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Make Tony’s Victory At Homestead Sport’s Illustrated’s Moment Of The Year

Amy — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:31:12 +0000

While in-between festivities at Champions Week in Las Vegas (and yes I still have to post about them- I haven’t forgotten) Misty and I were discussing Tony Stewart’s run at Homestead. I forget what the exact statistic is but he passed something like 118 cars during that race. Now- mind you there are only 43 cars in a sprint cup race field IF everyone is on the track- which is highly unlikely because of start-n-park teams, mechanical failures, crashes, etc. You couldn’t help but notice- at Homestead that Tony Stewart was a man determined. He was going to do everything in his power to get that car across that finish line FIRST. Misty always tells me when I get a little discouraged at Tony’s run “Remember- You can NOT keep Tony Stewart down.” For those of you who don’t know Misty like I do- that is a lot for her to say- because while she loves Tony as a person- he is NOT her driver during a race (and let me tell you- during a race Misty can get fairly ferocious in her driver loyalty). Misty’s right though- Tony Stewart was a man determined and NOWHERE was that more evident than at Homestead. Just when I thought his day was done he would be flying up through the field yet again- determined to get that win and that Championship. His driving was determination personified. That is why I think Tony’s victory at Homestead (and his amazing championship run- winning 5 of the 10 chase races) deserves to be Sport’s Illustrated’s Sports Moment of the Year for 2011.

YOU, the fans, can help Tony get this honor. All you have to do is LIKE Sports Illustrated on Facebook- then go to the Sports Illustrated facebook page and vote for your top five sports moments of 2011 (making Tony Stewart’s moment first of course). Vote now- vote often. You only have until December 16th to place your votes!

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, poses with the Championship trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 21, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. (November 20, 2011 - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)

Tony busted his butt to win that third championship- and put on one hell of a show doing it! Let’s show him we loved watching him do it!

We Are The Champions- Part 2

Amy — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:03:21 +0000

Thirteen weeks ago (give or take) I was sitting in my office at work contemplating requesting my vacation leave for Champions week. Since Champions week had been moved to Las Vegas- I have attended EVERY SINGLE ONE but of course, Tony Stewart had been in every single chase since then too. At the time of my contemplation, Tony was precariously perched in a points position where it looked like he might not even make the Chase. A tiny little part of me didn’t want to go if Tony didn’t at least make the chase so I considered briefly putting off my request until I knew if he would make the chase. That tiny little part of me that didn’t want to go is a sore loser you see. It’s probably related to the part of me that is in a fairly foul mood the better part of a day after Tony has had a crappy run. Of course I put in my vacation request for Champions week that day because the bigger part of me would pretty much take any reason to go visit her best friend in Vegas- and really I should buck up. That is what I told myself: I needed to buck up and go even if Tony didn’t make the chase. So that is where my head was…I still had hope that he would make the chase- but never in a bazillion years at that point in time did I think he would even have a run at the championship.

It’s hard to believe that in the span of time of just the chase (10 weeks), Tony won 5 races (out of 10) AND the 2011 Sprint Cup Championship. He won the Cup Sunday and here it is Tuesday and I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around it- despite watching it with my own eyes (on TV- but OH HOW COOL WOULD IT HAVE BEEN TO BE THERE?).

So when I woke up on Sunday I didn’t watch RaceDay like I usually do (I usually keep RaceDay on Speed as the background of my morning activities- don’t think I didn’t DVR it though). I figured it would be talk about Carl vs Tony and I didn’t need the extra nerves. I checked my twitter that morning only ONCE for the same reason. If I was this nervous how could Tony and crew NOT be? The race on Sunday was a roller coaster of a race just like the season for Tony was a roller coaster season. Before the race even started I texted Misty and said: Part of me doesn’t even want to watch. What I really wanted to tweet before the start of the race I didn’t. I wanted to tweet: Tony please win the championship- if for no other reason so I can go neener neener neener to all the naysayers. One of which told me in no uncertain terms that Tony had given Carl a good run for his money but there was no way he would win the championship or the race. NO WAY. The person who told me this? Claims to be a Tony fan (a fair weather fan so says me).

