A 1,100-MILE ODYSSEY; STEWART'S CHALLENGE: FINISH TWO MAJOR RACES IN ONE DAY.Byline: Michael Vega Boston Globe Winning the Indianapolis 500 has been a lifelong dream for Tony Stewart For other persons named Tony Stewart, see Tony Stewart (disambiguation). Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart (born May 20, 1971) is an auto racing driver who was born in Columbus, Indiana. He has won championships in sprint cars, Indy cars, and stock cars. , a homegrown Hoosier from Rushville, Ind. But his budding NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Winston Cup career and commitment to drive the No. 20 Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Pontiac for car owner Joe Gibbs
This biographical article or section needs additional references for verification. Please help [ to improve this article] by adding additional sources. at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., today posed a major conflict with his desire to drive his own car in the 83rd Indianapolis 500. Until Gibbs came up with a solution: Why not drive in both races? ``When I signed my contract with him two years ago, Joe actually was the one that brought up the Indianapolis 500,'' said Stewart. ``I didn't even bring it up. He said, `I know how much of a dream it is for you to run Indy, and I want you to be able to do that as long as you like to.' So I guess that's what his involvement is; it's his willingness to let me come here and run this race.'' With Gibbs' blessing and support, the 28-year-old Stewart will attempt to run a grueling marathon by driving in both the Indy 500 this afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 tonight. Talk about May Madness. Robby Gordon Robby Gordon (born in Bellflower, California, on January 2, 1969) is an American racing driver who currently competes in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, owning his #7 Ford Fusion, sponsored by Jim Beam, and also owning his #55 Verizon Wireless/Motorola ride which competes part-time and Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno (born February 11 1959 in Rio de Janeiro[1]) is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. will also pull double duty this weekend. After they drove in Saturday's Motorola 300 CART race in Madison, Ill., they are going to start in the Indy 500. But try pulling the double ride on the same day in two completely different cars. Today, Stewart will pilot the No. 22 Home Depot Aurora-powered Dallara he co-owns with Tri-Sports Motorsports partners Larry Curry and Andy Card and start 24th in the 33-car Indy field. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Stewart will climb out of his Indy car after completing 500 miles, fly by charter jet to Charlotte, climb into his Winston Cup car, start from the rear of the field, and drive another 600 miles. Total mileage for the day: 1,100. ``To be honest, I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how difficult it's going to be,'' said Stewart, who completed a dry run last weekend when he overcame a one-hour rain delay, qualified for Indy with a four-lap average of 220.653 miles per hour, then flew to Charlotte, won The Winston Open qualifying race and finished second to Terry Labonte Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956, in Corpus Christi, Texas) is a former NASCAR driver. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had worked on racecars as a hobby for his friends. in The Winston all-star race. The last driver to run both races was John Andretti John Andretti from Indianapolis, Indiana is an American race car driver, of Italian origin. He is one of the most versatile race car drivers in American history, winning in Indy car, NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters, endurance racing and NASCAR racing. in 1994. But Stewart could be the first to complete all 1,100 miles. ``I was pretty worried when I went to bed Saturday night,'' recalled Andretti, who finished 10th in the '94 Indy 500, flew by private jet to Charlotte and, though he qualified ninth, was forced to start at the rear of the field because he was unable to attend a mandatory drivers' meeting. Andretti wound up 36th when he dropped out after 220 laps with a cracked shaft. ``The weird thing was, I usually go to bed worrying about the race car,'' Andretti said. ``That night, all I worried about was the weather. I was worried that it might rain in Indianapolis and it might not rain in Charlotte. A rain delay in Indy was going to make it really tough to make the start of the race in Charlotte. A rain delay in Charlotte, at least at the start, was going to make it a little easier. ``When I woke up Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
Ah, the weather. It can be unpredictable in these parts at this time of year. When Stewart awoke last Saturday morning for pole day at Indy, he was greeted by rainy skies that caused a one-hour delay in the start of time trials. It was an hour Stewart, already on a tight schedule, could not afford to lose. Fortunately, Stewart drew the No. 2 spot in the qualifying lineup and was the second to take the track for a qualifying attempt and first to make the field. He wasted little time in departing Indy, driving a police-escorted van to the airport, where Gibbs' private jet was waiting to whisk him to Charlotte. He was airborne at 12:50 p.m., just 40 minutes before Curry's self-imposed deadline of 1:30. ``My attitude about this whole two weeks is that it's going to be unforgettable and that I've enjoyed it thoroughly,'' Stewart said. But pole day was just one obstacle with which Stewart and Curry, his former chief engineer at Team Menard, were forced to contend when they arrived at Indy. First, Stewart had to win a court decision over his former IRL 1. (jargon, chat) IRL - In real life. Generally synonymous with f2f. 2. (language, robotics) IRL - Industrial Robot Language. car owner, John Menard, who filed suit claiming Stewart was still contractually obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to drive for him at Indy. Then, last Thursday during a late-afternoon practice run, Stewart crashed his primary car, slapping the wall between Turns 3 and 4 and causing light damage to the right side. A year ago, he had been a moody sort who wouldn't have had the patience to explain his blunder to the media. But he was a changed man - humble, contrite con·trite adj. 1. Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent. 2. Arising from or expressing contrition: contrite words. , and yes, even patient - when he arrived at the trackside track·side n. The area near a track, especially a racetrack. conference room. ``I'm definitely still hard on myself,'' he said. ``I guess I'm still a driver in training to a certain degree. I definitely didn't win any Mr. Congeniality awards last year by any means, and I apologize for acting like that. My team and my engineer give me 100 percent, and I want to give them 100 percent back.'' It is but a small price to pay for a boyhood dream. ``There's a lot of races that are important to me that I still want to try and win in my lifetime,'' Stewart said. ``But I would say that if I could only guarantee that I was going to win one of them, (the Indy 500) would be the one that I would pick. ``You know, it's the most important race of my life.'' THE FIRST DAILY DOUBLE John Andretti became the first to race in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day in 1994. This is how he fared: Race Finish Indy 500 10th Coca-Cola 600 DNF DNF - disjunctive normal form x x withdrew with cracked shaft. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, 2 Boxes, Map Photo: (1--Color) If Tony Stewart has to spend a lot of time this afternoon waiting in the pits at the IRL's Indianapolis 500, it'll be tough to make the trip in time to Charlotte for the Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600. Tom Strickland/Associated Press (2--Color) ANDRETTI (3) ``There's a lot of races that are important to me that I still want to try and win in my lifetime, but I would say that if I could only guarantee that I was going to win one of them, (the Indy 500) would be the one that I would pick.'' - Tony Stewart Box: (1) THE FIRST DAILY DOUBLE (See text) (2) A safer Indy 500 Map: DOUBLEHEADER Indy 500 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Start: 8 a.m. PST PST Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, see there Start: 3:15 p.m. PST Lasts 3 1/2 hours. |
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