Stewart breaks winless streak
JOLIET, Ill. – Tony Stewart is a winner again.
And one day after a brief but intense lecture from Joe Gibbs, Stewart says his rift with teammate Denny Hamlin has been patched.
Stewart won the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, breaking a 20-race winless streak that dated to last season and turning around what had otherwise been a tumultuous week for the two-time series champion.
Between the bad breaks that cost him possible victories earlier in the year and this week’s high-profile feud with Hamlin, Stewart seemed more relieved than elated by the victory – though he still managed to climb the frontstretch fence in celebration.
The Nextel Cup series is off next weekend, and Stewart can’t wait.
“You have no idea how glad I am to have the week off,” Stewart said. “I’m taking this momentum on vacation. I’ve got a case of Schlitz that I fully intend on getting to the bottom of the cardboard box tonight, even if have to do it by myself.”
Hamlin and Stewart spent the week trading barbs in the media after the two teammates wrecked at Daytona International Speedway last week. The situation became ugly enough for team owner Gibbs to take a last-minute detour from a planned vacation and come to the track on Saturday to gather Stewart and Hamlin for a hastily arranged meeting.
“The good part is, it was fairly short, because Joe can get long-winded sometimes,” Stewart said. “But it was a great meeting. That’s Joe Gibbs’ strength, he knows how to motivate people and he knows how to keep a team atmosphere.”
Gibbs was not present at the track Sunday, but his son, team president J.D. Gibbs, said Stewart and Hamlin got a glimpse of how Gibbs handles his football team instead of the more laid-back demeanor the coach usually carries through the NASCAR garage area.
“He was a little more intense yesterday then he normally is in the racing world,” Gibbs said.
Stewart said he and Hamlin worked well on the track Sunday, using hand signals – no, not the R-rated kind – to communicate strategies during the race.
And, for the first time in a long time, Stewart finished the day in victory lane.
It didn’t hurt that Stewart’s strongest competitor, Jimmie Johnson, hit the wall with 45 laps remaining after his tire suddenly went flat.
Johnson walked away without any serious injuries beyond a sore elbow, but it left his car mangled and ruined his chance at a victory.
Matt Kenseth held off a charge from teammate Carl Edwards to finish second. Edwards finished third, followed by Kevin Harvick and pole-sitter Casey Mears.
With two cars in the top three on Sunday, it was another step forward in what started off as a down year for the Roush-Fenway team.
“I think we’ve been working pretty hard, and we’ve been gaining some ground,” Edwards said.
The day belonged to Stewart, whose last victory came Nov. 5, 2006, at Texas Motor Speedway.