, and an overall winner is determined by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Association membership. Hutchens was selected for continuing to oversee operations after the death of his wife from breast cancer in December. He also continues to support the group his late wife and a friend formed to help raise money to fight breast cancer. Born into a racing family -- father, Bud, and grandfather, Claude, were racers with Claude having competed in the very first race in 1948 at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. -- Hutchens has never lost his love for driving. He still competes in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and he finished third in points at Bowman Gray in 2006 and 2008. Also receiving votes were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Bristol Motor Speedway.(NASCAR)(5-14-2010)

Old Spice leaving Stewart Haas next season UPDATE: Tony Stewart is searching for a new sponsor for the 2011 season. Old Spice, a brand of Procter & Gamble which serves as primary sponsor of Stewart's #14 Chevy in 14 races this season, confirmed Sunday it has decided not to renew its sponsorship. "Based solely on a change in our marketing strategies, the Old Spice contract with Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing will expire at the end of 2010 and will not be renewed," Mike Norton, Old Spice Brand spokesman, said in a statement. Office Depot will continue as a co-primary sponsor of the #14 next season and SHR spokesman Mike Arning said the organization has already started a search for a new sponsor.(Charlotte Observer)(5-9-2010)
AND: #14-Tony Stewart ran a special Old Spice “Matterhorn” paint scheme recently at Talladega Superspeedway. Matterhorn is one of four Old Spice scents that are part of the Fresh Collection – a line of antiperspirant/deodorants that gives guys the chance to smell like some of the freshest places on Earth. Designed by the scent experts at Procter & Gamble, Fresh Collection combines the great protection guys have come to know and expect from Old Spice, with a blend of fresh fragrances that are subtle and not overpowering. Fresh Collection is inspired by four well known lands from across the globe, each one containing scent notes familiar to that location:
* Matterhorn: Smells like ice, wind and freedom (Matterhorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy.)
* Fiji: Smells like palm trees, sunshine and freedom (Fiji is a chain of 330 islands, only 100 of which are inhabited, in the South Pacific.)
* Cyprus: Smells like limes, an ocean breeze and freedom (Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean.)
* Denali: Smells like wilderness, open air and freedom (Denali is a National Park and Preserve in Alaska.)
No word when the other three [Fiji, Cyprus, Denali] schemes will run. See the Matterhorn scheme on my #14 Team Schemes page.(5-11-2010)

Special scheme for Stewart at Talladega: #14-Tony Stewart's Old Spice/Office Depot Chevy will carry the colors of Old Spice’s Fresh Collection at Talladega – specifically, its Matterhorn scent, which according to the scent experts at Procter & Gamble, smells like ice, wind and freedom and carries a graphic of a Matterhorn-esque mountain range rising halfway up the sides of Stewart’s red Chevy.(Tony Stewart site), see an image of the scheme on my #14 Team Schemes page.(4-22-2010)

Stewart takes blame for Texas wreck: #14-Tony Stewart led five times for 74 laps in Monday’s rain-postponed Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, but Stewart’s 400th career Sprint Cup start ended badly when he was involved in a late-race multi-car accident that left him with his first DNF (Did Not Finish) of 2010. Stewart, who started from the pole and led the race’s first 15 laps, was in sixth place on lap 312 of the 334-lap race when a caution came out for David Reutimann’s blown engine. When the lead lap cars pitted one lap later, Stewart and crew chief Darian Grubb elected to take only two tires along with the teams of Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth elected to take four tires, which put them behind the six drivers who opted only for right-side tires. The race restarted on lap 317 with Burton leading, Stewart in second and Hamlin in third. Stewart fell back slightly and as he entered turn four, he and four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who had restarted eighth, made contact and set off a wild, nine-car accident on the frontstretch. In addition to Stewart and Gordon, the wreck collected Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Paul Menard and Carl Edwards. The #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy suffered heavy damage all the way around and was unable to continue, forcing Stewart to take his only finish outside the top-30 this season. The two-time Sprint Cup champion was checked and released from the Texas Motor Speedway infield medical center without injury. “I came off of (turn) four there and bounced off of Jeff’s (Gordon) right rear,” Stewart said. “It was just a pendulum and I lost it and got into his right rear, and then I got us to where neither one of us could get away from it. Somebody put me three-wide in (turns) one and two and that got me up to where I got a lot of junk on my tires and that started it. It was my fault. I feel bad about it, about doing something stupid like that. I didn’t plan on getting loose, but it is 100 percent my fault.” Following the accident, Stewart and Gordon spoke to each other after exiting their damaged racecars. “I think he (Gordon) was worried that I was going to be upset about it on his side,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t his fault, obviously. I got a chance to see it in the infield care center, it is definitely my fault. I apologize to all the teams and drivers that got caught up and their fans for it. We had a really good car there and just a shame that it happened.”(SHR)(4-20-2010)

Kasey Kahne discusses joining Hendrick: #9-Kasey Kahne met with the media and discussed joining Hendrick Motorsports, his current crew chief, Kenny Francis, and more. the Chevy Racing transcript in part:
“It’s been a great week. To be in the position I’m in now and know where I’m gonna be in 2012, to have the opportunity with Rick Hendrick and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, to me, it’s an unbelievable opportunity. I can’t wait to get that started. Now I’m focused again on just making sure that the 9 car, our whole Budweiser Ford team, works well together and communicates well together, do everything we can the rest of this season to perform, enjoy ourselves, win races, and I still feel like we have a shot at the chase. We just need to put a big effort in, but I think we can get back in the points and definitely have a shot at the chase and run strong throughout the rest of the year.”
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT NEXT YEAR OR WAITING FOR HENDRICK TO DEAL WITH IT? “I’ll work through it with Mr. Hendrick and figure out exactly what we need to do in ’11 that makes the most sense. As far as right now, I still don’t know and I’m leaving it up to those guys. They made the commitment to me and Rick said he’ll make sure it’s right, and I took that as I think it’ll be a pretty good opportunity, a pretty good situation I’ll be in next year. In order to know I’ll be in the 5 after that, I was able to take somewhat of a risk and wait a month or two months, whatever it is, to figure out what 2011 will be, but the future will definitely be really good to be a part of that team and part of that organization.”
IS IT A CASE WHERE IT WAS JUST TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE? “I feel like we’ve had six-and-a-half years that I’ve spent with those guys and we’ve had a great run. They’ve given me a lot of opportunity and we’ve had some pretty good success. I definitely have a lot of friends there and a lot of people that I really enjoy working with there, and I’m gonna keep doing that through the rest of this year, but sometimes you just need some change and you need something different. I was fortunate enough when I came into this sport that I jumped right in with Ray Evernham. Until this year, I’d never looked at another shop. I’d never been inside another building and I never knew what was out there in any way. To be able to go around to all these other teams over the last few months and learn as much as I did about them, about the owners, about the people at each team, was pretty neat for myself. I feel like there’s definitely some really neat race teams out there and they’re gonna be tough to beat for a long time.”
HOW MUCH SAY WILL YOU HAVE IN YOUR CREW CHIEF AND HAVE YOU TALKED WITH KENNY FRANCIS ABOUT MAKING THE MOVE WITH YOU? “Kenny Francis, to me, is as good as anybody in the garage. We have a great relationship and we communicate really well. It seems like we figure things out pretty quickly, so I really like working with Kenny. As far as the future and where that all goes, I’m not sure how that will work yet. That’s another one of the things we’re not sure about, but it’ll be good. Kenny is wanted by a lot of teams. He does a great job for Richard Petty Motorsports, and hopefully I’ll work with him for a long time because I really like Kenny Francis.”
MARK MARTIN SAID HE CAME TO YOU IN SEPTEMBER AND SUGGESTED YOU WOULD BE A GOOD REPLACEMENT FOR HIM IN THE 5 CAR. DID THAT HAVE AN EFFECT ON YOU? “It did. Mark pulled me aside a few times and one time we sat in his bus for at least an hour and talked about things. He’s an unbelievable guy and an unbelievable race car driver, and to be able to sit there and talk to him and learn about something I have no idea about was nice for me. So, yeah, that was a huge part of my decision. I’ve always had that in the back of my head on what I had learned from Mark. Jimmie Johnson has been a big part of it as well. He’s always been a great guy to me and I think he’s helped me whenever I’ve had questions – not even about the whole Hendrick Motorsports thing – I’ve had questions about other things and Jimmie has always been there to help out. So I think between those two guys and then just sitting down with Mr. Hendrick and learning about the place, walking around the place, I was just really impressed and really excited to be a part of it now.”
WAS YOUR INITIAL STRATEGY TO TAKE BUDWEISER WITH YOU? “I don’t have control of that. That’s not up to me. What I did was I worried about myself, what I needed to do for my future and what I felt was the best idea for myself and what would work good for me. I have a great relationship with Budweiser, the people there, and I think the last couple years have been awesome with them, and, hopefully, we can win some more races this year which would be great. As far as the future goes, I enjoy that brand and I want to be part of that brand, so it’s completely up to them and what they want to do in the future. I haven’t talked to any of them about it.”(Chevy Racing PR)(4-16-2010)

