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Stewart taking gentleman's approach
By Jerry Bonkowski
Special to ESPN.com
As we head into the last off-week before the final, grueling, 20-week marathon of racing, I can't help but wonder what's happened to Tony Stewart.
Yes, I know he was enveloped in a bad slump over the last few months, but he's finally coming out of it. That's not the issue.
And yes, I know that Stewart usually races his best when the pressure is the highest. But that's not the issue, either.
What I'm wondering is what happened to all those dire preseason predictions made by reporters and fans alike that Stewart would ultimately prove to be a poor representative of NASCAR and Winston Cup as its reigning champion?
What happened to all those fans -- more than likely not Stewart aficionados, for the most part -- who eagerly anticipated Tony once again going after and having a physical confrontation with a reporter or photographer or fan in the pits?
Even though he has struggled more this season, Tony Stewart has kept his fury under control.
What happened to all the concern that Stewart was a volcano waiting to explode with a fury we had never seen before?
What happened to all the predictions that Stewart would turn into more of an ogre-like monster after winning the championship, that he would become the baddest bad boy that NASCAR has ever seen?
If someone knows the answers to those questions, please let me know, because I'm still looking for them myself.
To say the least, Stewart has been nothing short of admirable in 2003. I would go as far to say he's been a relative choir boy this season. While other drivers have gotten into verbal or physical scrapes with their counterparts, we've heard nary a peep out of Stewart thus far this year.
And, while he's admittedly had numerous encounters in the past -- why, he even won last year's title while on double probation from both NASCAR and primary sponsor Home Depot, the first champion to ever be forced to win with such restraints placed upon him -- the so-called "Terrible Tony" has been anything but this season.
In fact, it may be time to switch that nickname of "Terrible Tony" to something like "Terrific Tony" or maybe even "Gentleman Tony." It would, after all, be appropriate to do so, considering how Stewart has handled and carried himself thus far in 2003.
I'm not saying that Stewart has lost his internal fire or the attributes that make him unique, that make him the Tony we have all come to know.
But, it's hard to ignore the facts:
We haven't seen any on-track or off-track outbursts. Unlike past seasons, Stewart hasn't pushed any fans, jostled any photographers or slammed into rivals like Jeff Gordon in the pits, like he did two years ago at Bristol.
Even with his struggles, including dropping down as low as 20th in the standings this season, Stewart remained calm and collected. Now that he's back up to 11th place and knocking on the door of the top 10, there's no reason for him to go back to his old persona.
He's proven he can weather the storm of adversity and misfortune and not get overly uptight or strike out in some sort of confrontation. Even when this season grew the darkest, Stewart did not become a gloomy cloud that exploded with a fury of thunder and lightening.
Stewart has laughed in the face of those who were so concerned that he was as much a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode, as he was an outstanding race car driver and the defending Winston Cup champion.
Sure, Stewart reportedly underwent counseling and anger management training at the behest of team owner Joe Gibbs. In fact, Gibbs predicted back in January at the annual preseason NASCAR media tour in Charlotte that he felt Stewart was going to be a changed man in 2003, and would ultimately become one of the best representatives of NASCAR as any other former reigning champion has ever been.
"Tony's Tony, but I really think you're going to see a much different attitude this season," Gibbs said. "Tony takes being Winston Cup champion seriously. He knows it's a big responsibility. I honestly think he's not only up to the task of being a good champion, but also to finally putting some of the stuff that's happened in the past behind him."
Gibbs' prophesy has come true in spades. While Stewart can still have an occasional cantankerous moment, particularly around the media, he's earned it. He's been the champ for the last seven months and will continue to be the champ until someone overtakes him by the end of this season.
That is, IF someone overtakes him. With the roll Stewart has been on of late, going from 20th to 11th in the last four races, don't be surprised to see him and the No. 20 Chevrolet back on top by the end of the season.
I say that for a couple of reasons. He's only 43 points behind 10th-place Sterling Marlin in the standings. And while Matt Kenseth has a massive 547-point edge over Stewart in the rankings, Stewart is at his best as a racer in the heat of the summer.
Look at last season. At this same time last year, Stewart was fifth in the standings after Sonoma. He would fall to seventh after the annual Fourth of July weekend race at Daytona Beach following a miserable 39th-place finish due to a wreck.
But from that point on, in the final 19 races of the season, Stewart had one win, seven top-five and four other top-10 finishes, and wound up out of the top 15 just three times. It was that kind of consistency that earned him the championship.
Admittedly, Stewart has a much harder and higher mountain to climb this season. But if he continues to stay out of trouble and remains below the radar screen of controversy and attention, and if he manages to keep his noted temper in check and focuses only on the job at hand -- simply driving as best as he can be -- Stewart could give Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt a serious run for their money and the Winston Cup championship.
It might be trite to say Stewart has finally grown up, that he's finally matured, but I'm not going to say that. The fact and what we've seen from Stewart -- as well as what we haven't seen -- speak for themselves.
And that's more than anything I, any other reporter, any fan or even Stewart himself can say.
