Crash.Net NASCAR News
Stewart: I thought I'd left him room.
Wednesday, 19th March 2008
Tony Stewart led six times for a race-high 267 laps in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, including being out front with four of the scheduled 500 laps to run, but still failed to end his run of bad luck at the bullring oval.
A late-race accident with Kevin Harvick marked the third straight Food City 500 where Stewart had dominated, but did not come away with the victory. In the 2006 edition, he led eight times for a race-high 245 laps but, with 25 laps to go, the handling on his #20 Home Depot ride went away, dropping him to twelfth when the chequered flag waved.
In last year's race, Stewart was performing his own rendition of the Bristol Stomp by leading four times for a race-high 257 laps, only for misfortune to strike on lap 289 when the fuel pump cable broke. With no fuel pressure, the engine shut off, forcing Stewart to come to pit road. Crew members were able to replace the cable, but the process was lengthy, and the #20 returned 25 laps down.
With this year's brush with Harvick relegating the Home Depot Toyota to a disappointing 14th-place finish, Stewart has led a staggering 769 laps in the past three Food City 500s - some 50.9 per cent of the 1510 laps available - but has an average finish of 20th.
“I thought I left him plenty of room, but I don't know,” Stewart sighed, replaying the incident with Harvick in his mind, “I was far enough ahead of him that I didn't see where he hit me or when he hit me.”
The unfortunate chain of events began when Brian Vickers crashed on lap 491. Stewart was leading with less than ten laps to go, and crew chief Greg Zipadelli had to make the critical decision whether to pit and take four tyres to ensure more grip and a faster car or stay out on the race track and keep the lead.
Stewart and Zipadelli elected to stay out, as did second-place Denny Hamlin and third-place Dale Earnhardt Jr, but, when the race restarted, Hamlin got by Stewart on lap 496, while Richard Childress Racing team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, who had pitted for new tyres, closed in. As Harvick and Stewart battled for second, the Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet slid up into Stewart's Toyota into turn three on lap 499.
Contact was made and Stewart spun backward into the SAFER barrier on the outside retaining wall. The rear of his car was badly mis-shapen but, after some quick service on pit-road under the ensuing yellow, Stewart was able to stay on the lead lap and remain in the race. He finished as the last car on the lead lap, and actually gained one spot in the championship standings.