Stewart talks about Kahne, third team: #14-Tony Stewart met with media and discussed Kasey Kahne joining Hendrick Motorsports and other topics, the Chevy Racing transcript in part:
WHAT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN FOR KASEY KAHNE TO JOIN STEWART-HAAS RACING FOR 2011?: “I think you guys need to talk to Kasey (Kahne) because we don’t know anything about it. I found out on Tuesday or Wednesday I guess, just like you guys all did. You guys know as much if not more than I do right now. The hard part is that I don’t have the answers to everybody’s questions because nobody has talked to me about it. It’s all a lot of speculation right now, but there’s no way I can comment on speculation and make it even make sense. I think the best thing to do is ask Kasey. Obviously, he’s got his deal done so I’m sure he kind of has a better idea of what’s going on than we do at this point.”
WOULD YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE ADDING A THIRD TEAM?: “We would definitely, with the right opportunity, the focus is obviously to keep Ryan’s (Newman) car and our car going well right now, but if the right opportunity, the right team and the right sponsor, right driver came along then we would definitely be interested in a third team. We have said that all along.”
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH KASEY KAHNE?: “I think it’s a great opportunity for him. Only Kasey (Kahne) knows what he wants. That’s why you guys really need to talk to him to find out what he’s really thinking about. I think it’s a great opportunity for him. I know what I’ve learned in just a short amount of time being in the Hendrick system and getting to work with Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve always liked him, I was the one that sat with him with Ray Evernham and talked to Ray in the infield at Bristol about him years ago. I think it’s a huge opportunity for him.”(Chevy Racing)(4-16-2010)

Stewart To Make 400th Start: #14-Tony Stewart will make his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Sunday in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. With 37 victories, Stewart is tied for 18th on the all-time series wins list with Bobby Isaac. A two-time series champion, Stewart has logged 145 top fives and 233 top 10s throughout his 399 starts. Stewart made an immediate impact when he joined the series full time in 1999, and success has followed him from his days driving the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing (1999-2008) to his current role as driver-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.
Consider these accolades:
- Two-time series champion (2002 and 2005)
- 1999 Raybestos Rookie of the Year
- At least one victory in each of his 11 full seasons
- Has finished in the top 10 in points in 10 of his 11 seasons
- Victories at 19 of the 22 active tracks, missing only Auto Club Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Below is a timeline of some of Stewart’s career highlights on his way to 400 starts:
1 – On Feb. 14, 1999, Stewart made his first series start in the sport’s biggest race. In that Daytona 500, Stewart finished 28th.
25 – His first win, at Richmond on Sept. 11, 1999. He led 333 laps that event, still the highest single-race total of his career.
126 – First win at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 11, 2002. It was win No. 15 for Stewart. With five victories and a Driver Rating of 135.0, Watkins Glen is now his most prolific track.
229 – On July 2, 2005, Stewart won his first of three races at Daytona International Speedway (none of which have come in the Daytona 500). After the win, Stewart climbed the fence in celebration.
233 – On Aug. 7, 2005, the Columbus, Ind., native finally won his hometown race – the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
304 – Stewart won his second Brickyard race on July 29, 2007.
350 – At Talladega on Oct. 5, 2008, Stewart made it 10 consecutive years with at least one win. It was also his 33rd – and final – win with Joe Gibbs Racing.
370 – Stewart nabbed his first victory as a driver-owner. At Pocono on June 7, 2009, he led 39 laps to become the first driver-owner to win a points race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.(NASCAR)(4-15-2010)

Kahne to Hendrick? [Stewart-Haas?]: #9-Kasey Kahne, the hottest potential free agent in NASCAR entering the season, has signed a multiyear agreement to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2011, multiple sources close to negotiations confirmed to ESPN.com Tuesday. The details of the deal, such as which car Kahne will drive, are still being finalized, sources said. The prevailing thought is Kahne will occupy the #5 car currently driven by Mark Martin, sources said. Martin signed a contract extension last year through the 2011 season. There is room for Martin and Kahne in the Hendrick family. Stewart Haas Racing receives chassis, engines and technical support from HMS. So Kahne could be housed there until Martin's contract was up, if necessary. In 2008 Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed a five-year deal with Hendrick. Jimmie Johnson last year signed an extension through 2015, and Jeff Gordon has a lifetime contract. Kahne is in the final year of his contract with Richard Petty Motorsports, and plans to finish the season in the #9 Ford, sources said. It is unknown whether Kahne's sponsor, Budweiser, will accompany him to HMS [which sponsored Hendrick's #25 Chevy for years]. Hendrick Motorsports officials had no comment. Calls placed to Kahne, who turned 30 last weekend, and to his agent were not returned.(ESPN)(4-13-2010) Share

Growing Greener scheme for Stewart at Phoenix: Office Depot, co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice team, announced that it is launching an innovative partnership with EarthEra, a program created by NextEra Energy Resources, North America’s largest producer of wind and solar power. To launch the partnership’s first program, “Greener Shipping”, Office Depot will balance the carbon footprint of the Subway Fresh Fit 600 race on Saturday, April 10, at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Through its purchase of EarthEra products, Office Depot is helping the race “grow greener” by balancing the carbon footprint of not just the cars on the track, but fan travel, race team travel and track operations during the race. Due to the innovative structure of the EarthEra program, 100% of the revenue from Office Depot’s purchase will be used to create new renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, in the United States – thus helping the country transition to a greener and cleaner energy future.
The #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy driven by Tony Stewart will feature a special green-themed paint scheme during the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at PIR. The paint scheme will include the Office Depot and EarthEra logos on the car’s rear TV panel with a “Greener Shipping” message. The new Office Depot Greener Shipping Program encourages eligible Office Depot customers to “grow greener” by changing how they buy office supplies. When eligible customers eliminate small orders, increase average order size and help reduce delivery frequency, Office Depot will provide rebates on certain green products and purchase EarthEra products on the customer’s behalf.
NASCAR and its partners share a commitment to preserving the environment. The sport has launched many programs to help it operate in an environmentally responsible way. A comprehensive green strategy for NASCAR and its stakeholders is focused on reducing the sport's carbon footprint and waste production while promoting conservation and sustainability messages to fans. Office Depot will balance the entire estimated carbon-dioxide emissions associated with the Subway Fresh Fit 600 on Saturday, April 10, at PIR by purchasing Green-e Certified Products from EarthEra. Green-e is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions. Green-e certification ensures greenhouse gas emission reductions are real, verifiable, enforceable, permanent and incremental to the status quo. To learn more about Office Depot’s Earth Day Grow Greener campaign, please visit www.officedepotgrowgreener.com.(Office Depot/Edelman), see an image to the car and a link to the video wrapping the car on my #14 Team Schemes page.(4-6-2010)

