Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Chevrolet, for Stewart Hass Racing isn’t set to run a bunch of laps on Sunday, and some could say it’s partially disappointing as he’s one of the best to hit the track on these styles of races. Given the recent history, that could’ve worked into his favor as there’s a pattern among NASCAR these days in that the same person wins restrictor plates repeatedly.
“I think it’s the same philosophy as it has been as far as drivers knowing what to do and what to look for as far as how to read what they need with their cars in practice to know how to pass in the race,” Stewart said. “You look at the guys that are really good at these places it is guys that are good at both Daytona and Talladega and they know how to work the draft. I think it’s kind of a second wave of drivers since Dale Earnhardt has been gone, that have really figured it out. I think Dale (Earnhardt) Junior and I had a pretty good run together when we were doing tandems together. It seemed like we always got hooked-up at the end of the races here.
“The unfortunate part is that I always got the lower end of the deal finishing second, but he always won. But as far as I was concerned on points, that was a pretty good day for us to finish second here. We were willing to do that a lot here. I think it’s just that guys have figured out how to pass and how to get that momentum and how to get enough momentum to get by without the car stalling out.”
Stewart will be starting the race at Talladega Superspeedway and will run until the first caution or green flag pit stop and then Ty Dillon will getting in to the car the rest of the race.
“I’m assuming we’re running the roof hatch but I don’t plan on going out that way,” Stewart said. “It’s not a way I’ve ever planned on going out of anything was through the roof. I don’t know. There was one girl I dated that I had to exit in a little different direction than what I needed to (laughter). But that was a different story. It had nothing to do with racing. Honestly, the entire race car has Ty set-up in it (like) seats, belts, headrests, steering wheel. Everything is going to be Ty’s.
“The reason for that is because I want him to be as comfortable as he can be. I’m going to do what I always do around here at the beginning of the race and just ride around in the back until we get the first caution. So, it’s not going to be very glamorous on my part, but it’s functional to accomplish the goal that we need to and that’s meeting the surgeons halfway in saying they didn’t want us to run this race. We need the points and so we talked them into letting us to at least start the race. “I told them it normally doesn’t go more than two or three laps at the beginning of the race before a caution. It might go 82 or 83 laps, who knows? But, we’ll run until it gets there. I don’t think, realistically, Ty is a little bit taller than me, but for the most part everything in the car is fairly similar. That’s why we’re pretty confident that I’m going to be more than comfortable running his seat right now.”
Stewart will still get out at the first caution no matter when it comes out. Whether it is on lap 5, 20, 50 or 100 but he knows the race will not go caution free as it is Dega and there is always the big one.
“I still think the goal is going to be for when the first caution comes out,” Stewart said. “And if it means we go 80 laps or 100 laps or whatever, it’s not likely that the race will go that long without a caution, but if it does, the level of intensity is pretty sanitary at that point. It’s not really ramping-up yet. So, I don’t feel like there’s any danger in that. It’s later in the race when guys are really having to make things happen; that’s the part of the race when we really need to be out of the car. There will be ample time to get that caution to get us out. The good thing is that Talladega is so big that even if it’s 40 laps from the end of the race when Ty gets in it, he’s going to have enough time to do what he needs to do.
“Hopefully it will happen sooner than later; and that way he can get into the flow of the race earlier than later and he’ll be fine. Everything that he’s done in our car this year has been awesome. I think he’s done a fantastic job and I think he’ll be fine this weekend as well.” If Dillon wins the race than Stewart would be in the chase for the championship. “I mean I appreciate that,” Stewart said. “I don’t think I will feel good about it if I were to get a spot that way. I know I wouldn’t feel good about it. I think for me to make the Chase it needs to be because I ran the whole race and won the race. Not started it and somebody else won it for me.”
