Big elephant in room

The champion and his race team sat together at the head table during NASCAR’s season-ending awards ceremony. For Tony Stewart (back) and crew chief Darian Grubb (front), separated by just three seats Friday night on the stage in the Wynn Las Vegas Resort, it marked the final time they were together as a team. Despite winning the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, Grubb (pictured right) has been fired from Stewart-Haas Racing and his replacement has already been hired. It’s made for some awkward moments during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, and Grubb’s wife, Yolanda, even quipped, “We’re like the big elephant in the room everywhere we go.” “It’s definitely awkward. That’s the only problem with the situation,” Darian Grubb said. – AP