Hutchens faces new challenge after losing wife: One year ago, Bobby Hutchens was taking on a new challenge. As the director of competition for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing, there was much to do in forming, building, shaping and producing a race team for a boss with two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships already under his belt. Tony Stewart tabbed Hutchens for the task because Hutchens had spent two decades with Richard Childress Racing and had a hand in four of Dale Earnhardt's seven championships. Hutchens helped both SHR cars into the Chase despite facing his own battle at home. His wife of 14 years, Sharon, was battling cancer for the second time in her life. See full story at the Daytona Beach News Journal.(2-10-2010)

Seven Cup drivers on America's 100 Most Powerful Athletes list: What is power? In athletics it is usually thought of as bulging muscles and dominating performance. But in sports today, power has a different meaning, as well: the earning potential of athletes, owners, agents, communities, and brands, ranging from breakfast cereal to beer. To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on and off the field, Bloomberg BusinessWeek teamed with CSE, an integrated sports and entertainment company that connects brands with fans, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columnist Rick Horrow, to create the 2010 version of the Power 100. Unlike previous Power 100s, this year's ranking would focus only on the athletes-not the owners, the agents, the commissioners, or the coaches. On-field metrics included athletes who scored the best on the field (or the rink, the greens, or the court) over a two-year period. The more popular the sport, the more weight those achievements garnered.
Drivers on the list: Jimmie Johnson, 21st; Jeff Gordon, 28th; Mark Martin, 41st; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 45th; Tony Stewart, 48th; Carl Edwards, 67th; and Kyle Busch, 70th. Danica Patrick also made the list at 88th.(Business Week)(1-28-2010)

Stewart-Haas Racing could expand: Stewart-Haas Racing [#14-Stewart, #39-Newman] currently fields two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but could expand in the future, said Bobby Hutchens, Stewart-Haas Racing director of competition. "We've talked about that in our shop over the last couple months or weeks," said Hutchens. "That may something that's in our future if it fits our group up here. We're not going to do anything that's going to pull our two cars down from a performance standpoint. Also, we want to bring something in that's going to add to our program. We'll use our best practice approach that we've done in about everything we've done as far as choosing different paths to take. When the time comes to see if we expand from 2011, whether it's then or later, we'll do it."(CMS Media Tour Notes)(1-19-2010)

Special schemes for Stewart: been told that Tony Stewart will carry fiur special Old Spice "New Scent" Paint Schemes in 2010 on the #14 Stewart Hass Racing Chevy, no images found yet.(1-12-2010)

Oreo / Ritz join Stewart-Haas Racing: Longtime NASCAR sponsor Kraft Foods has added another chapter to its illustrious motorsports career by joining Stewart-Haas Racing, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by two-time champion Tony Stewart. Kraft Foods’ iconic Oreo cookie and Ritz cracker brands will herald the new relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing as the team’s official cookie and cracker. Stewart will carry Ritz branding on the upper chest of his uniform and on the B-post of his #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy. Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman will carry Oreo branding on the upper chest of his uniform and on the B-post of his #39 U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevy. Stewart will kick off the pairing in February at Daytona International Speedway by competing in the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race behind the wheel of the #4 Oreo/Ritz Chevy. Kraft Foods will augment the partnership by continuing to be an official NASCAR sponsor with Oreo maintaining its role as the official cookie of NASCAR and Ritz remaining as the official cracker of NASCAR.(SHR)(1-8-2010)

Stewart has a blast Down Under: American Donny Schatz has reigned supreme in the Scott Darley $50,000 to win presented by Coca Cola at Sydney’s Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway in Austriala. Schatz won the 40-lap feature race aboard a car owned by Australian speedway legend Garry Rush ahead of fellow American Tim Shaffer and three-time Australian Champion Brooke Tatnell. It is the eighth time in ten years that Schatz has claimed the $50,000 winner’s cheque, taking his tally to $400,000 from the event.Schatz fought hard for tonight’s victory after starting from eighth spot, due to the inversion for the top eight seeded drivers in the event. After a three-way battle for the minor spots with his team-mate Tony Stewart and fellow American Tim Shaffer in the early part of the race, Schatz took the lead from Danny Smith with 17 laps remaining by using a sensational outside pass. Shaffer and Tatnell were both the big movers late in the race to claim the minor positions ahead of Americans Jason Johnson and Smith. Rounding out the top 10 was the Madsen brothers, Ian and Kerry, Ryan Farrell, Robbie Farr and Max Dumesny. Stewart, who combined a Christmas holiday with four events at the Parramatta venue, set the fastest time during yesterday’s preliminary night’s action before lining up on the outside of the front row in tonight’s main event. Stewart was running inside the top three for the opening half of the race before a deflated right rear tyre put an early end to his Aussie campaign. Despite not finishing tonight’s race, Stewart indicated that he had thoroughly enjoyed his time in Australia, which included watching the famous Sydney fireworks on New Year’s Eve. “The highlight for me has been being here at Parramatta. Being at the racetrack is what I enjoy, I’ve been looking coming here for a few months. Away from the racetrack New Years Eve, seeing the Harbour Bridge and the fireworks was very cool and definitely the highlight,” said Stewart. “We got better every night, so that was the biggest thing for me. It was nice to actually run the same track four nights in a row versus a race here and race there in a sprintcar. I’ve had a great time and I’m already trying to work on coming back next year."(BAM Media)(1-5-2010)

Stewart sets the fastest time in qualifying in Australia: Local Australia Sprintcar driver Glen Saville has upstaged his more fancied rivals to claim victory on the opening night of the Scott Darley $50,000 to win presented by Coca Cola at Sydney’s Tyrepower City Raceway [in Australia]. The Cambden resident put in a mature drive and took full advantage of every opportunity that came his way during the 30-lap preliminary main event to claim the first feature race of his career. Saville took the win ahead of the East Coast Pipeline driver Robbie Farr and four-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz. Tony Stewart showed his true class by mastering the slick surface during qualifying ahead of fellow American Danny Smith. Stewart followed this performance up with a second place finish in his heat race before running strongly in the feature race to record a sixth place finish. “I probably guessed the wrong way in terms of set-up during tonight’s feature race but we learnt a heap for tomorrow,” said Stewart. “It was a bit of trial and error tonight but I felt a lot more comfortable in the car than the last couple of nights. I set quick time and finished second in my heat race which was pleasing. The speed of the track tonight was a bit more to my liking and the race pace was slower on the slick surface, I enjoyed myself out there again and am looking forward to tomorrow’s final night.” After the opening night’s action, American sprintcar veteran Danny Smith leads the points standings on 489 points ahead of Schatz (488) and Stewart (487). Tomorrow night’s action will consist of the dash races and the main events, which culminate in the 40-lap extravaganza where first place will claim the $50,000 winners cheque.(BAM Media)(1-4-2010)

