Tony Stewart

Gettin’ Closer

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

I can’t believe it…we are thisclose to the Daytona 500.   I am ready to get the 2009 season underway.  I want my NASCAR racing.  Of course, the first NASCAR racing will take place on February 7 with the Bud Shootout.  And I thought it was going to be a “Smoke”-free event, but not any more my fellow Smoke friends.  It was announced today the field has been expanded from 24 to 28 cars.  That’s right…there can be 7 cars from each manufacturer.  So that means Tony will be representing the Chevrolet camp as well in the #14.  Woo Hoo!!!

This isn’t the only change that has occurred during the off season.  The merger between Gillete-Evernham and Petty Enterprises was finalized, but not without some controversy.  I still don’t know what happened with the #19 situation.  First Sadler was in, then out and replaced by Allmendinger and then back in.  Was this all much ado about nothing?  At this point I don’t really care.  Just get everything done so we can move on with other items in the news.  Bobby Labonte left Petty and now is in the Hall of Fame Racing/Yates #96 for the 2009 season.  I am glad Bobby has found him a ride for the season.  I think he has some racing left in him…and after all he is a Texas boy.

We also had the DEI-Ganassi merger as well.  And I read that Max Siegal left DEI to head up NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.  I haven’t seen much on the DEI front, but I am sure they are busy working away over there.

Let’s see who else has made changes for the 2009 season.

  • Clint Bowyer is now in the #33 and Casey Mears who came over from HMS to be the driver in #07.  In my opinion, they should have left Clint in his car and put Casey in the new car.  I don’t see Casey as a Jack Daniels driver.
  • Mark Martin is back full time in the #5 vacated by Casey Mears.  Will this be the year he will get that elusive championship?  He will definitely have a pretty good shot over at HMS.
  • Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will definitely be worth watching this year.  They may struggle a little, but it’s going to be fun to watch.
  • David Stremme is now with Penske driving the #12.
  • Joey Lagano will take over the #20 for JGR.  I just can’t see anyone else in the #20 right now.  It is still a little new to think I will have to look for that #14 red Office Depot car on the track.

I know there have been some more driver/team/sponsor changes, but there are just too many for me to keep up with.  I guess we will all need a program guide to get everyone straight.  

I am a little pumped for this year.  I am hoping Tony will prove to those naysayers out there driver/owners can be competitive and win.  Tony is very passionate and wants to win.  He will prove that he made the right decision by leaving his established life at JGR to venture out on his own.  If his success with Eldora Speedway is any indication, watch out boys!

2009 Bud Shootout

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Can I just say, I am not so thrilled about watching the 2009 Bud Shootout.  I know I probably will just because it means the beginning of the 2009 NASCAR season as well as signifying that the Daytona 500 is just around the corner.  However, I was not happy with the changes that were made with the Shootout.  I like the old way the lineup was determined.  If you are not goingt to reward those drivers who earned a pole, then why have the award.  Of course, in a sense they are rewarded by starting in the first position during a race weekend, but too me I just don’t agree with it.

The Shootout will consist of the top 6 drivers in owner’s points from each of the 4 manufacturers.  Gone now are those drivers who won a pole the previous year as well as past Shootout winners who didn’t earn a pole but finished among the top 50 in the season’s final championship standings.  The new rules will leave out a few notables, including Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, and even Tony Stewart.  And there may be a possibility of a few others depending on the Petty Enterprises ~ GEM possible merger. There are also a few other changes to the Shootout…they race will now be 75 laps instead of 70 laps.  There will also be also be a 10 minute intermission after 25 laps so drivers can change tires, fuel, etc.  I know they are trying to make the event more exciting by have basically a 50 lap shootout, but I just want racing.   But I guess that’s why I sit at home and watch on television.

I understand this change was probably due more to a sponsor driven effort than anything.  I mean heave forbid Coors Light and Budweiser work together to give us fans something worth watching.  I am not saying it won’t be worth watching, but it is going to be hard for me to watch a race where Tony is not racing.  With that being said, here is your 2009 Bud Shootout lineup.

