|
Tony Stewart marked himself in his first two Cup seasons as virtually a sure thing to win championships. In 2002, he realized that goal for the first time - but it wasn't easy.
Stewart's Cup success was surprising to some as he had a spotty, winless record in the Nationwide Series with Joe Gibbs Racing and Ranier/Walsh Racing. Before that, however, Stewart's open-wheel record was impeccable.
Stewart jumped into the Indy Racing Northern Light Series in 1996, where he won rookie of the year. He also was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year before winning the IRL championship in 1997.
He completed the arduous Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 double in 1999, finishing ninth and fourth, respectively and repeated the feat with a pair of top-10s in 2001.
The path to the Cup title began in 2000, when Stewart led the Cup Series in victories with six. While he ended up sixth in the point standings, he and crew chief Greg Zipadelli continued to establish themselves as a potent combination with 12 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.
In 2001, he ended up second in the points to four-time champion Jeff Gordon, but the Rushville, Indiana driver continued to pile up race wins and strong finishes with three victories, 15 top-fives and 22 top-10s.
The 2002 Cup season did not start well for Stewart. Engine trouble forced him into a 43rd-place finish at the Daytona 500. Three weeks later, he won at Atlanta, the first of three wins Stewart claimed along the way.
Stewart's performance off the track got as much attention as his performance on the track. In August, Stewart shoved a photographer at Indy. He was fined $10,000 by NASCAR and $50,000 by his sponsor, Home Depot. In September, a fan accused Stewart of shoving her after the Sharpie 500 at Bristol. The allegation was unfounded.
Later in September, Stewart was cited in a story published in Saturday's Concord Monitor under a headline stating, "EMT says Stewart punched him" after an accident during the New England 300 on July 21.
Stewart collided with Getty Images photographer, Rusty Jarrett on the final weekend of the season at Miami. After a meeting with Stewart and NASCAR, Jarrett accepted Stewart's apology.
Stewart finished seventh in the standings in 2003 after reaching victory lane twice, (Pocono in June and Charlotte in October).
After finishing sixth in the inaugural "Chase for the Cup" in 2004, Stewart went on to capture his second title the following season.
Stewart became the 14th driver in history to win multiple Cup championships after winning the 2005 title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won the championship by a margin of 35 points over the Roush Racing teammates of Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards.
During the 2005 season, Stewart captured five wins, three poles and 25 top-10 finishes.
In 2007, Stewart earned three victories and a sixth-place finish in the Cup Championship standings.
After announcing in July, 2008 his intentions to leave JGR to start his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart finished up his 10-year tenure with a win and a spot in the Chase, but was never a serious threat to win his third career Sprint Cup crown.
Stewart edged Regan Smith to win October's controversial Talladega race to notch one last victory for the team that launched his NASCAR career.
Stewart's JGR tenure included a pair of titles as well as 33 Sprint Cup victories.
Both Stewart's 2009 effort as a driver and owner proved successful for the veteran, as he became the first owner/driver to lead the point standings since Alan Kulwicki in 1992, and the first one to win a race since Ricky Rudd in 1998.
Stewart grabbed the points lead following the May race at Dover International Speedway after scoring his ninth top-10 finish in the first 13 races of the season. He scored his first points paying victory at the following race in Pocono. Earlier in May, Stewart won the All-Star race.
With the Dover race, Stewart began a run of 10 consecutive top-10 finishes through the summer that included two more victories at Daytona and Watkins Glen.
He never lost the points lead during the regular season despite four finishes of 11th or worse in the races leading up to the Chase.
But, when the Chase started and the points were reset, Stewart was bumped to second and never regained the points lead. He ended the season in sixth in the standings with one additional victory in the Chase at Kansas.
|
