When Tony Stewart fires up his engine for the Cabelas 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday August 16, his car wont be the only thing rollin at MIS, as Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down will perform a post-race concert following the Cabelas 250. Tony Stewart will be participating in his first NASCAR Busch Series race since 1998 in a car that will feature a 3 Doors Down paint scheme for Chance 2 Motorsports car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart, and Earnhardt Jr. recently appeared in the bands latest video The Road Im On [see my driver appearances page for the links to view the video]. The Road Im On video and song mark the follow up to 3 Doors Downs top-selling, Grammy-nominated single, When Im Gone. Both songs are featured on their multi-platinum sophomore release, Away from the Sun. Tickets are still available for the Cabelas 250, featuring the post-race concert by 3 Doors Down. All seats are just $50 and children 12 and under are admitted free. The concert will follow the completion of the Cabelas 250 in the Water Tower Lot across from the Speedways Administration building outside turn 1 of the track. For tickets, call the MIS Ticket Office at 1-800-354-1010 or go on-line at www.MISpeedway.com.(Michigan International Speedway PR)(7-30-2003)
UPDATE: Tony Stewart will be driving an orange and black Chevrolet this weekend, but it won’t be his usual #20. Instead, the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion will be driving the #8 Chevrolet for Chance 2 Motorsports in the Busch Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 15. The entry is owned by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart and the Earnhardt’s have partnered up for the one-race deal in the Cabela’s 250 that will carry the names and faces of 3 Doors Down. Chance 2 Motorsports was founded by the Earnhardt’s in the summer of 2002 to run a limited Busch schedule. The team also provides the opportunity for Dale Jr. to compete in the Busch Series and an avenue to showcase skills of up and coming drivers. With four wins in only eight starts, Chance 2 has swept the three-restrictor plate races in 2003 with Dale Jr. behind the wheel. Tony Stewart joins Steve Park, Hank Parker Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. on the list of drivers who’ve all taken their turn wheeling the Chance 2 machine this season. This isn’t the first time Dale Jr. and Stewart have partnered for a project. Currently receiving air play on MTV and VH1, the two are featured in the 3 Doors Down music video ‘The Road I’m On.’ Filmed in Concord, N.C., it all started with a casual conversation and they next thing they knew, a deal was struck between two of the biggest names in NASCAR. The winning combination on the track became a winner on the airwaves. At Michigan, Stewart will be behind the wheel, Earnhardt Jr. on the pit box and 3 Doors Down on the car as they work their way to Victory Lane.
QUOTES
“Dale Earnhardt helped me out a lot in my rookie year, and I have always had a great respect for what he did for our sport,” Stewart said. “Junior and I thought this would be fun. He wants to call the race from the pit box and I want to race one of his cars. He says he’ll be my boss for the day, and that should be very interesting. Dale Jr. called me and asked me if I was interested to race the car. It sounded like a lot of fun and I’ve been watched the fun he’s been having in his Busch car this year. That was my first reaction. The night he called me with the invitation, I got to thinking about all the types of cars I’ve driven in my career and the only two types of cars I haven’t won in is a Busch Series car and a Sports Car. So, I think this would be a great opportunity to get my first Busch victory. At that point, it became an easy decision to hook up with Dale Jr. and Chance 2. I haven’t seen the car or sat in it yet, but I know his crew chief and I have all the faith and know he has good equipment. I’m not worried, we’ll go to Michigan and we’ll be fine. When we shot the video with 3 Doors Down, it went from 6 p.m. – 6 a.m. the next day. It made for a long night, but it was well worth it.”
“Tony and I used to be rivals when we both raced in the Busch Series,” Dale Jr. said. “Since then we’ve become good friends and I thought it would awesome if he drove for Chance 2 for one race. When we did the video with 3 Doors Down, both of us got to know the band and how much they enjoy NASCAR. We thought it would be cool for them to be on a Chance 2 car with Tony driving..And, I guess we’re returning the favor to them for letting us show off our acting skills.”
“Tony is a true racer,.he will drive anything with wheels on it,” said Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion, crew chief. “He just wants to win. He reminds me of one of our car owners. I am very proud of our guys, we’ve worked hard but we’re having a lot of fun doing it. They have put a lot of effort into every car we have run this year..Since we don’t have many full-time guys, we have to work really hard to get ready for each race..The goal for the weekend is to repeat our pole and victory at Daytona.” (DEI PR), see image of the car om my Busch Series Paint Scheme page.(8-12-2003)