By Jerry Bonkowski
Special to ESPN.com
As we head into the last off-week before the final, grueling, 20-week marathon of racing, I can't help but wonder what's happened to Tony Stewart.
Yes, I know he was enveloped in a bad slump over the last few months, but he's finally coming out of it. That's not the issue.
And yes, I know that Stewart usually races his best when the pressure is the highest. But that's not the issue, either.
What I'm wondering is what happened to all those dire preseason predictions made by reporters and fans alike that Stewart would ultimately prove to be a poor representative of NASCAR and Winston Cup as its reigning champion?
What happened to all those fans -- more than likely not Stewart aficionados, for the most part -- who eagerly anticipated Tony once again going after and having a physical confrontation with a reporter or photographer or fan in the pits?
Even though he has struggled more this season, Tony Stewart has kept his fury under control.
What happened to all the concern that Stewart was a volcano waiting to explode with a fury we had never seen before?
What happened to all the predictions that Stewart would turn into more of an ogre-like monster after winning the championship, that he would become the baddest bad boy that NASCAR has ever seen?
If someone knows the answers to those questions, please let me know, because I'm still looking for them myself.
To say the least, Stewart has been nothing short of admirable in 2003. I would go as far to say he's been a relative choir boy this season. While other drivers have gotten into verbal or physical scrapes with their counterparts, we've heard nary a peep out of Stewart thus far this year.
And, while he's admittedly had numerous encounters in the past -- why, he even won last year's title while on double probation from both NASCAR and primary sponsor Home Depot, the first champion to ever be forced to win with such restraints placed upon him -- the so-called "Terrible Tony" has been anything but this season.
In fact, it may be time to switch that nickname of "Terrible Tony" to something like "Terrific Tony" or maybe even "Gentleman Tony." It would, after all, be appropriate to do so, considering how Stewart has handled and carried himself thus far in 2003.
I'm not saying that Stewart has lost his internal fire or the attributes that make him unique, that make him the Tony we have all come to know.
But, it's hard to ignore the facts:
We haven't seen any on-track or off-track outbursts. Unlike past seasons, Stewart hasn't pushed any fans, jostled any photographers or slammed into rivals like Jeff Gordon in the pits, like he did two years ago at Bristol.
Even with his struggles, including dropping down as low as 20th in the standings this season, Stewart remained calm and collected. Now that he's back up to 11th place and knocking on the door of the top 10, there's no reason for him to go back to his old persona.
He's proven he can weather the storm of adversity and misfortune and not get overly uptight or strike out in some sort of confrontation. Even when this season grew the darkest, Stewart did not become a gloomy cloud that exploded with a fury of thunder and lightening.
Stewart has laughed in the face of those who were so concerned that he was as much a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode, as he was an outstanding race car driver and the defending Winston Cup champion.
Sure, Stewart reportedly underwent counseling and anger management training at the behest of team owner Joe Gibbs. In fact, Gibbs predicted back in January at the annual preseason NASCAR media tour in Charlotte that he felt Stewart was going to be a changed man in 2003, and would ultimately become one of the best representatives of NASCAR as any other former reigning champion has ever been.
"Tony's Tony, but I really think you're going to see a much different attitude this season," Gibbs said. "Tony takes being Winston Cup champion seriously. He knows it's a big responsibility. I honestly think he's not only up to the task of being a good champion, but also to finally putting some of the stuff that's happened in the past behind him."
Gibbs' prophesy has come true in spades. While Stewart can still have an occasional cantankerous moment, particularly around the media, he's earned it. He's been the champ for the last seven months and will continue to be the champ until someone overtakes him by the end of this season.
That is, IF someone overtakes him. With the roll Stewart has been on of late, going from 20th to 11th in the last four races, don't be surprised to see him and the No. 20 Chevrolet back on top by the end of the season.
I say that for a couple of reasons. He's only 43 points behind 10th-place Sterling Marlin in the standings. And while Matt Kenseth has a massive 547-point edge over Stewart in the rankings, Stewart is at his best as a racer in the heat of the summer.
Look at last season. At this same time last year, Stewart was fifth in the standings after Sonoma. He would fall to seventh after the annual Fourth of July weekend race at Daytona Beach following a miserable 39th-place finish due to a wreck.
But from that point on, in the final 19 races of the season, Stewart had one win, seven top-five and four other top-10 finishes, and wound up out of the top 15 just three times. It was that kind of consistency that earned him the championship.
Admittedly, Stewart has a much harder and higher mountain to climb this season. But if he continues to stay out of trouble and remains below the radar screen of controversy and attention, and if he manages to keep his noted temper in check and focuses only on the job at hand -- simply driving as best as he can be -- Stewart could give Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt a serious run for their money and the Winston Cup championship.
It might be trite to say Stewart has finally grown up, that he's finally matured, but I'm not going to say that. The fact and what we've seen from Stewart -- as well as what we haven't seen -- speak for themselves.
And that's more than anything I, any other reporter, any fan or even Stewart himself can say.
