Stewart still tries to get up to speed
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Tony Stewart came back from a broken right leg at the Daytona 500 still not fully healed, yet able to race.
By the time he arrived at Phoenix International Raceway, he also was annoyed — at all the questions about his health.
“I’ll be honest, I’ll be more happy when everybody quits asking me how I feel,” Stewart said. “I’m not 100 percent. I’m not going to be 100 percent for a while.”
The same could be said of his team after a disappointing start to this season last week at the Daytona 500.
Stewart crashed out of the exhibition Sprint Unlimited and struggled with engine issues at the Great American Race, finishing 35th. Danica Patrick was strong early, leading laps for the second year in a row, but got tangled in a late-race crash and finished 40th.
Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick, the two newest members of Stewart-Haas Racing, were in position for good finishes, but had troubles at the end of the race. Busch finished 21st and Harvick hit the pit-road wall head-on on the final crash of the race to finish 13th.
Stewart and the rest of his team are hoping to bounce back quickly at Phoenix, particularly with a new championship format that makes it important to finish races.
Busch will have the best starting position for SHR in the race in 10th, and Harvick is two rows back at 13th. Stewart will start 20th and Patrick will go off 33rd.
“Not that you’re not going to be aggressive, but you have to keep the mindset right now that you still have to finish the races,” said Harvick, the all-time leader in victories at PIR with nine, including four Sprint Cup victories. “But as you get in that position [to win], you can start being a lot more aggressive with really anything. All you’re after at that point is winning races to try to gain more bonus point to protect yourself in the first round of the Chase to get the cushion.”
The race today on Phoenix’s odd-shaped 1-mile oval will cover 312 miles.
Junior on tour
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had quite a ride since winning the Daytona 500 for the second time last week, going on a whirlwind tour while receiving numerous freebies, including ribs from a Memphis barbecue restaurant.
It was a victory he will remember for the rest of his life and one that was wildly popular with his fans, but reality returns this weekend.
“The only bad part about winning at Daytona is you go to Phoenix and somebody else wins the next race, then they are getting the ribs,” he said with a laugh. “If I can win, I will keep it going, but it would be nice if we had an off weekend there where we it could keep going because so much great stuff happens to you during this week and it’s been great.”
Nationwide race
Kyle Busch became the first driver to win three consecutive Nationwide races at Phoenix, dominating his way through a rain-shortened race. Busch took an early lead and was still out front when the race was halted with 32 laps left. After a delay of more than two hours, the race was called. Kevin Harvick finished second and pole-sitter Brad Keselowski was third.