It just shows how at every level, from go-karts all the way to Cup and IndyCars, you know, the more the technology's got involved in it, the more technical it's got and the closer the competition's got because of that.
Q.
As competitive as it is, are you more concerned about Dale and Jeff?
TONY STEWART:
Whole new season. It's just like picking things off a tree right now. Who knows who is going to be where. Everybody is so worried about Jeff and Dale. They're two of 43 guys that run the race each week, you know. There were a bunch of other guys that didn't make the Chase either, but nobody really paid attention to that.
Q.
ON THE COMPETITION
TONY STEWART:
There's 43 good drivers every week. 33 of them each week that aren't going to make the Chase each weekend.
I think it's time to get over that aspect of it and let's be realistic about this. There's more than just those two guys in the sport.
Q.
On finding the extra edge
TONY STEWART:
Yeah, just like IndyCar racing,
Formula One, when you find something that's working for you, I mean, it's going to work consistently until somebody else starts catching on to it or until they figure out something that works for them.
You know, again, it just goes back to how technical the sport's getting. I was talking to somebody else and they were talking about how everybody's trying to cut the cost of racing. Well, you can cut the cost of racing by changing techs and this and that. The problem is that if a typical sponsorship is $20 million, for example, if you cut the cost to where it only costs $15 million to do it just like we're doing that now, they're going to take that other $5 million and still spread the amongst the rest of it. They're still going to ask for the same amount of money, just spread it out there and to take that extra little bit to find that extra little bit to give themselves that little advantage like we had for a stretch.
Q.
What will it take to win the Bud Shootout?
TONY STEWART:
I don't know. The key to winning the shootout is to be in the first guy across the finish line. Other than that, I can't help you 'cause, you know, like I've always said, it's 190-mile-an-hour chess match. It's never the same game twice. It's always, you know -- you always re-rack, and different players get involved in different scenarios. Happens almost every year. I'm not sure there is any one key to really doing that.
Q.
Does the night race last year go right out the window as far as having any relationship to the shootout?
![Tony Stewart addresses the media in Las Vegas. [Pic Credit Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/192839.jpg)
