Tony Stewart is

B

bowtie

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starting way back in the field. 31st is not a good place to start at Martinsville, he should get to the front though. Patience will be the key.
 
Yeah...I thought this points deal was signed, sealed and delivered. Guess not, huh.
 
Yea, that should be interesting. I figured he'd qualify a lot better than that.
 
top 4 starting positions

ryan = pole
jimmie=7th
mark=20th
tony=31st
 
Rusty=5th Another Shake up week? I had thought about picking up Tony, but there is too much traffic to get through for me to be comfortable with change...plus track position is everything
 
If I was betting someone I would say ryan, jimmie,rusty, or jeff will win it
 
Stewart never seems to qualify well. He's a pro at getting through traffic.

Now everyone's ready to cast him off, when just last week the fat lady was singing.
 
Speaking of Betting....does anyonew know what the Vegas odds look like?
 
I wasnt casting him off I bet hell get through alot of the trafic I just dont think hell win come sunday just my opinion.
 
Originally posted by paul
Stewart never seems to qualify well.  He's a pro at getting through traffic.

Now everyone's ready to cast him off, when just last week the fat lady was singing.

Maybe. But that traffic he has to get through ain't all that much punkin. Just ask Ward.

And for the record, my fat lady never did sing...I'm still seeing 6s. :D
 
Thanks Paul!

As for Stewart, I think it's gonna take an awful lot for him to have a good finish from that starting spot. He's not gonna have the greatest pit selection to work with either. Should be interesting to see....all I know is if it was me, I sure as hell wouldn't want to back there.
 
500 laps is plenty of time to get to the front. Look for him in the top 5.
 
Starting at the back is the same as starting in the front. Your not going to be far from other cars very long. I think Stewart will good and go on to win this championship.
 
Not sure about finishes other than the winners, but the winners tend to start much nearer the front.

The farthest back a winner ever started was 24th when Lee Petty won in 1959.

Modern Era drivers have won from 21st twice. John Andretti in 1999 and Mark Martin in 2000.

Going back over the past 10 years the average starting spot for the race winner is 7.8 In those 21 races the winnner has come from the top 5 on 10 occassions. Throw in another 5 wins from starting positions 6 - 10 and you have 15 winners from the top 10 starting spots in 21 races.

It's a short track and it's hard to pass. Would rather be near the head of the pack given my druthers. Tony will have to stay cool, catch a break or two on pit stops and mostly hope nothing happens in his immediate vicinity that he can't avoid.

Course that last one can apply to almost anywhere on the track.

The five keys to success here this weekend, IMO:

1- Tires
2- Brakes
3- Tires
4- Brakes
5- Tires
 
Its not impossible though. People shouldn't give up hope because he starting towards the back.
 
Tony may not win, but he will be in the top five at the end. He will also be the points leader after the race.
 
I'm curious to see how he runs in Happy hour. That should be a better indication how close he is with his set up. The other problem he is going to have to contend with is a "slicker" track surface. I read that the smoothing they did gave up some of the grip causing the cars to slide around more. I don't think he is out of it, but he is gonna have a few more bullets to dodge than he would have in the past. The possibility of early cautions could work to his favor also. Run some laps, pick up a few spots, caution comes out, leaders fall back. It all depends on how everyone else drives.
 
.

The five keys to success here this weekend, IMO:

1- Tires
2- Brakes
3- Tires
4- Brakes
5- Tires
[/b]


HS, don't you think we'll be seeing a lot of 2-tire and no-tire stops? I agree brakes we'll be a key factor but I don't think tire wear will.
 
not writing him off just throwing out some food for discussion.
I also think he will finish top 10 and keep his points lead. I am not a Tony Stewart fan but I do hope he wins the championship. Next year in a Monte Carlo I could be a T.S. fan.
 
My understanding is that the refinished (ground) concrete is pretty abrasive. It will get better as more cars run on it probably, but still will chew up pretty good.

Four tires will likely be the rule this Sunday and much quicker than fuel. Goodyear brought a whole slew of extra tires expecting the problem.
 
Addendum to stats:

Tony Stewarts qualifying and finishing positions at Martinsville starting with his first race in 1999:

Start -----Finish
1 ------ 20
37 ----- 41
37 ----- 6
1 ------- 1
16 ------ 7
8 ------- 41 (DNF)
8 ------- 3
 
Originally posted by paul
Look for a repeat of 37 ----- 6


All Tony has to do is drop back two positions and he will have two Bodines running interferrence for him!:D


I'm not writing Tony off. The fat lady isn't singing yet, but she's still rehearsing. I think Stewart will finish high enough to retain his points lead......and, he could just win. Statistics are fun to play with, but every now and then someone comes along and defies the history of a track. 37th to 1st isn't impossible.....even at Martinville.:)
 
The way things are going this year it is just to hard to say,and have any true belief in what I would like to see.This may go down to the last 5 laps at Atlanta.Now thats racin.;)
 
Todd Bodine next to him and Brett Bodine behind! Sounds like crunchtime to me:rolleyes:
 
Nah, doesn't anyone remember Todd racing a few laps up front against Stewart and Jr and Talladega? If Todd's around good drivers he's fine.
 
Originally posted by paul
Nah, doesn't anyone remember Todd racing a few laps up front against Stewart and Jr and Talladega?  If Todd's around good drivers he's fine.

I of course will assume you forgot who he was around last week. :p
 
Originally posted by paul
Nah, doesn't anyone remember Todd racing a few laps up front against Stewart and Jr and Talladega?  If Todd's around good drivers he's fine.


Todd's not near as bad as people make him out to be. Did anyone read his "protest" on NASCAR.com?

Anyway, Tony doesn't have to worry about Todd (or Brett)......he just needs to race his race. Which is steadily move up.....he's good at that too!!:)
 
I'm confident Tony will move up front. I'll be surprised and real disappointed if he doesn't finish in the top 10.
 
Very interesting how the points leaders are spread throughout the field. Should make for a very interesting race. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them gets booted and spins.
 
Not giving up on Tony yet!! If anyone can come to the front, it's Tony and Jeff Burton and looks like they are both going to have to.
I was reading a post above and I thought they said the furthest back a winner had come from is 31st. If this is so, it could be a lucky number for Tony. Or Not!!! LOL
 
Stewart was not fast in the first practice, and he was not fast in qualifying. Unless his team finds some speed, it won't be a surprise if he finishes 20th.
 
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