Tony Stewart News

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Thursday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by qualifying 10th for the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Newman turned a lap of 27.887 seconds at 193.639 mph around the 1.5-mile oval.

“That was a good pick-up from where we practiced,” said Newman, who has four top-five and eight top-10s in 24 Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte. “We were fortunate to get a later draw, because the track gained a ton of grip. We made gains on the Quicken Loans Chevrolet all day. Matt Borland (crew chief) and the guys made a bunch of changes throughout that first practice session, but we focused solely on qualifying trim. We’ll have two practice sessions on Saturday to dial it in for the race Sunday night.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (May 22, 2013) – The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway has long been one of the “crown jewel” races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and since 1994 when stock cars debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Brickyard 400. Each of these events garners extra attention given their historical implications and unique attributes, further distinguishing them from their counterparts on the 36-race Sprint Cup calendar. 

The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s richest race. The Southern 500 is the series’ oldest superspeedway race. The Brickyard 400 marks NASCAR’s ascendency, because prior to 1994, only Indy cars competed at the venerable oval. And by virtue of being NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 tests man and machine like no other race on the marathon-like Sprint Cup schedule. 

Tony Stewart had a relatively quiet night in the 29th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. 

Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), started 13th and finished 14th in the annual non-points race featuring drivers who have won a race in 2012 or 2013, in addition to All-Star Race winners and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions from the past 10 years.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS, led Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in time trials Friday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by qualifying 11th for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Newman’s time of 114.716 seconds at 141.218 mph, which included three timed laps around the 1.5-mile oval with a four-tire pit stop, placed him 11th among the 19 drivers already eligible for the 29th running of the non-points event.

“That was a pretty cool qualifying deal,” said Newman, who won the 2002 All-Star Race as a Sprint Cup rookie. “Coming to pit road like that with no speed limit, entering and exiting at speed, I don’t know that I’ve ever done that. Kudos to whoever came up with that idea. We obviously weren’t as fast as we would’ve liked. The guys made some adjustments to the Aspen Dental Chevrolet prior to qualifying, and while the changes were good, I think we needed just a little more. We’ll start a little farther back than I would like to, but we’ll see what we can do once the race starts.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (May 15, 2013) – The NBA has Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal on its list with 15 All-Star appearances. Baseball greats such as Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith and Yogi Berra each played in 15 All-Star Games. And proving how elusive 15 is, no NFL player has played in 15 Pro Bowls. The only one to come close is Merlin Olsen with 14. 

Saturday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/National Wild Turkey Federation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, joins this exclusive club of 15 by making his 15th appearance in NASCAR’s All-Star event – the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. 

In a fast-paced Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway that at one point had only 10 cars on the lead lap, Tony Stewart was poised to score a top-10 finish in one of the most grueling races the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has to offer. But when the checkered flag dropped on the 367-lap contest, Stewart and his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS crossed the stripe in 15th Saturday night.

Stewart was in eighth place on a restart with 59 laps remaining, and coming off turn four of the 1.366-mile oval, the three-time Sprint Cup champion earned his first “Darlington Stripe” after brushing the wall. 

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Darlington (S.C) Raceway by qualifying 20th for the 64th Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night. Stewart turned a lap of 27.511 seconds at 178.750 mph around the 1.366-mile oval.

“That was one lap, and we have 367 more of them tomorrow night,” said Stewart, who won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington and has four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at the venerable track. “It’s a long race, and this is a place where you have to race the racetrack more than anything. We’ve got a lot of adjustability built into our Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy, so we’ll be ready for whatever the track throws at us.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (May 7, 2013) – She’s a mature lady with a robust personality and a devil-may-care attitude. A little rough around the edges, she has broken the hearts of many. Her take-no-prisoners approach is simply irresistible to her most ardent suitors. And like a moth to a flame, they all keep coming back for more. 

For Tony Stewart, however, she is more than just formidable. She’s the one that got away. And year after year, she seemingly stays just out of reach of Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing.

The “Big One” – the massive, multi-car accident that is a mainstay of restrictor-plate racing – happened on lap 44 of the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Among the 16 cars collected in the melee was the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS of Tony Stewart.

Stewart’s car sustained right-side damage, and the front of his black-and-orange Chevy was beat up, as well. As Stewart tried to evade the mass of spinning cars, the nose of his machine dug into the water-logged sod lining the inside of turn one and pushed in the grille, breaking many components of the car’s cooling system, specifically, the brackets holding the radiator. 

