#14-Tony Stewart will return to his roots to race an open-wheeled midget car in the 14th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center. Stewart has entered his black #2 Munchkin car for both days of the indoor event on Friday, Dec. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 31. He has won a record seven times on the 1/6-mile track but will be appearing at Fort Wayne for the first time since 2008. More information is available at www.rumbleseries.com.(TonyStewart.com)
AND #14-Tony Stewart will return to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the 2012 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals it was announced Monday. Joining Stewart on his Tony Stewart Racing team at the annual event will be NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., USAC champion Bryan Clauson and 2011 POWRi rookie of the year Jake Blackhurst. The Chili Bowl, held at the QuikTrip Center in Tulsa, Okla., begins Jan. 10. More info at chilibowl.com.(RacinToday)(12-28-2011)
UPDATE: ‘Those of you who cheered, thank you,’ said #14-Tony Stewart after winning his record eighth event at the Rumble in Fort Wayne, IN on Friday night at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center. ‘Those of you who booed can kiss my ass.’ Yes, it was the same old Stewart on Friday, who outdistanced the competition in the midget feature to earn the victory in a 20-year old Volkswagen-powered Munchkin that was built more than 20 years ago by Roanoke resident Mike Fedorcak. Since 2004, Stewart has stuck with the Munchkin at the Rumble and has won seven times. ‘This car is 20 years old, but when it was built it was way, way ahead of its time,’ Stewart said. ‘This is just a car that’s fun to drive, it’s easy to work on and set up.’ After a two-year absence in which Stewart was overseas doing, what else, racing cars, the Indiana native returned this year to the Rumble and other area events, including racing in Indianapolis last week and looking ahead to the indoor Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. ‘The last two years we took a break (from racing locally), but now we are back to our old schedule,’ Stewart said. ‘We are glad to do them again.’ The second day of the Rumble in Fort Wayne continues today, with gates opening at 11 a.m. Stewart plans to race in the midget events again, going for his second sweep of the two midget features. He also swept both events in 2006. Also featured tonight will be mini-sprints and winged midget features.(Fort Worth News-Sentinel)(12-31-2011)
UPDATE2 – Stewart wins again: With 56 minutes to spare, Tony Stewart squeezed yet another victory into a year that already was reaching mythical proportions. Taking the checkered flag at 11:04 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, the three-time NASCAR champion completed a weekend sweep of the 14th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne indoor midget races, winning Saturday’s 50-lap feature in dominating fashion. While he celebrated with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, not champagne, Stewart seemed to treasure his latest accomplishment as much as his hard-fought Sprint Cup title. ‘This is the first time I ‘ve ever raced on New Year’s Eve,’ the 40-year-old Indiana native said, a smile creasing his face. ‘It’s been a dream year. I won by first World of Outlaws race and the (NASCAR) championship. Then I won at Conseco (in an all-star kart race in Indianapolis) and won here two times. What a great way to finish the year. It’s going to be hard to keep this up, but it’s going to be a lot of fun trying.’ Even Stewart seemed astonished when somebody pointed out that he’s won an amazing eight times in his past 13 races, starting with his 5-for-10 charge to the NASCAR championship. His numbers at the 1/6-mile track at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center are similar. After sweeping the two-day program for the second time in his career, he’s won nine times in 14 career starts. He’s been the fast qualifier in each of his past 10 appearances. Jon Stanbrough finished second in a car that caught fire early in the race. Rex Norris III, Billy Wease and Dave Darland completed the top five, each taking turns coming from the rear of the field.(indianaopenwheel.com)(1-1-2012)