My dad likes to say he had to restart my heart about 3 times during the race and that I said a couple of “profound” things during the race (well I have told you before that I can’t be held too accountable for the words that flew outta my mouth during a race). When I saw the hole in the grill- I sent a very disheartened text to Misty that said something to the effect of “Well there went the championship” and she replied simply with “Keep Digging Friend”. That has been our battle cry here at BadGroove for most of the season: #KeepDiggingTony (as evidenced by my post race Michigan report and multiple tweets since then). During the course of the 367 laps at Homestead Miami- Tony passed 118 cars! Considering that the field is only 43 cars and that the go-or-go-homers tend to drop out early in the race? That’s a lot of cars passed.

Some photos:

Driver Intros:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, is introduced prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

One of the heart attack moments:

Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, and Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, pass Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet, and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, to go four wide in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)

Rain Delay:

(C) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, talks with crew members during the reg flag rain delay during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)

Two of my favorite Victory Lane pictures:

Tony Stewart (L), driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, hugs his mother Pam Boas (R) after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. Stewart wins his third NASCAR Championship. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America)

Tony Stewart (L), driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, hugs his sister Natalie (R) after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. Stewart wins his third NASCAR Championship. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

So I have to admit I am REALLY looking forward to heading to Vegas in about a week for Champions week. Cuz NEENER NEENER NEENER:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 and the 2011 Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2011 in Homestead, Florida. Stewart wins his third NASCAR Championship. (November 19, 2011 - Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

Speaking of Champions week- there are still tickets available to NASCAR After The Lap (my original issue with Ticketmaster and my tickets was resolved and I got my original tickets back-YEY!) – I highly suggest you order some up and come join us for some FUN.

** After the race I ended up having to make good on my own smack talk- having told my family on Saturday that if Tony won the Championship I would treat them to dinner at the OUTBACK (sorry BK wasn’t fancy enough for a championship). Every time Tony crossed the start-finish line for the last 15 laps or so my dad would yell OUTBACK! in his AFlac Duck voice.

Chase Race 8: Texas (Backing Up The Smack Talk while Fishing For A Championship)

Amy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:50:49 +0000

So 4 wins in the last eight races is pretty awesome right? I think so. You know what else is awesome? That this is the fifth season that Tony has had four wins! GO TONY! I will admit though, Jeff Burton did have me a little worried though yesterday. The last 12 laps or so I was standing right in front of the TV hoping Jeff Burton would run out of gas. Luckily he did- with just 5 laps to go resigning the lead to Stewart who went on to win the race at Texas Motor Speedway….putting him a mere 3 points behind points leader Carl Edwards with two races left (Phoenix and Homestead). I think I need a really big bottle of Tums and for next week most likely a muzzle.

The best part about the win at Texas was that Tony totally backed up his smack talk from his win at Martinsville Speedway the week before. I am the first to admit that when Tony got out of the car and during his post race press conference said “my adrenaline has worn off and I still mean he better not sleep too long these last three weeks” I cringed a little. I mean that is some major smack talking but Tony and Stewart-Haas Racing was prepared to back it up and I LOVED that!! After Smoke’s win at Martinsville the race at Texas Motor Speedway was billed as a sparring match between Stewart and Edwards so I also loved that TMS Track president brought out the boxing gloves to have Tony’s picture taken with in victory lane:

Tony Stewart (right, with Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage) wins the boxing match...er the AAA Texas 500 race at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

That's right Tony...show 'em Stewart-Haas Racing has muscle! (photo credit: Action Sports Photography)

And WHOO FREAKING HOO:

Tony wins Texas! (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

Notes On Texas:

Cute story – at about the 10 laps to go mark I was standing there watching (and hoping Burton would run out of gas) when my 3 and 1/2 year old nephew walked in. He wasn’t sure what was going on and he stood by his grandpa. My dad tried to explain it to him- that there was a race and we were rooting for Tony. So he stood next to me and kept saying Go Tony! everytime I would say Go Tony! If you asked him who Tony was he would say “Tony our friend!” Now since Tony won- he thinks that Tony is Lightning McQueen because he won and his car is red.
On the Wednesday before Texas- Tony went to Lake Okeechobee again to fishin the third-annual Office Depot Foundation Charity Fishing Tournament:

Tony with his catch (Photo Credit: Corporate Image Photography)

Tony shows off his mad fishing skills for the Office Depot Foundation. (Photo credit: Corporate Image Photography)

Also Office Depot Racing is doing an I’M WITH SMOKE promo where you can download the “I’m With Smoke” icon to use as your twitter/facebook avatar as well as a wallpaper. Plus you can enter to win a trip to the Homestead Miami race (you must enter by November 11th, 2011). Next week’s race is at Phoenix. GO TONY GO! KEEP DIGGING TONY! See ya there!

