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What does Stewart have left to prove?
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW Nov 1, 2005
timesdispatch.com
So how many times in one season does a guy need to win a championship to claim it as his own? Thirty-six? Once? Somewhere in between? Enough times to goose the ratings and make NBC weep for bailing on contract negotiations with the great beast NASCAR? Enough times to quadruple the take-home of Scrooge McFrance?
Tony Stewart has won this year's version of NASCAR roulette three times by my count, and he still can't compose an acceptance speech. That's because he still has to sweat Texas, Phoenix and Homestead before the last checkered flag is unfurled for 2005.
No, wait. In practical terms, Stewart merely has to drive 1,400 up-front, mistake-free laps at those three tracks.
Crew chief and alter ego Greg Zipadelli will do enough sweating for both of them,
"It's worn me out," Zipadelli said the other day about this chase-for-the-Maalox-Cup stretch run. "I'm going for a stomach implant next week, I think. There ought to be a million-dollar bonus in my checking account for stress."
Stewart deserves this championship. That's an unpaid testi monial. He deserves it because he's been the best driver on the circuit all year. He deserves it because he's overcome every obstacle this side of Brian France's new-math handbook. He deserves it because - well, just because.
Here's Stewart's worksheet for 2005 so far. His five wins are tied with Greg Biffle for most on the tour. He's got the most top-5s with 16, the most top-10s with 23. He's led the most races with 17, the most laps with 1,829, the most miles with 2,495.
Biffle is second in miles led, 946 behind Stewart.
We're talking Richmond to Miami there. And you're telling me this title is still up for grabs?
Minus France's confection of a playoff format, Stewart would have a 255-point bulge over Biffle with those three races to go. Instead, he's only 43 ahead of Johnson, who otherwise would be 324 back. Only in Brian France's world do you get free lunch and multiple reprieves.
Under the old system, Stewart would've emerged from the 26th race at Richmond with a 185-point cushion. Under the new system, it was slashed to five. Later, after dipping to fifth in the standings and surging back to first, he held a 75-point advantage and the lead two-thirds of the way through a scarred-surface fiasco at Charlotte, had a tire shred, finished 25th and lost every bit of his edge.
Now he's constructed another lead. If there's any justice, this one should be for keeps.
Stewart was the 2002 series kingpin. He was tempestuous Tony then, an anger-management candidate waiting to happen. Now he's 34, maybe a little wiser, surely calmer. He's become ballast for his team. It's a who'd-a-thunk-it? transformation.
"Wouldn't you all agree that if we didn't know any better we'd think the world was coming to an end and the sky was falling?" he said recently at Martinsville. "I would say, yeah, it's definitely a different role for me, but it's not something that I said, hey, this is something that I've got to do. When I'm not dragging the team down, I think it helps all of us."
Case in point: Charlotte. In the old days, Stewart would've stalked off the track, detonated three minicams and gone R-rated ballistic on us. This time, he moved on.
"The difference is that he lets things roll off his back and keeps looking ahead instead of worrying about what happened yesterday or last week," said Zipadelli. "This Tony Stewart is a lot more fun to be around. He's a happier person."
He'll be even more cheery if he's staging a Nov. 20 celebration at Homestead. If he's not, there oughta be an investigation.
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW Nov 1, 2005
timesdispatch.com
So how many times in one season does a guy need to win a championship to claim it as his own? Thirty-six? Once? Somewhere in between? Enough times to goose the ratings and make NBC weep for bailing on contract negotiations with the great beast NASCAR? Enough times to quadruple the take-home of Scrooge McFrance?
Tony Stewart has won this year's version of NASCAR roulette three times by my count, and he still can't compose an acceptance speech. That's because he still has to sweat Texas, Phoenix and Homestead before the last checkered flag is unfurled for 2005.
No, wait. In practical terms, Stewart merely has to drive 1,400 up-front, mistake-free laps at those three tracks.
Crew chief and alter ego Greg Zipadelli will do enough sweating for both of them,
"It's worn me out," Zipadelli said the other day about this chase-for-the-Maalox-Cup stretch run. "I'm going for a stomach implant next week, I think. There ought to be a million-dollar bonus in my checking account for stress."
Stewart deserves this championship. That's an unpaid testi monial. He deserves it because he's been the best driver on the circuit all year. He deserves it because he's overcome every obstacle this side of Brian France's new-math handbook. He deserves it because - well, just because.
Here's Stewart's worksheet for 2005 so far. His five wins are tied with Greg Biffle for most on the tour. He's got the most top-5s with 16, the most top-10s with 23. He's led the most races with 17, the most laps with 1,829, the most miles with 2,495.
Biffle is second in miles led, 946 behind Stewart.
We're talking Richmond to Miami there. And you're telling me this title is still up for grabs?
Minus France's confection of a playoff format, Stewart would have a 255-point bulge over Biffle with those three races to go. Instead, he's only 43 ahead of Johnson, who otherwise would be 324 back. Only in Brian France's world do you get free lunch and multiple reprieves.
Under the old system, Stewart would've emerged from the 26th race at Richmond with a 185-point cushion. Under the new system, it was slashed to five. Later, after dipping to fifth in the standings and surging back to first, he held a 75-point advantage and the lead two-thirds of the way through a scarred-surface fiasco at Charlotte, had a tire shred, finished 25th and lost every bit of his edge.
Now he's constructed another lead. If there's any justice, this one should be for keeps.
Stewart was the 2002 series kingpin. He was tempestuous Tony then, an anger-management candidate waiting to happen. Now he's 34, maybe a little wiser, surely calmer. He's become ballast for his team. It's a who'd-a-thunk-it? transformation.
"Wouldn't you all agree that if we didn't know any better we'd think the world was coming to an end and the sky was falling?" he said recently at Martinsville. "I would say, yeah, it's definitely a different role for me, but it's not something that I said, hey, this is something that I've got to do. When I'm not dragging the team down, I think it helps all of us."
Case in point: Charlotte. In the old days, Stewart would've stalked off the track, detonated three minicams and gone R-rated ballistic on us. This time, he moved on.
"The difference is that he lets things roll off his back and keeps looking ahead instead of worrying about what happened yesterday or last week," said Zipadelli. "This Tony Stewart is a lot more fun to be around. He's a happier person."
He'll be even more cheery if he's staging a Nov. 20 celebration at Homestead. If he's not, there oughta be an investigation.
