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Sprint Cup
GURSS: All The Right Moves
Tony Stewart and his Darrian Grubb-led team are leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings by 260 points over Jimmie Johnson...
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo)
About the only wrong move Tony Stewart made Monday afternoon was breaking the winner’s trophy while celebrating his convincing victory at Watkins Glen.
Now second in all-time NASCAR road course wins with seven (Jeff Gordon has nine), and the NASCAR career leader with five victories at the Glen, Stewart and his Darrian Grubb-led team are leading the Sprint Cup standings by 260 points over Jimmie Johnson. Stewart could sit out an entire race and still lead. The points will reset for the Chase, but the Stewart-Haas Racing team has established themselves as the chief rival to the three-time reigning champions of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
With Stewart becoming co-owner of team prior to the season, no one would have been too surprised if the team eventually won a race or even two this season, but to have gelled so well and so consistently throughout the season is an impressive feat for any new squad, no matter how talented. Now with three wins, the team has scored 13 top fives and 18 top-10 finishes in the first 22 races of the season.
On top of their consistent success, Stewart and Grubb insist they are still getting better, especially as the new team goes to tracks a second time.
"We've still got work to do,” said Grubb after Monday afternoon’s victory. “We're trying to get stronger every week and this was a testament to the effort we put forth every week... We're going to get stronger. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the Chase."
Stewart echoes his crew chief’s claims.
“We’re still learning each other, still learning these race tracks…”
As if that prospect weren’t scary enough for the rest of the competition, if history is any indicator, Stewart is a driver who only gets better once the season hits August.
“I like it when it gets hot and slick,” said Stewart. “It’s that way anywhere. It has played into our hands the last ten years. When the temperatures are at its highest, we tend to pick up. I think we can handle the slicker conditions a little better than some of the guys around us. It’s nice to be in a place where a lot of guys panic because it’s going to get hot and slick and I like it when it’s hot and slick.”
But what about the team’s chances for a championship in its inaugural season?
“It’s way too early. There’s so much that can happen,” explained Stewart. “We’re in a good shot to be a contender. I don’t think we’re a dominant contender yet. It’s hard because there are so many good teams. The 48 (Johnson)… the 24 (Jeff Gordon)... the 11 (Denny Hamlin), they’ve been really strong. I think those are the three guys we’re worried the most about now. If you look at the Chase in the past, I don’t think you can count anybody out.”
Other than a non-points victory at the All-Star race in Charlotte, the No. 14 team has yet to win on a mile-and-a-half track, the common configuration that will make up the majority of the Chase races and likely the type of track where the 2009 champion will be determined.
“We’re still trying to fine tune,” Stewart said from Victory Lane. “At the mile-and-a-half tracks, we can be a little bit better. We think the 48 and the 24 might be a little better than us, but it’s just a fine-tuning game for us. The top five or six in points have their acts together, so every little bit counts.”
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com
Now second in all-time NASCAR road course wins with seven (Jeff Gordon has nine), and the NASCAR career leader with five victories at the Glen, Stewart and his Darrian Grubb-led team are leading the Sprint Cup standings by 260 points over Jimmie Johnson. Stewart could sit out an entire race and still lead. The points will reset for the Chase, but the Stewart-Haas Racing team has established themselves as the chief rival to the three-time reigning champions of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus.
With Stewart becoming co-owner of team prior to the season, no one would have been too surprised if the team eventually won a race or even two this season, but to have gelled so well and so consistently throughout the season is an impressive feat for any new squad, no matter how talented. Now with three wins, the team has scored 13 top fives and 18 top-10 finishes in the first 22 races of the season.
On top of their consistent success, Stewart and Grubb insist they are still getting better, especially as the new team goes to tracks a second time.
"We've still got work to do,” said Grubb after Monday afternoon’s victory. “We're trying to get stronger every week and this was a testament to the effort we put forth every week... We're going to get stronger. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the Chase."
Stewart echoes his crew chief’s claims.
“We’re still learning each other, still learning these race tracks…”
As if that prospect weren’t scary enough for the rest of the competition, if history is any indicator, Stewart is a driver who only gets better once the season hits August.
“I like it when it gets hot and slick,” said Stewart. “It’s that way anywhere. It has played into our hands the last ten years. When the temperatures are at its highest, we tend to pick up. I think we can handle the slicker conditions a little better than some of the guys around us. It’s nice to be in a place where a lot of guys panic because it’s going to get hot and slick and I like it when it’s hot and slick.”
But what about the team’s chances for a championship in its inaugural season?
“It’s way too early. There’s so much that can happen,” explained Stewart. “We’re in a good shot to be a contender. I don’t think we’re a dominant contender yet. It’s hard because there are so many good teams. The 48 (Johnson)… the 24 (Jeff Gordon)... the 11 (Denny Hamlin), they’ve been really strong. I think those are the three guys we’re worried the most about now. If you look at the Chase in the past, I don’t think you can count anybody out.”
Other than a non-points victory at the All-Star race in Charlotte, the No. 14 team has yet to win on a mile-and-a-half track, the common configuration that will make up the majority of the Chase races and likely the type of track where the 2009 champion will be determined.
“We’re still trying to fine tune,” Stewart said from Victory Lane. “At the mile-and-a-half tracks, we can be a little bit better. We think the 48 and the 24 might be a little better than us, but it’s just a fine-tuning game for us. The top five or six in points have their acts together, so every little bit counts.”
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com
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