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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SADLER: Smoke Sizzles
When Tony Stewart first announced his NASCAR team ownership plans last year, several pundits decried he would struggle...
Hermie Sadler  |  Posted April 08, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)

Never tell Tony Stewart he can’t do something … because as he currently is demonstrating in his freshman year as a driver/owner, the man will do everything in his power to prove you dead wrong.

When Stewart first announced his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ownership plans last year, several pundits decried the move and claimed Stewart-Haas Racing would struggle in the first year or two. Not so fast.

Atop the fifth position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with two consecutive top-five and five top-10 finishes under his belt, Stewart is making it very clear he knew exactly what he was doing and how he would go about it.

Stewart turned the NASCAR garage upside down last year when he announced he would be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing after 10 years and two Cup championships to drive for and co-own what is now Stewart-Haas Racing. Why in the world, some wondered, would he leave one of the sport’s premier organizations, and most respected car owners, to assume part ownership in a two-car team that had only one car in the top 35 in points in 2008 and has never been a factor on race day?

Tony obviously has nothing to prove as a driver - his record speaks for itself. What people want to see is how Tony will fare as a driver/owner, a role that has tripped up just about everyone who has made a run at it in recent years. A Sprint Cup driver/owner hasn’t won a race since 1998 when Ricky Rudd accomplished the feat, but Smoke promises to end that streak, most likely this year.

Stewart-Haas Racing is way ahead of schedule and the turnaround in that organization really has been nothing short of amazing. Why is that? Tony Stewart.

His name instantly brought credibility to the team and his relationships in the garage area immediately made Stewart-Haas a team everyone wanted to work for. Stewart attracted sponsors, a monumental challenge these days, and achieved what others in his position have failed to do - hired quality people and let them do their jobs without micromanaging them to death.

The relationship that Stewart-Haas enjoys with Hendrick Motorsports allows them to use Hendrick cars and engines, which is key, but the people that Tony brought in to work on those cars are making the difference. He hired Bobby Hutchens, a long-time racer and engineer from RCR, as his director of competition; Darian Grubb, a vital piece of the Hendrick Motorsports organization, as his crew chief; and Ryan Newman as his teammate; and then bolstered both teams with outstanding employees. The boss is doing his job and leaving the rest to everyone else, which is why Stewart-Haas Racing will flourish.

It’s also interesting that it appears his new ownership role has allowed Tony to better see "the big picture.” He does not react to issues simply from a driver's perspective but now views circumstances through the eyes of an owner as well, which I think is molding him into a more focused driver, a near-death sentence for the competition.

Tony holds the fifth spot in the points and Newman, sitting 17th, finally is rebounding from a terrible start to the season. It remains to be seen if Tony or Ryan win this season but my gut says “yes,” due in part to the caliber of drivers and teams they’ve assembled.

But the intangible and possibly most potent component of that equation is that some told Tony he couldn’t do it and he’s quickly proving he certainly can.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. Sadler began racing as a 10 year old and has more than 300 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He also owns the United Wrestling Federation, which promotes live professional wrestling events in the Southeast. To learn more about Sadler, visit HermieSadler.com or to access behind-the-scenes information about TNA Wrestling, click on “Hermie’s Hot Seat” at TNAWrestling.com.

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