#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 justI 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)