Rain canceled Saturday’s qualifying session for the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. As a result, the 43-car field for Sunday’s 188-lap event around the 2.66-mile oval was set by taking the fastest lap each driver posted during Friday’s first practice session, per the NASCAR rulebook.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will start fifth. His teammates, Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS, and Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS, will start 23rd and 25th, respectively.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (May 1, 2013) – For 138 years, the first weekend in May has been synonymous with one of sports most grand traditions – the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., promising three-year olds such as Revolutionary, Orb, Verrazano and Normandy Invasion look to make history by winning the 139th “Run for the Roses,” or as it is also known, “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”. 

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles south in the heart of Alabama, accomplished drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick will prepare for another race that is quickly becoming part of the tradition that is the first weekend in May – the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Tony Stewart had high hopes that a trip to his favorite track might cure what has been ailing his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team, and that looked to be the case with only three laps remaining in the Toyota Owners 400 Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. But rather than celebrating his first top-five of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Stewart dropped from fifth to 18th during the green-white-checkered finish at the .75-mile oval and wound up in a post-race confrontation with fellow driver Kurt Busch.

It was a rough ending to a night that started in a similar fashion. The No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS was quite a handful during the first third of the 400-lap race. Stewart had battled a tight-handling issue in the middle of the turns all day Friday, and the problem persisted well into Saturday’s race. Mired in the 27th position during a caution on lap 159, crew chief Steve Addington elected to bring the car in for four tires and fuel while most of the field stayed on the track. The fresh tires were the catalyst needed to spur the No. 14 Chevy as Stewart started making steady progress through the field, cracking the top-15 for the first time on lap 218 and running as high as 10th during the next 100 laps around the track. 

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by qualifying 15th for the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night. Newman turned a lap of 20.868 seconds at 129.385 mph around the .75-mile oval.

“The track picks up a good bit,” said Newman, who won at Richmond in September 2003. “It’s kind of tough to gauge that speed when you are the first of a couple of cars out. But I’m proud of the guys on the Outback Chevrolet. They did a good job working through some adjustments today and I feel like we have a better handle on our race package than we do on our qualifying package.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (April 24, 2013) – Give Tony Stewart a pen and a sketchpad and assign him the task of designing the perfect asphalt track for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the blueprint would look a little something like this:

•D-shaped oval

•Short track, approximately .75-mile in length

•Wide, sweeping turns with approximately 14 degrees of banking in each corner

•Seating capacity of 90,000 and up

Sound familiar? It should. Those are the specifications for Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, and come Saturday night, it is home to Round No. 9 on the marathon-like Sprint Cup schedule.

In what seemed like a case of déjà vu, Tony Stewart fought an ill-handling racecar to finish 21st in the STP 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at a cold, blustery Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Just a week earlier at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Stewart fought an ill-handling racecar to finish – you guessed it – 21st. 

The last two races and this entire season have been surreal for Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). He has only one top-10 finish in the eight races run thus far and five finishes outside of the top-20. It’s left Stewart an uncharacteristic 21st in the championship standings, 130 points out of first and 59 out of 10th.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Code 3 Associates Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., by qualifying ninth for the STP 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Newman turned a lap of 28.388 seconds at 190.221 mph around the 1.5-mile oval, the only Chevy driver to qualify in the top-10. 

“We take our cars to the limit, and it was a good run for our Code 3 Associates Chevrolet,” said Newman, who won at Kansas in 2003. “Matt (Borland, crew chief) and the guys did a good job off the truck and the car was really good. Even though we’re not on the pole, I’m much happier with that lap than I’ve been on a lot of the intermediate tracks we’ve qualified on this year.” 

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (April 17, 2013) – Tony Stewart’s success in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is well known. Three Sprint Cup championships. Forty-seven Sprint Cup victories. Fourteen Sprint Cup poles. One hundred and seventy four top-fives and 283 top-10s in 507 career Sprint Cup starts, with a total of 12,538 laps led.

Now in his 40s, Stewart’s ability to maintain that level of success comes from an old-school mentality that appears new school in an age of specialization. 

In an era where NASCAR drivers race in NASCAR, IZOD IndyCar Series drivers race in IndyCar, sports-car drivers race in sports cars, Stewart races nearly everything, everywhere. After wheeling his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing around the tracks that dot the 38-race Sprint Cup schedule, Stewart is prone to jump in his jet and find a race at Somewhere Speedway, U.S.A. and wheel a high-horsepower winged Sprint Car around dirt bullrings from upstate New York to inland California and everywhere in between.

