Q&A: Tony Stewart.

Saturday, 11th February 2006

As he prepares to defend his 2005 Nextel Cup Championship, Tony Stewart talks NASCAR, his holidays, or lack thereof, Daytona, the Bud Shootout, if he can remember when it starts, sprint cars, cell phones and girls.

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As he prepares to defend his 2005 Nextel Cup Championship, Tony Stewart talks NASCAR, his holidays, or lack thereof, Daytona, the Bud Shootout, if he can remember when it starts, sprint cars, cell phones and girls.

Q.
As you went through it last year, now does it get into a case where it's a 'success breeds a success' kind of thing?

TONY STEWART:
I mean, you hope so. But, I mean, you've been doing this a lot longer than I have. You know there are no guarantees in this sport. I mean, literally you go back to everybody is starting at square one again. We'll wait and see what happens.

Q.
Having left here with the dominant plate car, I believe you said at the time maybe one of the best cars you've ever had in your life, when you come back here, did you bring the same car, and can you count on picking up where you left off?

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TONY STEWART:
I think it's the same chassis. Obviously, it's not the same car, though, 'cause different nose and tail. Again, it's kind of one of those situations where you don't know what you got till you get out there. It could make them to where they found something already that we haven't with the new nose and tail.

I mean, again, every year when we come here, you can't predict anything. Everything you did last year is over with. That's last year. We've got basically a new car. I mean, when you put a new nose and tail on these cars now, it's not a little simple change anymore. The aerodynamics are so big that immediately it's a brand-new racecar.

So, you know, we don't know. I wish I knew better. I mean I wish I had better feeling about it. But, again, it's just going out. We're going to have to wait and see. You know, tomorrow's shootout practice is what I'm looking forward to see, to see where we stand up.

Q.
You think it will be a pretty good indicator?

TONY STEWART:
Not necessarily. It's not the same car we're going a run in the 500 obviously. You know, hopefully they're both fairly even. You know, it's never a telltale sign of what's going to happen.

Q.
Winning Indy was such a huge thing for you. How would winning Daytona stack up against that?

TONY STEWART:
I mean, it's almost an unfair question because, I mean, Indy is home to me. But, I mean, as far as a to-do list this year, I mean, that's the No. 1 thing on the to-do list. You know, it's the only thing on the to-do list that we haven't already accomplished.

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