2009 News

2009 Races [2] that Burger King is scheduled to be the primary sponsor:
Daytona - July 4
Dover - Sept 27

2009 Old Spice / Office Depot Sponsor Schedule, which one on the hood
2/7: Bud Shootout/Daytona, Old Spice
2/15: Daytona, Office Depot
2/22: California, Old Spice
3/1: Las Vegas, Old Spice
3/8: Atlanta, Office Depot
3/22: Bristol, Office Depot
3/29: Martinsville, Old Spice
4/5: Texas, Old Spice
4/18: Phoenix, Office Depot
4/26: Talladega, Old Spice
5/2: Richmond, Office Depot
5/9: Darlington, Old Spice
5/16: All-Star, Office Depot
5/24: Charlotte, Office Depot
5/31: Dover, Office Depot
6/7: Pocono, Office Depot
6/14: Michigan, Office Depot
6/21: Sonoma, Office Depot
6/28: New Hampshire, Old Spice
7/11: Chicago, Office Depot
7/26: Indianapolis, Old Spice
8/2: Pocono, Old Spice Swagger
8/9: Watkins, Old Spice
8/16: Michigan, Office Depot
8/22: Bristol, Office Depot
9/6: Atlanta, Office Depot
9/12: Richmond, Office Depot
9/20: New Hampshire, Office Depot
10/4: Kansas, Office Depot
10/11: California, Office Depot
10/17: Charlotte, Old Spice
10/25: Martinsville, Old Spice
11/1: Talladega, Office Depot
11/8: Texas, Office Depot
11/15: Phoenix, Old Spice
11/22: Homestead, Office Depot

Stewart finishes 5th in Australian race: Local Sydney driver Ian Madsen has won the biggest race of his career by defeating the world’s best Sprintcar racer Donny Schatz at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway this evening. Madsen claimed victory in the $10,000 to win Hogs Breath Café International ahead of Schatz and Marty Perovich in one of the best races seen at the venue for some time. For the majority of the 30-lap journey Madsen, Schatz and Australian Champion Garry Brazier were engaged in a titanic battle for the top three spots. Schatz found his way to the front at half race distance and the majority of the large crowd expected that he would run away to dominate the race, however, it wasn’t to be. Schatz’s World of Outlaws team owner and NASCAR Legend Tony Stewart continued to adapt to the tricky Parramatta surface by setting the third fastest time during qualifying before finishing fifth in the feature race. "I’ve got a good car to drive and a great teacher with Donny here so I'm learning a little bit more each night and felt a lot more comfortable tonight compared to the first night I was here,” said Stewart. "The track was definitely a little difficult tonight, the weather over the last couple of days has really made the track a little trickier than what I'm used to. I'm not used to them being quite as ‘ledgey’ as it was and cars kind of banging the right rear off the cushion, but it makes it fun. You have to work hard at getting into a rhythm and make consistent laps. I felt like over the last 15 laps of tonight's main I got a lot better and my lap times didn't fall off as much as the cars in front of me and I was making time. I've still got a little way to be as good as good as Donny, Garry and Madsen but I'm learning a lot. In saying that though, for a guy who only runs three or four Sprintcar races a year I've been pretty pleased with the last couple of nights." Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway will fire up again this Saturday night for the opening night of the $50,000 to win Scott Darley Memorial race followed by the final night on Sunday. Joining the American trio of Schatz, Stewart and Tim Shaffer at this event will be fellow American Jason Johnson and Australian stars Brooke Tatnell, Robbie Farr, Max Dumesny and Ryan Farrell.(BAM Media)(12-29-2009)

Stewart finishes 7th in Australia: Four-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz continued his winning ways with victory in the Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix at Sydney’s Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway on Saturday. Driving the Garry Rush-owned Pick’n’Payless entry, Schatz started the night off in flying fashion by setting the fastest time during qualifying before finishing second in his heat race. Schatz’s team boss in the World of Outlaws Series, NASCAR Legend Tony Stewart, was coming to grips with a rain soaked ‘heavy’ track during the early part of the evening before starting from the back row in the main event. “Tony is my boss 95% of the time and it's pretty neat to see him out here, he loves dirt track racing and loves these types of cars but I think tonight was a little bit trying for him. It was probably the hookiest and wettest track that he'd raced on in his life in a winged sprintcar and pretty trying for both of us to get him comfortable in the car. Tony came forward a long ways, learned a lot here tonight, had a lot of fun and got to see a lot of people out here.” Stewart came to grips with the challenging track surface during the feature race to steadily move forward before finding his way to seventh place in at the finish in one his rare appearances behind the wheel of an 800-plus horsepower Sprintcar. "I think to finish seventh from the tail was ok, it was a good first night for me, obviously not as good as my team-mate who won the race but he runs 100 races a year and I get to run three,” said Stewart. "I don't know how many days it is until we run again but I can't wait for it. I'm a little tired tonight, it is a set of muscles that I don't use very much but I had a blast. The rain really hurt the racetrack, it was hard, with the rain that we got over the last couple of days it was bound to make the track a little messy but I think everybody did a pretty good job considering the conditions.” Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway will light up again in two days time (Tuesday December 29) for the Hogs Breath Sprintcar International. More info at www.parramattacityraceway.com.au or BAM Media.(12-27-2009)

Stewart arrives in Australia: #14-Tony Stewart has arrived in Australia for an end of year holiday. He will be combining this holiday with four nights of racing in a sprintcar at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway with his first night of racing coming on December 26 in the Valvoline Sprintcar Grand Prix. He will then contest the Hogs Breath International on December 29 followed by the $50,000 to win Scott Darley Memorial Race on January 2nd and 3rd. After landing in Sydney yesterday morning, Stewart met with several members of the Australian media on the Sydney Harbour in front of two Australian icons, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. See full transcript and images at the BAM Media website.(12-23-2009)

Media selects top drivers, races of decade in NASCAR’s three national series: With the recently completed 2009 season closing out another decade of NASCAR racing, media members have selected the top drivers and top races of the decade for all three national series as voted upon in a poll on NASCARMedia.com. The listing of drivers and races for the poll was compiled following discussions with the three series directors and other long-time observers in the industry - and also resulted from direct input from NASCAR fans. #48-Jimmie Johnson was selected as the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver of the decade, followed by #14-Tony Stewart and #24-Jeff Gordon. Johnson won an unprecedented fourth consecutive series championship in 2009 and posted 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories this decade - most of any driver. He is the only driver to earn a spot in the Chases for the NASCAR Sprint Cup all six years of the format's existence. The March 16, 2003 race at Darlington Raceway was voted the top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. In what is the closest Margin of Victory - .002 seconds - since the advent of electronic scoring in May 1993, Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch to the finish line in that thriller. The Oct. 14, 2000 race at Talladega Superspeedway, which marked Dale Earnhardt's final career victory, came in second, followed by the March 11, 2001 event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Kevin Harvick getting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in a narrow defeat of Jeff Gordon.(NASCAR PR), see the results for the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series on those pages.(12-21-2009)

Stewart racing in Australia: Tony Stewart, will be heading 'Down Under' to compete at Sydney's Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway later this month. Stewart will join four-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz and All Star Series Champion Tim Shaffer in an American invasion of Sydney's famous Speedway venue over the Christmas/New Year period. Not since Stewart's hero A.J. Foyt raced at the Liverpool City Raceway during 1975 and 1976 has Australia played host to a modern day super hero of the American ovals during the peak of their career. The American trio will take to the Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway for the first time on Saturday December 26 for the Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix before backing up a few days later (December 29) for the Hogs Breath Sprintcar International. The December 29 event will also feature a Demolition Derby. On the first weekend in the New Year (January 2 & 3) Stewart, Schatz and Shaffer will be joined by fellow American Jason Johnson and Australia's best including Brooke Tatnell, Max Dumesny, Robbie Farr, Ryan Farrell and Kerry Madsen to battle for the $50,000 to win Scott Darley race presented by Coca Cola.(BAM Media PR)(12-14-2009)

