CarRacingBlog.com

Interesting article based on an interview with Tony Stewart at Indy re: the way that technology has changed auto racing forever…

This has been nagging at me all week.

There was Tony Stewart, one of the true devotees of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, sitting at a microphone Sunday after finishing third in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, firing back after a question about the way the cars were spread out all day.

“When was the last time, other than stock car racing, you saw any kind of bumper-to-bumper racing here?” the two-time Brickyard winner and five-time Indianapolis 500 participant said.

“That’s my question to you: Have you seen that in the last 30 years here?”…

LINK - JSOnline.com

Eldora Speedway - the “little track that could” - is getting a lot of great PR this year as more fans recognize the excitement and attraction of small track, home town racing…

Eldora Leaves Others in the Dust

If you’re one of those people who can’t imagine sitting for hours watching race cars go around in circles, then you need to come and sit by the third turn at Eldora Speedway.

There are a lot of great half-mile ovals around the country, but this one, cut out of cornfields on the Indiana-Ohio border, is something special. It is the equivalent of Daytona, Indianapolis and Le Mans all rolled into one. And the King’s Royal, which took place July 17 and 18, is one of its premier events.

At just 40 laps, the King’s Royal used to be the richest sprint-car race in the country. Its $50,000 purse is no longer the biggest, but it’s still the race that drivers most want to win. They race World of Outlaws winged sprint cars, 1,375-pound micro machines with 410-cubic-inch engines that crank out nearly 900 horsepower. Averaging 130 miles per hour, it takes them just 13 seconds to complete a lap here…

LINK - Read the FULL STORY at WSJ.com

With Kyle Busch slamming the frontstretch wall after an unsuccessful attempt to block, Tony Stewart won Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The victory was Stewart’s second of the season, his second as an owner/driver for Stewart-Haas Racing and the 35th of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

With a push from teammate Denny Hamlin, Busch had taken the lead approaching the white flag and held it through Turn 4 of the final lap. But Stewart drove his No. 14 Chevrolet to the left rear of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota off the corner, forcing Busch to go to the bottom of the track to maintain control of his car.

Stewart then moved high, and as Busch slid back up to block, contact with Stewart’s car turned Busch into the wall and ignited a dramatic multicar wreck near the finish line.

You know, I’d like to not bore you with my excitement over Tony Stewart every week, but the guy just keeps on winning! Congrats to Tony on such a wonderful 1st season! The Pocono race was one of the more exciting races at that venue (and not just because Tony won), but I think because the competition seemed to be higher than before. There was more action, more excitement and more to watch.

Personally, I usually always dread the Pocono race - in fact, we’ve scheduled family events for that weekend many times and have just taken it as an “off” weekend - but I was definitely glad we saw it this time around!

Looking forward to future races in what started out as a pretty boring and “routine” season.

OK - so it’s no secret that I’m a major Tony Stewart fan. I think the only one happier than Tony that he was switching from the Joe Gibbs Toyotas back to Chevy with his own team at Stewart-Haas racing was ME! I just knew this would be an unforgettable season, and with Tony’s first Cup Win in his own car from his own team being at the 2009 All-Star race in Charlotte is just icing on the cake!

Congrats Tony - and here’s to many, many more wins in 2009!

Here’s a shot of some sprint cars racing the dirt track at Eldora Speedway…

Here’s some footage from awhile back featuring Tony Stewart (in the blue car) and Kasey Kahne (in the white car) at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio - in honor of this weekend’s Coca-Cola Spring Classic @ Eldora Speedway (weather permitting!).

A unique video featuring Stewart’s 2009 #14 Office Depot car for Stewart-Haas Racing:

This car was on exhibition at Office Depot in Eustis Florida on Wednesday, 11 February 2009. Tony was not there, he was at the Daytona track practicing. The person you hear talking in the background is Mike Smith, who hauls these cars around for Tony.

Let’s hope they can pull it out even though they are starting in the back of the 500 today… as Dale Earnhardt used to say though, it doesn’t matter where you start - it matters where you finish. Best of luck to Stewart-Haas racing in 2009… what a tough break.

We knew that 2009 would be a busy season for Tony Stewart as he saddles up for his first season as both team-owner with Stewart-Haas Racing and as driver for the #14 Old Spice car. But it seems as if Tony is working double-overtime with a few announcements this week regarding new sponsorships, which include deals for his Eldora Speedway in Western Ohio, and even a seat in the Nationwide Series at Daytona:

Burger King Signs on for Two Races
Stewart-Haas Racing announced this morning that Burger King has signed a multiyear sponsorship agreement with the organization. Burger King will appear as the primary sponsor on Tony Stewart’s #14 Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway on July 4 and at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 27.

“I am extremely happy to welcome Burger King Corp. to the team and really proud to be associated with such a great brand,” Stewart said. “This demonstrates another important step in getting Stewart-Haas Racing ready for the season.” Additionally, Burger King will become the exclusive quick-service restaurant sponsor of Eldora Speedway, the Indiana dirt track Stewart owns.

and…

Tony Stewart to race at Daytona for Hendrick Motorsports

Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will attempt to qualify a No. 80 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet prepared by Hendrick Motorsports for the Feb. 14 Nationwide Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Stewart, the defending winner of the Camping World 300, has won the season-opening event three times — twice with owner Kevin Harvick (2005 and 2006) and once with Joe Gibbs (2008). Should he qualify, the race will mark Stewart’s first-ever start for car owner Rick Hendrick. The effort will be led by 2003 Nationwide Series champion crew chief Lance McGrew.