A long race was made even longer when an ill-handling racecar plagued Tony Stewart throughout the NRA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

With a car that was loose on entry into the track’s 24-degree banked corners, tight in the middle and then loose off, Stewart had to manhandle his No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS every lap around the 1.5-mile oval. No matter what changes were made to the chassis, it never seemed enough to overcome the car’s evil ways. It all led to a 21st -place finish in the nearly three-and-a-half hour race. 

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth by qualifying 13th for the NRA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night. Stewart turned a lap of 27.888 seconds at 193.632 mph around the 1.5-mile oval.

“We picked up a second there (from practice), and that’s a lot of speed to pick up here at Texas,” said Stewart, who is a two-time Sprint Cup winner at Texas (November 2006 and November 2011). “Man, these cars are fast around here today. I told Steve Addington (crew chief) I would like to rerun that lap because I think this Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevy could go quicker, but I just really don’t want to do it today (laughs).”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (April 9, 2013) – In 22 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Tony Stewart has scored a pole, two wins, six top-fives, 12 top-10s and led 727 laps. The 1.5-mile oval has been a stout venue for Stewart, who first ran at the Texas track in 1997 as a member of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

In short, Texas has been a boomtown for Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing. That Stewart is sponsored by Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, makes his return to the oil-rich state of Texas even more appropriate.

Tony Stewart was looking for a boost in the STP Gas Booster 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. After a potential top-five finish slipped away in the series’ last race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., a strong run in the series’ next stop at Martinsville would allow Stewart and Co. to hit the reset button on its still-young season.

But after rallying his No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet from its 26th starting spot to 10th by lap 200 and then hovering in or near the top-10 for the remainder of the race, Stewart found himself hung in the outside lane following a restart on lap 473. The final 27 laps of the 500-lap race around paperclip-shaped .526-mile oval proved arduous, as Stewart was stuck in the outside lane as the seemingly express lane to his left boxed him out of the preferred line. When the checkered flag dropped, Stewart was 17th.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway by qualifying 10th for the STP Gas Booster 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Newman turned a lap of 19.330 seconds at 97.962 mph around the .526-mile oval. 

“We were a little loose on corner entry, but overall, I was pretty happy with the job the guys did getting this Quicken Loans Chevrolet ready for qualifying,” said Newman, who is the defending winner of the STP Gas Booster 500. 

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (April 2, 2013) – An extremely powerful 800-watt motor that pulses, stirs, mixes, purees and chops. It can even slice, shred and process a variety of ingredients – all in record time. It’s big, it’s powerful and it’s easy.

Those are just a few attributes of a Cuisinart food processor that actually has several applications. The general idea, though, is to be able to throw together several ingredients and create one fabulous meal. 

Tony Stewart, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and three-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series A-Feature winner, has teamed up with Kick-It, a partner of the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, to host the second annual Kick-It kickball game at the Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals, sprint car racing’s most prestigious event. The 2013 event will feature four teams – two teams consisting solely of the world’s greatest sprint car drivers, a third team of their wives and girlfriends, and the fourth team featuring fans that donate to the cause.  

The fourth team of fans will be chosen by a first-ever go-karting race against Stewart at Slideways Karting Center. The first 50 donors to contribute $200 or more will be entered in the five heat race, and 20-lap featureevent against Stewart on Wednesday of Knoxville Nationals week. The top-two finishers in each heat race will qualify for the feature event and comprise the fourth team in Friday’s kickball event. 

With 10 laps remaining in the Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Tony Stewart was in third place and lined up for his best finish of the young 2013 Sprint Cup season.

But when the green flag waved on the lap 190 restart, second-place Joey Logano dropped low to the inside of the track, forcing Stewart to wheel his No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS to the frontstretch apron. The unorthodox line Stewart had to travel significantly thwarted his momentum into turns one and two, allowing a freight train of cars to pass him in the closing laps. When the checkered flag dropped, Stewart finished a disappointing 22nd.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., by qualifying eighth for the Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. Stewart turned a lap of 38.738 seconds at 185.864 mph around the 2-mile oval. 

“We improved by about half a second from practice to qualifying,” said Stewart, who is a two-time winner at Fontana, including last year’s Auto Club 400. “The biggest thing we have to work on is the balance of our racecar. We’ve fought the same thing since we unloaded and if we can fix that then we could be in really good shape Sunday.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (March 20, 2013) – Multiple-meaning words – terms that can have different meanings depending on how they are used in a sentence – can be tricky for students of the English language. “Light,” “crash,” and “oil” are just a few that appear on a very long list of words that can be used as verbs, nouns and even adjectives depending upon the context and conjugation. 