Chase Race 7: Martinsville

Amy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:14:19 +0000

“We’re not giving up (expletive)” could be heard on Tony Stewart’s radio near the midway point in the race as he battled hard to keep the race leader at the time, Denny Hamlin, behind him and himself on the lead lap. Stewart’s car had been brough to Martinsville with teammate Ryan Newman’s race set up in the hopes of hitting on something that would work better for Stewart. Unfortunately with only one practice because of weather the set up was mostly an unknown. It’s frustrating because Martinsville is my favorite track. I love it’s close quarters, the bumping and rubbing, the short tempers. It makes for good racing but I can only imagine that 500 laps of fighting an ill-handling car can take a toll on a driver physically and mentally. I know at the point during the race that Stewart was fighting so hard to keep from going a lap down I was disheartened that he was in that position (but proud as hell he was putting up a right good fight).

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images North America)

But then David Gilliland spun his #34 car and saved Tony from eventually succumbing to Denny Hamlin and going a lap down he was able to come in and get some major work done on his car that helped the handling. Some pit strategy soon had Stewart battling Kevin Harvick for the lead, battling a little too hard because on the next caution Tony soon had to come in unscheduled because Stewart thought he felt a tire going down. This put Stewart back in the field again.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates with his crew members after winning the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway . (Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

However, with four fresh tires and a fire in his belly (and some well timed cautions) Tony worked his way back up the field. Racing with Jeff Gordon, Tony discovered there was more grip on the outside then he though which gave him the confidence to pass Jimmie Johnson on the outside after the last caution. Tony moved up to second in the points and is only 8 points behind the points leader Carl Edwards. He is 13 points ahead of third place Kevin Harvick.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo Credit: by John Harrelson/Getty Images North America)

Notes on Martinsville:

While I absolutely LOVE Tony’s “We’re not giving up” radio battle cry while battling Denny Hamlin, I was also pretty fond of some chatter I found out about on twitter. After Jr. turned Joey Logano and Logano said “He just turned me.” His crew chief Greg Zipadelli reportedly replied back with “I’m sick of this shit. You better grow some balls and take care of it.” LOVE it.
I am still of the mind that speeding at any point of pit road should not be tolerated. Pit road at Martinsville is tight enough to begin with with the drivers speeding between the “speed traps” it is only putting the crew members at greater risk. I think NASCAR really needs to add more of the “traps” to each pit road and randomize which ones will be used during any point during a particular round of pit stops.
Speaking of tight pit quarters, Sean Irvan, the jackman from the #38 car was treated and released from a Martinsville area hospital for injuries suffered when struck on pit road by Mark Martin during pit stops. He suffered a concussion (and loss of consciousness) neck and knee injuries.
I loved Marty Smith’s pre-race interview with Brad Keselowski. Marty really does some of the best interviews around in my opinion both on camera and written.
I love the Toyota commercial with Kyle Busch where he pulls into the puts and the crew changes his car from his NASCAR to a street car. It’s a cool commercial all-around, but my favorite part is at the end when Kyle’s singing along to Loverboy’s Working For The Weekend and he gets out of synch with the lyrics and while the lyric he should be singing is “everybody wants a little romance” he actually sings the lyric from a little further in the song so he actually sings “everybody needs a second chance.” I LOVE that on so many levels. I mean honestly who doesn’t get the lyrics wrong some time. And there is just something apropos about needing a second chance. LOVE IT.
Speaking of loving it…I love this picture of Tony signing autographs in the garage:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/El Monterey Chevrolet, signs autographs in the garage prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images North America)

Next weekend is TEXAS. #KeepDiggingTony and Stewart Haas Racing!

