I never thought I would say it, but after 84 race starts and over 3 years, Tony Stewart has found victory lane again. Using pit strategy by staying out towards the end of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway allowed the 3-time NASCAR Champion to take the lead, holding off Martin Truex, Jr. and Denny Hamlin to win the race. This win did help Tony Stewart's chances for making the Chase, but right now is 32nd in the standings. In order for Stewart to race for a championship, he needs to be in the top-30 in points by the Fall Richmond race. Right now, with good tracks like Indianapolis and Daytona this weekend, it is a huge advantage for Stewart, since he has won at those tracks. 10 races to go, we'll see.
It definitely was an emotional win for Stewart, after everything that has happened in his life since 2013, including the leg injury, then the accidental death of Kevin Ward in a Sprint Car race in Upstate New York back in August 2014, to an entire year of struggles in 2015. Even though Stewart missed the first 8 races of the 2016 season due to a back injury, Smoke's career has some light left in him, especially on a road-course win, 8th of his career.
This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as well as the Xfinity Series, returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 weekend, under the lights. Definitely think we will see the same type of racing like in February, with Toyotas dominating the event, most notably Joe Gibbs Racing, as well as Martin Truex. Jr., who is really looking for a restrictor-plate win, after being shut out by Hamlin back in February. Daytona is always a crap-shoot, so take your pick.
No comments:
Post a Comment