“The Stewies” will be presented live from Las Vegas: #14-Tony Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum will announce the winners of the “Stewie Awards” - honoring the best, boldest and funniest moments of the 2009 NASCAR season - during a special broadcast airing nationwide on SIRIUS XM Radio, Thursday, December 3 from 7:00 to 9:00pm/pt - 10:00 to 12:00pm/et. Broadcast will air live on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 (with the “Best of SIRIUS”) from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino Masquerade Village Stage in Las Vegas, NV. The event will be open to the public. Guests scheduled to appear live on the show include: #48-Jimmie Johnson, #5-Mark Martin, #24-Jeff Gordon, #2-Kurt Busch, #11-Denny Hamlin, #16-Greg Biffle, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #39-Ryan Newman, #9-Kasey Kahne, #99-Carl Edwards and #83-Brian Vickers. Robin Leach will be the celebrity host.(Sirius)(12-2-2009)

Tony Stewart's "the Stewie" awards return: SIRIUS XM Radio announced that Tony Stewart will host the third annual ‘Stewie Awards,’ the acclaimed awards show that honors the most memorable moments of the NASCAR season. The ‘Stewies,’ which first debuted in 2007 and features Stewart’s entertaining and irreverent take on the best, boldest and funniest moments from the recently concluded season, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, December 3 (10:00pm – 12:00pm/et / 7:00 – 9:00pm/pt). The live broadcast will air on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, available to listeners nationwide on SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package. The two-hour event will feature live interviews with the 2009 champion and other drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Las Vegas, plus other special guests. Stewart and Yocum will announce the nominees in the award categories in the coming weeks. Following the announcement of the nominees, fans around the country can determine the winners by casting their votes online at sirius.com/stewieawards.(SIRIUS XM Radio)(11-15-2009)

Another sponsor for Newman? UPDATE: Stewart Haas Racing is scheduled to make a sponsorship announcement regarding #39-Ryan Newman in 2010 on Sunday morning. One possibility is Bass Pro Shops, though no announcement has been made of a decision by that company to leave Earnhardt Ganassi [and supposedly they are signed with EGR thru 2010]. Bass Pro Shops currently sponsors Martin Truex Jr.'s #1 Chevy [with Jamie McMurray rumored as the driver in 2010]. Truex is leaving for Michael Waltrip Racing [#56 NAPA Toyota] in 2010.(NASCAR This Week)
UPDATE: not Bass Pro Shops but.........Tornados foods will be the primary sponsor of Ryan Newman's #39 Chevy next April at PIR and at four other races.(Arizona Republic)(11-13-2009)

Another sponsor for Newman? UPDATE: Stewart Haas Racing is scheduled to make a sponsorship announcement regarding #39-Ryan Newman in 2010 on Sunday morning. One possibility is Bass Pro Shops, though no announcement has been made of a decision by that company to leave Earnhardt Ganassi [and supposedly they are signed with EGR thru 2010]. Bass Pro Shops currently sponsors Martin Truex Jr.'s #1 Chevy [with Jamie McMurray rumored as the driver in 2010]. Truex is leaving for Michael Waltrip Racing [#56 NAPA Toyota] in 2010.(NASCAR This Week)
UPDATE: not Bass Pro Shops but.........Tornados foods will be the primary sponsor of Ryan Newman's #39 Chevy next April at PIR and at four other races.(Arizona Republic)(11-13-2009)
UPDATE 2 - Tornados Joins Stewart-Haas Racing: Stewart-Haas Racing has announced a two-year partnership with Tornados, a brand of Dinuba, Calif.-based Ruiz Foods, in a press conference Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway. Tornados, the bold taste of savory meats, real cheeses and zesty sauces rolled in a crispy seasoned crust, will adorn Ryan Newman’s #39 Chevy as a primary sponsor for five Sprint Cup races beginning in 2010, and when not serving as a primary, will take associate sponsor status on the car’s lower-rear quarterpanel. Teammate Tony Stewart will also carry Tornados on a portion of the lower-rear quarterpanel of his #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy. The agreement extends through the 2011 season, where Tornados will again be the primary sponsor of Newman and the #39 team for five Sprint Cup races. “We’re very proud to partner with Tornados for the next two years,” said Stewart, who in his first year as a driver/owner has notched five wins for Stewart-Haas Racing, including the non-point NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May. “They’re new to the sport and we aim to make their entry into NASCAR a positive one that will grow their business, and ultimately, grow their involvement within the sport and Stewart-Haas Racing.”
The #39 Tornados Chevy will debut in March at Atlanta and will return in April at Phoenix, in July at Daytona, in August at Michigan before culminating its season run as Newman’s primary sponsor with an October visit to Martinsville. “In this sport, we’re always on the go, whether we’re at home or at the track,” said Newman, winner of the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. “Tornados is an ideal partner for us because a lot of times we have to eat quick, especially at the track. Now, we don’t have to sacrifice taste for speed. They’re a welcome addition to Stewart-Haas Racing and we look forward to many successful years with them.” Tornados offer variety and convenience, contain zero grams trans fat, and are available in a wide variety of innovative flavors that are perfect for breakfast, lunch, For more information about Tornados, please visit www.MyTornados.com.(Stewart-Haas Racing)(11-14-2009)

U.S. Army to return to Newman's #39 in 2010: The U.S. Army Accessions Command announced that the U.S. Army will continue its sponsorship of Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel Dragster in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and will return as a primary sponsor of Ryan Newman and the #39 Chevy for 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010 [was 23 races in 2009].
“Tony Schumacher and Ryan Newman are not only outstanding drivers, they are also powerful and effective advocates for the great men and women of our Army,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, Commanding General U.S. Army Accessions Command. “Both drivers possess and demonstrate a passion for our Army Strong Soldiers and their families. They and their teams share our Army values and demonstrate the mental, emotional and physical strength which are the hallmark of our Soldiers. We are very excited about the opportunities our participation in the National Hot Rod Association and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series present us to tell our Soldiers’ stories and connect with Americans across the country.”
In the U.S. Army’s inaugural year with Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman and the #39 team were able to deliver two poles and a berth in the coveted Chase for the Championship thanks to 15 top-10 finishes and a staggering lap completion rate of 99.76 percent. Off the track, Newman and co-owner Tony Stewart have experienced Soldier greening at different Army posts, including Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Knox, Ky., Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Benning, Ga. They also visited Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and met with the Golden Knights parachute team. It’s a partnership that extends the U.S. Army’s role as a primary sponsor since it first entered the sport in 2003.
“It’s an honor driving the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet and representing the men and women who serve and protect our country,” Newman said. “And much like them, we’re never satisfied. We want to achieve more, and the dedication, teamwork and passion of the Soldiers who defend our country is all the inspiration we need to deliver on the racetrack. There is no group of people more dedicated to service and committed to excellence than the men and women of our armed forces.”
In addition to serving as the primary sponsor for 15 races, including the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the U.S. Army will serve as an associate sponsor on the #39 car for the remaining races. The U.S. Army will also serve as an associate sponsor on Tony Stewart’s #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy, with yearlong placement on the car’s B-post.
“We’re obviously very proud to continue our representation of the U.S. Army,” said Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing along with Oxnard, Calif.-based Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. “We accomplished a lot in our first year together, but we want more. It’s our never-ending goal to put the Soldiers’ car in victory lane, and we appreciate the opportunity to do just that in 2010.”
The U.S. Army Motorsports Program began in September 2000 when Congress directed the Secretary of the Army to conduct a five-year motorsports outreach test. In 2003, building upon the success of the NHRA program, NASCAR was added. In addition to sponsorship of Newman and Schumacher, the programs also include an educational outreach to high school, vo-tech and junior college students focusing on career planning, goal setting, and career opportunities in motorsports and the Army. In addition, on-site interactive displays allow prospects and their influencers to experience what it is like to be a Soldier and to interact with Soldiers.
The U.S. Army Accessions Command, headquartered at Fort Monroe, Va., is charged with providing integrated command and control of recruiting for the Army’s officer, warrant officer, and enlisted forces. Designed to meet the human resource needs of the Army, the command begins the process of transforming volunteers into Soldiers and leaders for the Army. For more information, please visit www.GoArmy.com.(US Army Racing)(11-13-2009)

