Tony Stewart, winner of three Nextel Cup races at Richmond International Raceway, is hoping to go to victory lane again in this weekend's Crown Royal/Jim Stewart 400.
And since the event is being contested with NASCAR's new car of tomorrow, he has to figure his chances are pretty good. Stewart has led laps in each of the three races featuring NASCAR's new model, and his Joe Gibbs Racing team has actually been more dominant within those races than the Hendrick Motorsports group that has ended up winning all three.
JGR has led 781 of the 1,316 laps available in the three races, and Stewart himself has led 400 of those.
Combining a track such as Richmond that Stewart particularly enjoys with that COT could be the perfect formula for victory Saturday night.
While it's easy to see the positive side of running so well in the model, Stewart has felt the disappointment of near-misses.
"We don't settle for anything less than winning races," he said. "When we know that we let one slip away, that's something that we do let ourselves get down about, but that's also what got us 29 wins and two championships. We have such a high standard of what we feel our performance should be on the race track. I think that shows the caliber team that we have."
Not that he's struggled this year. Stewart is sixth in the standings despite his setbacks after running so well in those car of tomorrow races. And he has a special fondness for Richmond.
"It is my favorite track," Stewart said. "It's not one of them; it's the favorite track of mine on the circuit. I've won two truck races and three Cup races there. It's where I got my first win. A good friend of mine, Kasey Kahne, got his first win there.
"Being able to see Kasey win his first race there was cool, too. It's definitely a place I enjoy coming to, and considering how it factors into the Chase [For The Nextel Cup], it's definitely an important stop for us."
And since the event is being contested with NASCAR's new car of tomorrow, he has to figure his chances are pretty good. Stewart has led laps in each of the three races featuring NASCAR's new model, and his Joe Gibbs Racing team has actually been more dominant within those races than the Hendrick Motorsports group that has ended up winning all three.
JGR has led 781 of the 1,316 laps available in the three races, and Stewart himself has led 400 of those.
Combining a track such as Richmond that Stewart particularly enjoys with that COT could be the perfect formula for victory Saturday night.
While it's easy to see the positive side of running so well in the model, Stewart has felt the disappointment of near-misses.
"We don't settle for anything less than winning races," he said. "When we know that we let one slip away, that's something that we do let ourselves get down about, but that's also what got us 29 wins and two championships. We have such a high standard of what we feel our performance should be on the race track. I think that shows the caliber team that we have."
Not that he's struggled this year. Stewart is sixth in the standings despite his setbacks after running so well in those car of tomorrow races. And he has a special fondness for Richmond.
"It is my favorite track," Stewart said. "It's not one of them; it's the favorite track of mine on the circuit. I've won two truck races and three Cup races there. It's where I got my first win. A good friend of mine, Kasey Kahne, got his first win there.
"Being able to see Kasey win his first race there was cool, too. It's definitely a place I enjoy coming to, and considering how it factors into the Chase [For The Nextel Cup], it's definitely an important stop for us."