Take the word “rush”. While it is typically used in reference to the notions of haste or urgency, rush can be used as a verb, adjective or noun. The word commonly appears in the English language when referencing heavy traffic patterns such as the morning or evening rush hours. As a verb, it appears when explaining that someone has to hurry to an intended designation. The ways in which the word is used as a noun are numerous, from its appearance in historical anecdotes about the California Gold Rush to the “rush” that is achieved through a surge of adrenaline.

It was St. Patrick’s Day, but there was no luck to be found by Tony Stewart in the Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, as he finished 31st.

Just nine laps into the 500-lap race around the .533-mile oval, the left-rear tire on Stewart’s No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) deflated. Stewart spun and impacted the SAFER Barrier on the outside of turn one with the left side of his racecar. Stewart was OK, but his racecar was not.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway by qualifying eighth for Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart turned a lap of 14.990 seconds at 128.005 mph on the .533-mile oval.

“It just shows how good these cars are,” said Stewart, who won at Bristol in August 2001. “To come out with a new car and have them drive this nice, that’s a pretty good deal. Our Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy is good, and with two more practice sessions tomorrow, we can make it better for Sunday.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (March 13, 2013) – Tony Stewart and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway go way back. It’s an association that touches three decades from Stewart’s rookie season in 1999 through the 2000s to the current 2010s. And like most relationships, things were pretty good in the beginning. Actually, things were great. 

After earning a respectable 15th-place finish in his very first Sprint Cup race at Bristol in April 1999, Stewart returned to the .533-mile oval in August for its notorious night race where he sat on the pole and led a race-high 225 laps en route to scoring a fifth-place finish. Two years later Stewart raced to his very first win in Thunder Valley, capturing the 2001 night race. Other than a 42nd-place finish that was the result of an overheating issue during the spring race of 2000, Stewart and Bristol had a pretty good run during those early years. 

Tony Stewart used the last 100 laps of the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to rally to an 11th-place finish.

It was Stewart’s 11th top-12 result in 15 career Sprint Cup starts at Las Vegas, and it gained Stewart valuable spots in the championship point standings. He stands 18th after a crash in the season-opening Daytona 500 three races ago left him 37th in points.

Rain canceled today’s qualifying session for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As a result, the 43-car field for Sunday’s 267-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval was set per the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book, 

Because teams did not practice Friday, the lineup has been determined primarily by 2012 owners’ points. With the race being the third of the 2013 season, the top-36 teams from 2012 owner points will start in positions 1-36. With no past champions and no 2012 or 2013 race winners among those not already in the field, the next spots went to teams in the top-36 in 2013 owner points. 

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (March 6, 2013) – Elvis. Singer, dancer, actor and the undisputed king of rock-and-roll. A pop-culture icon transcending time and place, and one of only a handful of historic figures recognized by a single name. Although Elvis has been gone for more than three decades, his legacy casts a long shadow, and it remains visible today. And while Memphis, Tenn., was his home, Las Vegas was recognized as his home away from home. To say that Elvis has not left the building in Las Vegas may be an understatement. There is likely no place on Earth where his presence not only lives on, but thrives.

For nearly 20 years, Elvis and the city of Las Vegas enjoyed a relationship full of mutual admiration. From the first time he performed in the city in 1956 to his wedding to Priscilla in 1967 to a series of shows throughout the 1970s, Elvis seemingly owned the Entertainment Capital of the World. The city even served as the setting for what many critics considered one of his best films with the 1964 hit “Viva Las Vegas.” It’s a period of time affectionately referred to as “The Vegas Years.” 

The best way to get over a bad race is to go out and have a good one. Tony Stewart did just that with his eighth-place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500k on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. 

Putting aside last week’s heartbreaking finish in the Daytona 500, the driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) performed solidly at Phoenix while earning his 12th top-10 in 23 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1-mile oval. And he also learned a few things on which the team hopes to capitalize as the season progresses.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, led the three-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials Friday at Phoenix International Raceway by qualifying sixth for Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 

Stewart turned a lap of 26.250 seconds at 137.143 mph around the 1-mile oval. 