Office Depot, Stewart Team up to donate backpacks: Office Depot and #14-Tony Stewart are joining the Office Depot Foundation on Wednesday to donate more than 2,200 backpacks to Kansas City-area nonprofit organizations and schools. “Back-To-School Backpack Celebration,” happens at 4:00pm at the Office Depot store at 4851 North Oak Traffic Way in Kansas City. Guests include Kansas City mayor Mark Funkhouser and Shawna Searcy, Clay County Field Representative for Congressman Sam Graves.(PR)(9-30-2009)

Stewart thanks HMS employees in person: On Monday [9/21], #14-Tony Stewart made a surprise visit to the Hendrick Motorsports chassis and engine shop in Concord, NC. It was his second visit this year to thank all those employees face to face for their part in helping both #39-Ryan Newman and Stewart's cars make the chase and for all they've done for them this year.(9-24-2009)

Stewart: Regular-season champ should be honored: #14-Tony Stewart isn't complaining about the way NASCAR resets the points when the Chase for the championship starts. The two-time series champion knows the rules are the rules and besides, he won his second title during the second year of the Chase in 2005. But after dominating the regular season, Stewart admits he'd like something -- anything really -- for his efforts besides a spot behind top-seeded Mark Martin when the 10-race chase begins on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Martin starts the Chase with a 10-point cushion over Stewart and Jimmie Johnson based on his series-high four wins this year. "I think there should be a $1 million bonus to be leading the points, and not just because it's us," said Stewart. "I think there should be something. It doesn't upset me that the points get upset, but I do think there should be a reward for the team that is leading after 26 weeks. That's an accomplishment."(Associated Press/ESPN)(9-20-2009)

Stewart has not made Danica an offer: on Thursday's Dan Patrick Show, #14-Tony Stewart discussed the upcoming Chase for the Cup and the possibility he'll ask Danica Patrick to join his team next year. Here are some of his takes ...
-- Dan asked Stewart if he's going to hire Danica Patrick next season.
"I have not made her an offer," Stewart said. "The one thing I have done is spend some time talking to her." Stewart said that the two of them have evaluated how it would work. He thinks she should start in the Nationwide series instead of Sprint. But Stewart said they don't have a Truck Series of Nationwide Series team, so that might be a problem. See more and listen to more at the Dan Patrick Show site.(9-19-2009)

PRS Guitars donates guitars to drivers: This year’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 marks the fifth year that one winning NASCAR driver will walk away with a four foot tall, fifty pound trophy custom designed and built by PRS [Paul Reed Smith] Guitars from Stevensville, Maryland. In addition, this year six drivers will leave the track with their own PRS guitar that will help aid many more people down the road.
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer have each won a race in Richmond under the domain of Chevrolet. To honor their success and their efforts, PRS held a special press conference Friday at Richmond International Raceway, during which PRS President, Jack Higginbotham presented the aforementioned drivers with a PRS Corvette guitar for their individual charities. Jack Higginbotham, President of Paul Reed Smith Guitars, said, “It is our hope that each of these guitars will develop its own story and have a positive effect on the lives of others. Whether it is cancer research, shelter for the needy or assistance for underprivileged children, each driver has a passion for their cause, and we are honored to help them in their mission.”
PRS’s extensive involvement in racing began with a sponsorship of the world dominating factory Corvette C6.r racing team in 2003. During the past six years, PRS’s involvement in racing has ranged from being a part of large-scale NASCAR events to its own grassroots “Laps For Life” charity event helping support the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.(PRS Guitars site)(9-12-2009)

Stewart wins Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway: Tony Stewart won the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream all-star dirt late model race Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, marking the third time in four years Stewart has won the event. Stewart passed Kenny Wallace on lap 13 of the 30-lap event and led the final 18 laps en route to victory. “This was probably the best I’ve run in the Prelude,” said Stewart, who bought Eldora in 2004. Clint Bowyer finished 3.358 seconds behind Stewart in the runner-up spot, while Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five. Drag Racing standout Cruz Pedregon, David Reutimann, Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson comprised the top-10. There were four caution periods during the event, although the laps conducted under caution did not count. The race, which drew more than 23,000 fans, was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View with proceeds from the nationwide telecast supporting four military-themed charities – Wounded Warrior Project, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Homefront and Fisher House (True Speed Communication). See race results, links and more on my Racing Charities page.(9-10-2009)

Office Depot Small Business of NASCAR named: Office Depot announced Saturday that Dragon Dojo Martial Arts of Panama City, Florida, has been named the fifth annual “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot.” Dragon Dojo Martial Arts owner Shihan Robert Wiest was introduced by Office Depot during a press event this morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Wiest, 44, was joined by Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy and team owner of Stewart-Haas Racing; Norris Scott, Managing Director of Partnership Marketing and Business Solutions at NASCAR; Brett Frood, Executive Vice President at Stewart-Haas Racing; and Ivan Reed, Senior Manager of Campaigns and Sales Promotions for Office Depot. Wiest, who opened Dragon Dojo Martial Arts in 2001 and has grown his business from an initial enrollment of two students to more than 150 today, helped Stewart unveil the special edition #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy featuring his company’s logo. The logo – an eye-catching red dragon – will make its on-track debut during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pep Boys Auto 500 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. As the “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot,” Dragon Dojo Martial Arts will receive invaluable exposure on national television, and the company’s logo will be featured on the rear panel – also known as the TV panel – of the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy at AMS along with a $14,000 Small Business Makeover from Office Depot, VIP race experience at AMS, a private coaching session with NASCAR executives, $1,400 copy & print services card from Office Depot, $1,000 worth of business cards and stationery from Office Depot, One year of Tech Depot Services Tech Support and the use of the “Official Small Business of NASCAR logo until June 1, 2010.(Edelman for Office Depot Racing)(9-6-2009)

No third team for Stewart in 2010: Tony Stewart, #14 Office Depot /Old Spice Chevy, met with members of the media at Atlanta Motor Speedway and discussed many things, including:
HAVE YOU DECIDED THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ADD ANOTHER TEAM FOR NEXT YEAR?: “No, it’s too late to do something for next year. We’re two weeks before the Chase and we’re going to be very focused on hopefully keeping two cars with a chance to possibly win a championship. We just didn’t get far enough down to get something done for next year and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This is a decision where timing is everything for it and when we do it, it doesn’t matter when it happens, but when it does we want it to be the right timing and the right situation.”(GM Racing)(9-6-2009)