Chevrolet

  • #48 Jimmie Johnson
  • #29 Kevin Harvick
  • #07 Casey Mears (Clint will be in the #33 for 2009)
  • #31 Jeff Burton
  • #24 Jeff Gordon
  • #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dodge

  • #9 Kasey Kahne
  • #12 David Stremme (Ryan is now with SHR for 2009)
  • #43 (TBA)
  • #19 Elliott Sadler
  • #10 Reed Sorenson

Ford

  • #99 Carl Edwards
  • #16 Greg Biffle
  • #17 Matt Kenseth
  • #6 David Ragan
  • #26 Jamie McMurray
  • #28 Travis Kvapil

Toyota

  • #11 Denny Hamlin
  • #20 Joey Logano (Tony is now with SHR for 2009)
  • #18 Kyle Busch
  • #83 Brian Vickers
  • #00 David Reutiman (reminder he drove the #44 in 2008)

Tony-Person of the Year

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

I have to say I am a little down this morning…my beloved Red Raiders got their assess handed to them on a silver platter on Saturday night by that team from Norman. But I am ok and have come in off the ledge thanks to this…

tony-person-of-the-year-002

That’s right…”the other man” in my life has been named Person of the Year by NASCAR Illustrated.  If you have not picked up your copy of NASCAR Illustrated I would suggest you pick up your copy now.  Not only is there a great article on Tony, but there is an extra bonus…a fold out poster that is suitable for hanging in my office.   

I can’t wait until the 2009 season begins…according to the clock on my desktop..it’s 2 months, 21 days, 8 hours and 39 minutes.

Oh…and the newest Tony wear is now available for purchase at both NASCAR.com Superstore and Tony Stewart.com.

I just purchased this shirt from Tony Stewart.com. My first, new Tony shirt for 2009! Don’t worry, I will have more in my wardrobe shortly.

shr-shirt1

I am hoping someone who really knows how much I need new Tony shirts will order this one from NASCAR.com Superstore (wink, wink Postman, Ms. H., or whoever feels the need to help a Tony fan out).  If you are not sure where to go, just let me know and I be more than happy to guide you there. I am also open to other new Tony items as well. Postman already has the new car on order from our local NASCAR dealer. Gotta love someone who takes care of this Tony fan.

tony-new-shirt

 

Update…I am planning to work on the 2009 Trixies over the Thanksgiving holidays.  I have quite a bit of spare time since I am not pulling off the entire Thanksgiving day dinner.  WOO HOO!!

Tony

/ Trixie / 2 Comments

6056748_7_1I can’t believe tomorrow will be the last time Tony will get behind the wheel of the #20 Home Depot car. All of us Stewart fans knew this was coming at the end of the season and I think we are pretty much prepared, but it is still going to be hard. It’s going to be somewhat strange to see another driver in the #20. For ten years we have watched Tony mature into one of the top drivers in NASCAR. He has 33 wins, 129 Top 5, 206 Top 10 with an average finish of 12.7 and an average points position of 4.88. And we mustn’t forget those two championships in 2002 and 2005. Tomorrow will also end the longest driver/crew chief duo as Tony and Zippy say goodbye to one another. It will be an emotional day for the whole #20 team as well as Joe Gibbs racing.

I am looking forward to the 2009 season and Tony’s next chapter in NASCAR.  It’s going to be nice to see Tony back in a Chevy and racing under his own terms.  It’s going to be interesting to see how Darian and Tony will interact. Ah…to be on the team channel next year.  I may have to get Direct TV after all just so that I can listen to the driver to crew chief chatter.  I have always said Tony could driver just anything he gets behind the wheel of…so next year will be the most exciting in a long time for us Smoke fans.  I am going out on limb and say Tony will make the Chase next year.  This change will, in my opinion, put fire in his belly and we will see Tony standing in victory lane more often than we did this year.

I will be watching tomorrow to see Jimmie can make NASCAR history and win his 3rd championship in a row joining the only other driver Carl Yarborough to accomplish this feat.  I don’t believe Carl will overcome his deficit to win the championship.  Things have to play into Carl’s hands in order for him to win the championship.  It’s going to be fun to watch tomorrow.