“It wasn’t bad,” said Stewart, who won at Phoenix in November 1999. “We had a pretty reasonable run there with the Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy. I thought we were a little bit tight, but the track seems pretty fast right now. So, we felt pretty good about our lap.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Feb. 27, 2013) – “Go West young man, go West and grow up with the country.” That quote is attributed to the late American newspaper editor and 1872 presidential candidate Horace Greely. The phrase, one of the most commonly used quotes from the early 19th century, was used by Greely to encourage the territorial expansion of the United States, a notion commonly referred to as Manifest Destiny.  

While there is some debate among historians as to whether Greely coined the phrase or simply borrowed it from a peer for one of his editorials, there is little question the idea of Manifest Destiny helped shape the contiguous United States as it exists today. Since the era of expansion, however, Manifest Destiny has evolved and, in some respects, become a very general view that is manipulated for the purpose of supporting a variety of political views, social issues and pop culture lore.

Tony Stewart felt confident heading into the 55th Daytona 500 Sunday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. It was his 15th career start in the Great American Race, and his No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS was fast throughout Speedweeks.

But just 34 laps into the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Stewart was collected in a multi-car crash that left his once-sleek Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet a crumpled mess. His Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team made extensive repairs and 82 laps later, Stewart returned to the 2.5-mile superspeedway to log laps and earn the best finish possible, which was 41st in the 43-car field.

Tony Stewart won his record-tying seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, joining the legendary Dale Earnhardt.

Stewart, driver of the No. 33 Ritz Crackers/Oreo Chevrolet Camaro, led the final three laps of the 120-lap race around the 2.5-mile superspeedway to claim the victory in the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300. The celebration was muted, however, as a last-lap, multi-car crash on the track’s frontstretch sent debris into the grandstands, injuring fans.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 22, 2013) – Rush Enterprises, which operates the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in North America, will be the primary sponsor of Tony Stewart and the No. 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) for three Sprint Cup races with its Rush Truck Centers brand.

Rush Truck Centers will adorn the hood of the No. 14 Chevrolet SS March 24 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., April 7 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and April 27 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. When not serving as the primary sponsor, Rush Truck Centers will be an associate sponsor on the No. 14 Chevrolet with placement on the B-pillar and lower-rear quarterpanel.

Tony Stewart continued a solid Speedweeks at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway by finishing sixth in Thursday’s Budweiser Duel, twin qualifying races that set the 43-car field for the season-opening Daytona 500. Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will start 13^th in the 55^th Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Stewart finished fourth last Saturday night in the non-points Sprint Unlimited, set the fifth-fastest speed in time trials for the Daytona 500 last Sunday, and has been among the top-11 in each practice session in which he’s participated. It’s been a strong outing for Stewart and the debut of his sixth-generation racecar (Gen-6) – the 2013 Chevrolet SS.

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS, led the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials for the 55th annual Daytona 500 by qualifying on the pole for the season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. 

Patrick turned a lap of 45.817 seconds at 196.434 mph on the 2.5-mile superspeedway to earn her first career Sprint Cup pole. The Daytona 500 will mark her 11th career Sprint Cup start, as her pole locked her into the Great American Race.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, represented Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the Sprint Unlimited by finishing fourth in the non-points NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday night at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Stewart started 15^th and led twice for five laps. He was second in the closing laps of the 75-lap race but dropped to fourth on the final circuit around the 2.5-mile superspeedway after being passed by Greg Biffle and Joey Logano.

“I wasn’t quite sure exactly which move to make,” Stewart said. “I saw the No. 22 (Logano) coming on the bottom. I thought they were going fast enough that I needed to move down, but I should’ve stayed where I was.

“We’ve got a good car. Anybody that questions whether Mobil 1 is the best lubricant brand in the world, all they had to do was watch the first 20 laps of that race. We proved it by going to the back, going to the front, going to the back, going to the front. We’ve got really good racecars. I’m really proud of the Hendrick engine department and everybody at Stewart-Haas. To go through the winter these guys have gone through, trying to build cars at the last minute because of the shortage of parts and to bring two cars down here that are this fast, I’m really proud of our organization right now.”

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Feb. 13, 2013) – A new car. It’s a prospect that can be both daunting and exhilarating. It’s visually appealing yet financially intimidating. It’s a rite of passage and often times reflective of varying life stages, from living the single life to joining the ranks of parenthood. And the options? Practically limitless. Chevrolet alone is introducing 13 new vehicles this year. Whether in the market for the sportiness of a Corvette, the luxury of an Impala or the spaciousness of a Traverse, possibilities abound for satisfying the wants and needs a new car provides.