Danica to NASCAR in 2010 but not leaving IRL: Danica Patrick will "all but certainly" be in NASCAR in 2010, but won't give up Indy car racing and will limit next year's activity to the Nationwide Series and Trucks, according to a source very close to the situation. Tony Stewart is the "star candidate" to be her partner and mentor in NASCAR, the source said, adding that Patrick's recent visits to Stewart-Haas Racing were much more than social -- that she and Stewart were discussing a deal, and are close to one. The plan is for Patrick to run a significant number of Nationwide races, with additional seat time in Trucks and ARCA cars. Stewart took a similar transitional path to NASCAR in 1998, running a full Indy car schedule and also 22 Nationwide (then Busch) races. Patrick's likeliest first stock car race would be the ARCA event at Daytona during SpeedWeeks next February. Because Stewart's team has neither Nationwide cars nor trucks in its stable, a third partner will be brought into the mix, the source said -- possibly Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports, or, more likely, Kevin Harvick Inc., which fields both Trucks and Nationwide cars. Patrick is close to signing a contract renewal with Andretti Green Racing for Indy cars, the source said, but it's not a done deal yet. Sponsorship is not considered an issue for America's top female driver, and the first car manufacturer to sign Patrick to a NASCAR deal would get a big boost in brand exposure.(ESPN)(9-6-2009)

Another visit to SHR by Danica? UPDATE: Lucky timing for several race fans who got a surprise at Stewart Hass Racing on Monday afternoon. As they witnessed Tony Stewart giving Danica Patrick a personal tour of Stewart Hass Racing. It's at least her second visit to SHR.(9-2-2009)
UPDATE: After Danica Patrick made a second visit to his race shop earlier this week, talking with reporters at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart left little doubt NASCAR racing is in her future. "I know that she's serious about it. I know that's what she wants to do." The two-time Sprint Cup Champion added, "I don't think she has some misguided idea that it's going to be easy to do it. She wants to do it the right way. She has the intentions of doing everything right and she's kind of come to us to see our opinion about how she should go about it." Stewart also made it clear, he doesn't see Patrick leaving the Indy Racing League in the short term, "I think she wants to know how to make the transition I think more than anything and she's trying to put together her IRL deal and try to transition that into NASCAR. So, I think she's trying to do it the right way. She's not just cutting the cord and then all of sudden jumping in a car that she's unfamiliar with. She wants to stay successful where she's at, but at the same time try to figure out a way to be able to drive and get some seat time in a car to where she can start learning to where when she does come out that she's got her act together. I think she really wants to do it. It's just trying to figure out the time frame and what steps should she take to do it right and to show everybody that she wants to do it the right way."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(9-5-2009)

U.S. Army Education Clinic at AMS with Tony Stewart: The U.S. Army Education Outreach Program has partnered with Tony Stewart to host a free education program at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, Sept. 4 from 9:00an until 1:00pm. Stewart will speak to students about goal setting and career-opportunities in motorsports. The speaking panel will also include Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark, among others. More info at goarmy.com.(AMS)(9-3-2009)

Stewart has one-two punch at Watkins Glen: #14-Tony Stewart has now finished first or second in six straight starts at Watkins Glen. That hasn't happened much in Sprint Cup Series history, just 11 times, and only four times over the last 20 seasons:
Most consecutive top-two Cup finishes at a track since 1990
Seasons -- Driver -- Top-twos -- Track
2001-04 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 7 -- Talladega
2004-09 -- Tony Stewart -- 6 -- Watkins Glen
2004-06 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 6 -- Charlotte
1992-95 -- Rusty Wallace -- 6 -- Martinsville
The Record all-time? Richard Petty had 11 straight top-two finishes at Richmond from 1970-1975.(ESPN)(8-12-2009)

Three Sponsors, three wins for Stewart: #14-Tony Stewart has three sponsors who server as primary sponsors for a certain number of races, Old Spice, Office Depot and Burger King. Stewart has won three races in 2010 [so far], with each sponsor getting a win:
Office Dept won at Pocono in June
Burger King won at Daytona in July
Old Spice won at Watkins Glen in August.

Stewart wins at Watkins Glen: #14-Tony Stewart won the The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen for his 3rd win of 2009, 5th win at Watkins Glen and 36th win of his career. #47-Ambrose finished 2nd for his career best, followed by #99-Edwards, #18-Busch, #16-Biffle, #42-Montoya, #2-Busch, #13-Papis [career best], #33-Bowyer and #11-Hamlin. Pole sitter #48-Johnson finished 12th. #24-Gordon and #88-Earnhardt Jr. were involved in wrecks with Gordon finishing 37th and the #88 finished 39th. Stewart now leads Johnson in the drivers points by 260 points with four races until the Chase. #18-Busch is still 13th in points, but went from 101 points behind 12th to 58 out of 12th, now held by #17-Kenseth. There were 5 cautions for 13 caution laps, a 19 minute red flag for a wreck and there were 12 lead changes among 7 drivers. By the way, a light rain started just after the race ended.
Scheduled Race Re-Air: ESPN Classic on Monday, August 10 at 1:00pm/et; and SPEED, Wednesday, August 12 at 12:00pm/et.
For race results, awards and more, see my Watkins Glen Results Page.
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers Points Standings page.(8-10-2009)

Stewart not expected to expand to three teams UPDATE: Owner/driver Tony Stewart says he doesn’t foresee his Stewart-Haas Racing organization expanding to include a third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team in 2010. Stewart-Haas currently fields the #14 Chevrolet for Stewart as well as the #39 Chevrolet for teammate Ryan Newman. “We’re at a point in the season right now where we’re getting close to the Chase [For The Sprint Cup], and we’re focused on that,” Stewart said Tuesday while hosting the second annual Smoke Show fantasy camp at Texas Motor Speedway. “We would pretty much have to have the decision, the agreements on all that already done. We’d have to have the driver, the sponsor; we’d have to have that done by now to be able for it to be feasible for next year.” While Stewart has previously said that he would be open to adding a third team in the future, he said Tuesday that expansion wouldn’t come “at the sacrifice of performance.”(SceneDaily)(8-7-2009)
UPDATE: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at Watkins Glen International and discussed many topics, including expanding to a third team:
HOW UNLIKELY IS IT THAT YOU WILL RUN A THIRD CAR IN 2010?
Stewart: “I don’t think we’ve ruled that out yet. It’s getting to the point in the season if we’re going to do a third team and have a third team for next season it would have to happen pretty quickly. At least having the sponsor and driver lined up to make sure that we have an adequate amount of time to get all the tools and pieces in place for next year. But I would say it’s not very likely right now.”
DID YOU BUILD STEWART-HAAS WITH EXPANSION IN MIND IN TERMS OF SPACE AND EQUIPMENT AND PEOPLE? HOW SIMPLE OR SEAMLESS WOULD IT BE TO EXPAND FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE?
STewart: "The building is capable of holding three teams for sure. That's not a problem. It's just adding people and making sure that the funding is in place. It would be adding a little more equipment and people, but having that funding and the driver is the biggest key."(GM Racing)(8-7-2009)

Stewart can clinch chase spot: #14-Tony Stewart can clinch a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend, yet another accolade in his dream first season as a driver-owner. If Stewart leaves Watkins Glen with a 781-point lead on the 13th-place driver, he clinches. He currently has a 726-point lead on 13th-place #18-Kyle Busch.(NASCAR)(8-6-2009)

