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Stewart Hopes To Be Part Of A Classic Short Track Battle
By: Kevin Ramsell
Monday, May 14, 2007 (Cambridge, WI) – Last year, Tony Stewart’s goal when
he made his first visit to Madison International Speedway was to walk away
with a top-ten finish. He accomplished that goal with a seventh place
finish.
No matter where Stewart competes, he always sets goals for himself. He
had his goals when he came to compete at the First Supply All-Star Challenge
event. “My expectations were met, yeah. I'm pretty realistic; I know
that when you go into another series and go run at somebody else's home track
and in their backyard, it's tough a lot of times to just make the show,”
Stewart recently stated. “So making the show was my No. 1 goal, and
just not embarrassing myself in the race was my second goal. I think I met
those goals, for sure. I think I finished in the top-10 which, running a late
model is something I've done less than a handful of times. I was pretty happy
with a top-10.”
At last year’s event, it was the first time that Stewart competed on the
Hoosier asphalt bias-ply tires in a late model. He followed former
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and former MIS champion Rich Bickle, Jr.
throughout the early part of the event. He took advantage of that
learning experience and piloted his Pathfinder Chassis prepared Late Model to
the seventh place finish.
Stewart was impressed with his first visit to Madison International
Speedway. “I thought it was a really nice facility,” Stewart
commented. “The track personnel there do a really good job keeping
everything organized. The show runs really fast and smooth. And they've got a
nice racetrack. I've been to a lot of short pavement tracks that aren't near
as nice as what Madison's got. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the
top-notch short tracks in the country.”
While he one of the top stars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Stewart has
always felt at home at a local short track. He even owns one of the more
famous dirt tracks in country, the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH which
will host the Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice on Wednesday, June
6th. The event will be live on HBO Pay-Per-View and will feature many of
the top NASCAR Nextel Cup stars including Stewart and Matt Kenseth.
When asked about what he enjoys the most about local short track racing he is
quick to answer, “What I like the most about it is the fans that go to short
track races. They're a different breed than your typical NASCAR fans,”
Stewart exclaimed. “They don't lose their minds when they see you come
in. They're excited that you're there but they're respectful of your time and
respectful of your space. They're just excited to see you come to race
at a place that they come to every week. The fans that go to a short track are
diehard race fans.”
“It's not about the fancy, popular drivers there every week. It's about
seeing good, local short-track action on a local level, seeing their own local
heroes grow up, and seeing the Matt Kenseths that they watched every week
there grow up to be Nextel Cup drivers,” Stewart continued to say.
“It's neat to see. They're some of the most dedicated fans. They sit there
in the rain, they sit there through thunderstorms. It's incredible.”
Stewart will join Kenseth for the First Supply All-Star Challenge presented by
Capital City Harley-Davidson on Tuesday, June 26th starting at 7:00 p.m. at
the Madison International Speedway. This year, both Stewart and Kenseth
will be competing in Super Late Model cars prepared by Pathfinder Chassis in
Sun Prairie, WI.
Stewart has about the same goals for this year’s event. “Really,
it’s just the same thing. I know we're running the big motors this year, so
hopefully that will play into my hands a little better. Hopefully, I'll
qualify well and hopefully I'll have another top-10 run against those guys.”
But he does have a goal that he does want to improve on from last
season. “It was fun last year because I could watch Matt. I was
running close enough to the front to see him and watch him battling for the
lead all night,” Stewart recalled. “To see him at his home track and
to see him do well, I thought that was pretty fun. I just hope this year I
could be a little bit closer to where I could be the one battling with him
instead of watching somebody else.”
Advance tickets are on sale now. You can download the official order
form by visiting www.mattkenseth.com.
Advance tickets are $25 for ages 11 and up and $10 for ages 10 and
under.
The spectator gates will open at Noon with practice going from Noon until 3
p.m. Qualifying will start at 4:00 p.m. and the first race will start at
7:00 p.m.
For more information on Madison International Speedway, please visit their
website at www.madisoninternationalspeedway.com.
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