Chase Race 4: Kansas (This One Comes With A Warning)

Amy — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:07:48 +0000

Warning: Thar be curse words ahead…ones that start with F so if you are sensitive to that (even though they are totally necessary) here is a link to a picture of Roxy (my adorable beagle) in my Flickr account that you can look at instead of reading this post that has ~~a few~~ F-words in it (I really did try to write this without the curse words…but it doesn’t have the same impact nor did it feel as cathartic):

There is a reason I don’t post my race reviews directly after races. It’s not that I don’t have the time, I usually do, unless there is some sort of weather delay or something that has made the race eat up a majority or my day. The reason I don’t post directly (same thing with why I don’t live blog races) would be because if I had posted right after the Kansas 2 race it would have read something like this:

Okay people answer me this: What the fuck was with that four tire change at the second to last pit stop? And then? What the fuckin’ fuck was with coming in at all for the last pit stop- when we had FOUR fresh tires and most likely enough fuel because of the previous stop? And what the fuckity fuck fuck fuck was with Tony’s car being SIDEWAYS in his pit stall on that last pit stop? Explain this to me in a way that makes me feel better about the outcome of the Kansas race and you might win some brownie points or something.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice at Kansas Speedway on October 8, 2011 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America)

I am not even kidding- the post totally would have sounded like that if I had written it yesterday. I still have a lot of the same feelings that I had up there in that italicized post now- over a day later. So I am obviously finding it very hard to find the sunny side in the events that unfolded over the last part of that race on Sunday. I mean I sat there and pretty much watched Tony work his way up the field steadily during the first have of the race. I was over the moon happy when we were second…then it all went down hill.

I am nothing if not a passionate, loyal to my driver fan. After watching Tony Stewart and the 14 crew work all day to get that car up into second place- then to have it all fall apart…well that killed me. I pretty much stomped out of the room- a sore loser you may say. I am not saying Tony should have won…Jimmie obviously had a far superior car judging by the way he would pull out and just totally take everyone to school with his lead. I do not begrudge Jimmie Johnson his win any more than I begrudge Chad Knaus’s pink hat (you can buy one here), but Tony had a STRONG car and had a STRONG will to be there in second. It was one of those races where I wished I had been crocheting during the race (I do that sometimes) because I would have had something nearby that was soft and cushy that I could have thrown in my frustration at the turn out of that race. So instead of throwing yarn balls, I cursed, cuz I needed to get it out. So I did. Kinda. I still don’t feel all that much better.

Tony ended up finishing the Kansas race a measly 15th- which was hard for me to swallow considering he had been doing so well. He has dropped to 7th in the points standings but is only 19 points out of the LEAD so…all is most definitely not lost! #KeepDiggingTony #GoTeamSHR #BookendChampionships

I don’t really have any notes about Kansas…but remember next week the race in Charlotte is on SATURDAY NIGHT!

Ok so you read the post with the curse words…you deserve to see a cute picture of Roxy in my flickr account. Go ahead…you know you want to. Who can resist cute beagle pictures?

Tony Stewart Fixes Computers? What?

Amy — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:58:07 +0000

We Fix Computers will be on the hood of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart at Kansas. (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

The phrase WE FIX COMPUTERS will grace the hood of Tony Stewart’s chevy this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Do not be concerned Smoke fans- he has not taken a second job in the technology field (although if he wants to give a go -he can swap jobs with me for a couple hours)! He is advertising sponsor Office Depot’s Tech Depot. The Tech Depot is at your office depot to help you get your computer in top shape so it can work for you.

One of the best deals? They offer a FREE computer tune up- which helps boost startup and shutdown speeds, removes unwanted files and checks for
computer for viruses. And your computer is guarenteed to be ready by the next day. Did I mention it’s FREE?

TV Panel of the "We Fix Computers" Office Depot's Tech Depot Chevy. (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

Let’s hope that this WE FIX COMPUTERS paint scheme is as fast as it looks!