Stewart wrecks in practice: #14-Tony Stewart, scheduled to start first in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday after qualifying was rained out, wrecked just a few minutes into Saturday's first practice. Stewart got loose between turn 2 and 3, hit the wall and spun around, doing serious damage to the right side and rear end of the #14 Old Spice Swagger Chevy. The team pulled out the backup car and Stewart will have to fall to the rear of the field before the green flag on Sunday. Stewart had the same problem at Pocono back in June. Qualifying was rained out, so Stewart started first as the points leader. Stewart wrecked in practice and went to a back, started at the rear of the field and won the race.(8-1-2009)
MORE - Stewart talks about wreck..a little bit: Tony Stewart, #14 Old Spice Swagger/Office Depot Chevy, was involved in a single car accident in turn three at Pocono Raceway during practice for Sunday's race. Stewart will drop to the back of the field prior to the start:
WHAT HAPPENED? “I just…I screwed up. I got in too deep and got loose and couldn’t save it.”
LAST TIME HERE YOU CAME FROM THE BACK AND WON, DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY MORE CONFIDENCE? “I know we can do it. I tore up a really good race car today.”
WHAT LAP ON THE TRACK WAS THAT FOR YOU? “Second.”
ARE YOU JUST MAD AT YOURSELF? “Yes.”
Data on the backup car for Stewart: Chassis No. 14-487 car is a carryover chassis from the former Haas CNC team, with a new front clip and body installed prior to the 2009 season. It debuted at Martinsville in March 2008 with Jeremy Mayfield at the wheel. He qualified 31st and finished 32nd. Chassis No. 14-487’s next start came at Richmond in May, where Johnny Sauter drove it to a 37th-place starting spot and a 33rd-place finish. It ran again in June at New Hampshire in Loudon, with Sauter qualifying 37th and finishing 37th. The car was then tested at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., in October in preparation for Martinsville later that month. There, Tony Raines started 43rd and finished 40th. Its last start of 2008 came in October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where Raines finished 21st after starting 43rd. Tony Stewart tested Chassis No. 14-487 with its new clip and body on Jan. 14, 2009 at New Smyrna Speedway in preparation for its first start of 2009 at Auto Club Speedway. There, it enjoyed a solid outing, qualifying sixth and finishing seventh. It was fitted with a new nose and tested in the wind tunnel in preparation for its seventh career start at Darlington, where it qualified 18th and delivered a strong third-place finish – Stewart’s best result in 17 career Sprint Cup starts at Darlington.(Chevy Racing)(8-1-2009)

Stewart still considering a third team: #14-Tony Stewart met with members of the media, part of the transcript:
STEWART - WHERE ARE YOU ABOUT ADDING A THIRD TEAM TO STEWART-HAAS RACING: “We are definitely open to it for sure. We are interested for sure. We feel like it is a matter of timing, it is everything. I don’t know that something would happen for next year. I think we are getting close to the stage of the season where it may get too late to have that opportunity to add a third car for next year. It is something that at least as a company we feel comfortable with and feel like with the right opportunity, that it is definitely possible.”(Chevy Racing)(8-1-2009)

Stewart looking to enter select club at Pocono: The Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 2nd will be the 64th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the 2.5 mile Super Speedway. Since 1982, Pocono Raceway has hosted two races each year (total of 28 years) in NASCAR's premier series. During that time only six drivers have won both Pocono races in the same year. #14-Tony Stewart, who is currently leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race, won the 2009 Pocono 500 on June 7th and has an excellent chance to become the seventh driver to complete the "Pocono Sweep." If Stewart wins the August 2nd Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, he will join an elite company of NASCAR greats: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1985), Tim Richmond (1986), Bobby Labonte (1999), Jimmie Johnson (2004) and Denny Hamlin (2006) as the only drivers to accomplish the "Pocono Sweep". For Pocono Raceway ticket information, call toll free 1-800-RACEWAY or visit poconoraceway.com.(Pocono Raceway)(7-28-2009)

Stewart's Dad attends Indy, after flipping in race: #14-Tony Stewart's father, Nelson, attended Sunday's race after flipping his three-quarter midget in a race Saturday night at the Rush County Fairgrounds. The 71-year-old Stewart was not injured. "I just ran out of talent," he said.(Indianapolis Star)(7-27-2009)

Tony Stewart Joins International Motorsports Industry Show: Officials from the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) announced that two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has assumed a partnership role in the inaugural event Dec. 2-3, 2009 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. The two-day IMIS trade show offers individuals and companies from all facets of the racing business the chance to interact, share ideas and products, build relationships and attended seminars to improve motorsports around the world, all while showcasing Indianapolis as the capital of the worldwide motorsports industry.
Stewart owns or co-owns 14 racing-related businesses, including Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart Racing in USAC and theWorld of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and True Speed Communication, a media relations agency specializing in motorsports. The Columbus, Ind., native also owns Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and is a partner in Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway and Macon (Ill.) Speedway.
“Being from Indiana, I know how important it is for Indianapolis to have something like the International Motorsports Industry Show,” Stewart said. “IMIS is an event for true racers at all levels, and there’s no better place to host it than a place with a rich motorsports heritage like Indianapolis. But, in addition to its history, Indianapolis also has a tremendous amount of racing-related businesses. There are several IndyCar, USAC, Grand-Am, NHRA and World of Outlaws teams based in Indy, and more racing-related products and services than you can count. That’s why it makes sense to have IMIS in Indianapolis.”
Stewart’s USAC and World of Outlaws teams are housed in Brownsburg, Ind., just 11 miles west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while the home offices of Tony Stewart Racing are located in the Park 100 area on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
The Indiana Motorsports Association (IMA), which works toward unifying all motorsports business-related interests within the state of Indiana and to enrich the economic impact of Indiana motorsports businesses, is serving as the host for IMIS. Tony Stewart Racing has been a member of the IMA for more than two years. More than 300 booths have already been booked for IMIS, but for racing companies and people interested there is limited space still available. For details on how to be a part of the show, visit www.imis-indy.com.(True Speed Communication)(7-25-2009)

Danica says no to F1 try: During a visit to Los Angeles to attend the ESPY Awards, Danica Patrick also talked about her recent visit to Tony Stewart's NASCAR shop, the prospects of her moving to the Formula One series and other topics in a question-and-answer session: Have you at least narrowed down the series where you would drive next year? "I'd say it's probably not F1." You don't have any interest in this new U.S. team being formed for F1? "Not really, and the fact that to my knowledge they've never called. I've had opportunities to take it a step further with Formula One, and I don't want to lead anyone down a path. It's not in my heart to go there. I've explored Europe before. I particularly like to be here and I like my family and I like my friends and I like my creature comforts of my home country."(Los Angeles Times)(7-20-2009)

Danica visits Stewart Haas: UPDATE2: IRL star Danica Patrick was at Stewart Haas racing today on a personal shop tour, she even went into the fan zone and signed autographs for a bunch of surprised fans who were visiting the shop.(7-13-2009)
UPDATE: Patrick was a guest of team owner Tony Stewart last fall at Phoenix. But the two-time Cup champion was not available to be a guide Monday because he was at a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. According to sources, Patrick was introduced to Ryan Newman, crew chief Tony Gibson, General Manager Bobby Hutchens and engineer Matt Borland. The tour included stops in the fabrication shop and a look at the seven-post shaker rig.(FoxSports)(7-14-2009)
AND: SHR isn't the only place [Danica Patrick] visited during a daylong skip-hop in Charlotte. She went to Roush Fenway. She went to Michael Waltrip Racing and Richard Childress Racing, too. And her day began at Joe Gibbs Racing.(ESPN)(7-18-2009)

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