I am not sure about the ban on testing for the 2009 season.  I haven’t had a chance to read the articles about it.  I have been trying to get through all this adoption stuff the last couple of days.   I am still thinking about it all.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am in the middle of working on the 2008 Trixies.  I try to post them during Championship or shortly thereafter.  It all depends on what is going on in The Park.  But don’t worry I will get them posted.

For those friends and family I have neglected and/or ignored the past 9 months, you now have my undivided attention.  The NASCAR season will be officially over tomorrow evening.  I now have some time in my schedule, well until February.  Usually it was until January, but with this ban on testing, January has now opened up for functions and parties.  I know for some us we mark off our calendars until the Daytona 500 and we try to find that replacement for our NASCAR until the season begins.  I can focus on football until the green flag flies for the 2009 Daytona 500.

Race 4: Talladega

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Wow…that’s really all I can say about Talladega.

Congratualations to my driver Tony Stewart for picking up his first win of 2008, his first win in #20 Home Depot Toyota (and yes I know it was Subway), and his first win at Talladega. Of course there is always a little controversy that surrounds Smoke. I have tried to keep a perspective about the whole yellow line thing because I guess I am a rules girl. NASCAR explained to the drivers on Sunday morning the rule about the yellow line. You can’t go below it…period. If a driver goes below the yellow line then they will suffer the consequences. And in this race fan’s opinion that’s what exactly happened on Sunday. I really don’t feel like debating the whole did Stewart push the #01 down below the yellow line. Regan Smith was there and he advanced his position. And in my eyes and NASCAR that was a big no-no. It was the green-white checker and Tony was leading. Tony was going to do everything in his power to win on Sunday. Tony was going to protect the bottom to prevent the others from getting a run. We have seen it time and time again at other tracks. Drivers do what they need to do to get the victory. That’s racing.

I have to say Carl Edwards went from “wow, what a great move” to “WTF just happened” in the matter of a 7 days. I know about 20 laps left at Talladega is when everyone turns it up a notch and Sunday was no exception. Carl basically took out two of his Roush teammates along with a few others including Dale Jr who was having a typical Talladega run. I have to say Carl did apologize causing the big one. Of course, with Carl and Greg involved in this crash, it helped out Jimmie. He left Talladega still with the points lead.

It was strange some teams were having tire issues. I don’t see Talladega as a track that will give the teams fits about tires. But as we all know tires have a mind of there own. They weren’t just getting cut, but exploding. Just ask Dale Jr., or Brian Vickers, or Denny Hamlin. In fact, he was taken to a local hospital after his crash at Talladega. When you slam into going that fast, even with all the safety measures in place, you are going to feel it.

Now that Talladega is out of the way, we can look to the remaining races. Next up Lowes, or as the race commentators say, Jimmie’s House. Oh and by the way, it’s on Saturday night! I love Saturday night racing.

Well, I am still recovering from my trip to Chicago. I have to say I had a wonderful time, but I don’t think I could live there. Too big of a city for me. However, I was able to experience ESPN Zone and all that it entails. I love ESPN Zone! I mean come on, you have a tv at any angle. While there my fellow co-worker and I were able to eat with Jeff Daniels. That’s right star of Dumb and Dumber was eating dinner at ESPN Zone with us. Ok…maybe he was three tables away, but we were there and he was there and we were eating dinner. So, in my world, we had dinner together. Of course I didn’t get a way with from the place without purchasing a few souvenirs. My favorite…a coffee mug with the following on it…”Yes, I am a woman, I know the game, I watch ESPN”. How can I not purchase this mug?

And we were able to get a bird’s eye view of Chicagoland Speedway.

I was able to see Kansas Speedway, but did have the forethought to pull out the camera.

Sorry for interrupting the race post with my Chicago highlights, but it was a great trip and has refocused me with regards to my job as an advisor. In fact we will be making a few moves in the office and I will be able to get back to what I love–working with students. I work with students now, but not as many as I would like. This new change hopefully will get me out of that professional funk I have been in lately. And with that here are a couple highlights of my trip….

  • Chicago style pizza…yum
  • Magnificent Mile…lots of walking
  • Navy Pier…lots of water, ships, and Navy men
  • Bubba Gump Shrimp Company….great food and atmosphere as well as a cute waiter named Tony! (waiter in the middle…the one behind us wanted to join in the fun and hoped into the picture)