#KeepDiggingTony in Kansas- lets get our third win of the season and the chase:

We Fix Computers. (Photo Credit: Action Sports Photography)

Chase Race 3: Dover

Amy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:55:09 +0000

Was it just me or was that race at Dover about 150 laps too long? Maybe it was just me because when my driver doesn’t do so well I get grumpy about it and the Dover race wasn’t the best for the Tony and the 14 team. I remember hearing Tony say that Dover was one of the chase tracks that they were concerned with- so I wasn’t surprised to see the team struggle with handling issues. I do NOT like it when my driver finishes a lap down…and it makes me uber cranky when he finishes more than a lap down. The car was ill handling the entire weekend as obvious by Tony’s practice speeds, qualifying effort and race. I wasn’t listening to the radio so I don’t know the exacts of HOW the handling was but but I honestly don’t think it matters much. They were bad. They know they were bad. According to the team report for Dover, Darian says that they have been routinely bad at concrete tracks:

“The biggest thing is just that we don’t have the concrete tracks figured out yet. It’s obvious. At Bristol and Dover, we’ve just struggled for three years now with Tony there. We just need to figure out what we need to do. It’s not because of a lack of effort. We’re going to keep trying to find a few things and keep fighting.” Darian Grubb, Crew Chief of the #14 Chevy Impala.

Also from the team report, I don’t understand the technical aspects of what Tony means when he says “even when we got the balance halfway decent we didn’t have speed.” Now shouldn’t the car have speed? It’s too technical for me to wrap my beady little brain around I guess. I do take some solace in the face that Newman seemed to be struggling too. I guess that they were equally crummy across the board leads me to think that it IS a technical issue that will be ironed out and hopefully soon. So the race really is NO fun to watch when you driver is struggling ALL race long just to attempt to be competitive.

To make this post a tad more cheery I would like to share with you a series of photos from photographer Glenn Bure who kindly shoots a couple of the NorthEast races and then kindly sends me his Tony pictures. I love this series by Glenn because they show off Tony’s helmet. Tony must have quite a few helmets and it seems to me that they all have different designs. I know he ran a cool patriotic design to go with his Richmond car- but I don’t know exactly how many helmets he has. I get frustrated because sometimes I want to see what his helmet looks like but never get to see it. Glenn was able to get some shots of this one that I hadn’t seen before:

Tony Stewart futzes with his helmet pre-race at Dover. (Photo Credit: Glenn Bure for BadGroove)

Now the pink on the helmet is all reflection (I think) from the number on the roof of the car- which I will get to later. Here is a little different view of Tony and his helmet:

Tony and his helmet- pre-race at Dover. (photo credit: Glenn Bure for Badgroove)

Again I think the pink (except for the pink ribbon on the shield) is reflection from the number on the roof of his car. Because the car was all pink-ified for breast cancer awareness month:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, drives on track during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Most of the Chevy drivers (not all- I didn’t see any pink on Jimmie Johnson’s car -but I did see that his crew chief was wearing a pink hat) had pink on their cars because October is breast cancer awareness month. It was a little odd. However then I watched some football that afternoon- more pink in the football and then in the late evening I watched some bull riding and even the cowboys were either wearing pink shirts or had a pink bandana tied somewhere on their person (one guy was even wearing his like a pink cape). But I totally digress.

Back to racing and Tony Stewart! Even though they had a bad run at Dover I still have faith that Tony Stewart and the whole #14 team can pull of a championship…they need to just #KeepDigging. Tony is currently tied for third in the points standings with Dover winner Kurt Busch and are only 9 points out of the lead. Current chase leader is Kevin Harvick.

Notes:

Remember to enter the Office Depot 14for14 contest on the Office Depot Racing website this month the prize is the poster of Tony and the team and is autographed by Tony and team. While you are there at the Office Depot Racing website, don’t forget to get the coupon to take to the Office Depot print center to get your NOVEMBER poster. Does anyone have them all? I am missing June….and I am sad about it cuz I loved June- it was one of my favorite months.

Oh and here is another picture of Tony from Glenn:

I can't decide if he's thinking or if he's confused...but it's a silly face all the same. (Photo Credit: Glenn Bure for BadGroove)

#KeepDiggingTony and #GoTonyGo at Kansas next week.