Pit Stop Report

On the sixth day of NASCAR, you really ought to see
the orange 20 driven by Tony.

Eh?

I’m an on again, off again proponent of Mr. Stewart. For a long time, he was ok. And then he became even more abrasive that he already was…and I wasn’t such a fan. Then he started tellin’ it like it was when NASCAR was making some poor decisions, and I was back on the Tony bandwagon. And now…eh. I don’t love him…don’t hate him…don’t really root for him either. But at the end of the day, there’s no doubt that he’s an awesome driver.

Let’s cut to the Chase…

TONY STEWART
Rank: 6th
Poles: 0
Wins: 3
Top Fives: 11
Top Tens: 23
Winnings: $6,396,750

Watch Tony’s speech on NASCAR.com.

What I liked in his speech: “Sorry, babe.” Loved the jokes about Greg Zipadelli playing the role as Tony’s wife. Hilarious! Tony was way gracious this year and very complimentary towards the Jimmie Johnson fan. His remarks to Juan Pablo Montoya were equally funny. It was very touching when Tony singled out some of the retiring drivers, like Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett - and then joked about how old he, himself, was getting.

What I didn’t like in his speech: Dude, was Tony coached? It’s almost like he was on happy pills. His speech was awesome, what can I say? He said “thank you” to all the right people, cracked all the right jokes, and was actually humble. Pass the bubbly?

Stayed tuned as we roll through the Twelve Days of NASCAR!

Until then, drive fast and turn left!

Tony Stewart, NASCAR, Joe Gibbs Racing, Awards Ceremony

As promised, I’m going to bare all here at the Pit Stop Report and lay out the predictions from my ill-fated magazine article, and then compare them to reality. Some are funny, some actually on target. Either way, get your fill here!

Prediction
A driver who had high highs and low lows in 2006 was Tony Stewart. The bad boy many fans love to hate and others religiously cheer will surely redeem himself in 2007, pulling together a more consistent season with fewer breakdowns and more top-ten finishes. Stewart has never lacked for wins; now he just needs to place higher than a DNF on races where he doesn’t capture the checkered flag. Perhaps his finish in 2006, without even making an appearance in the Championship, will bring the humility he needs to become a more likeable driver in the future.

Reality
Apparently, my crystal ball likes Tony better than Toyotas, because was I right on, or right on? He made the Chase, he finished 6th over all, he had 3 wins and TWENTY FOUR top tens. Tony, oh Tony. I still am not a big fan, but drive, baby, drive. Apparently, 2006 was truly a fluke season for Tony, because Bad Boy got his groove back a la 2005 in ‘07. What will ‘08 bring???

Stay tuned to see if my crystal ball stayed clear for my ‘07 Jeff Gordon predictions…

Until then, drive fast and turn left!

Tony Stewart, NASCAR