Tony Stewart: NASCAR's New One Man Show

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Tony Stewart finished second in Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and if you believe what he says, he did it all on his own.

Yep, Tony Stewart -- by himself -- managed to get the No. 20 Home Depot car from the Joe Gibbs Racing shop in North Carolina all the way to Richmond, where he countered not only stiff competition on-track, but a Tropical Storm that blew through the area.

Sounds a little too good to be true, doesn't it?

As race fans found out thanks to ESPN picking up on Stewart's post-race in-car radio tantrum, Stewart apparently had convinced himself that he had been the sole provider for the team-'s Top-5 finish. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who likely is going to be quite relieved to deal with young gun Joey Logano in 2009, ripped Stewart back, as well.

The words:

Stewart: "Good job there, guys, we gave another one away today. Great job.

Zipadelli: "10-4. Great attitude there, Smoke. We stalled it a couple times on pit road there and gave up a spot. We win and lose as a team. It was a great effort, okay? Enough of that [expletive]."

Stewart: "The difference is, I got it back."

Nothing further was said after that very, very sour ending.

I get that Stewart is ready to win. I get that he's getting frustrated. I get that he's likely mad he blew the race by challenging Johnson so early and for so long on the bottom.

But man, has he really forgot about everything that the No. 20 team, Zipadelli, and the rest of the Joe Gibbs Racing organization has done for his career? Two championships aren't enough, Smoke?

Getting into the Chase and seeming to have a pretty doggone good car for the 10-race stretch doesn't work?

If this No. 20 team implodes from here on out, I won't be surprised. And when it does, there's only one person who the finger-pointing can go back to as to who really let the team down, despite promising to run full-throttle for the rest of his 2008 victory lap with JGR.

And his name is Tony Stewart.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-09-2008 @ 12:59AM

K said...

I think you mean Greg Zipadelli....

9-09-2008 @ 1:09AM

Dave said...

I do recall Tony saying "WE GAVE ANOTHER ONE AWAY TODAY" he didn't say "You all gave another one away" did he? you could report facts instead of what you think you hear

As a Smoke fan I want him to be pissed when he doesn't win. I will not pull for a driver who goes "gosh geez I'm, happy with 2nd"

9-09-2008 @ 1:27AM

tim said...

NASCAR has ruined our culture

http://www.collegefastbreak.com/dickie-v-baby/

9-09-2008 @ 1:40AM

Don Emerson said...

Begging your pardon, but yes Stewart did say " we " gave away another one, but in a very sarcastic manner. Tony is a decent driver, however his ego is as big as his beer/pizza filled gut. Wanna know the main reason Tony is winless this year, look no further than a spot or two of bad luck and a ton of bad attitude on Tony's part. if the car isn't set up perfect Tony takes it out on other drivers, his team, or the car, but never on himself. I could go on and on, but everyone with half a brain knows the real Tony Stewart. All those Stewart followers better be saving their energy for next year when they have to come up with all those excuses for why Tony's new team fell flat on its ass. Here, I'll give you a headstart, it was all Newman's fault. Works for me......

9-09-2008 @ 6:54AM

wayne said...

wow don must be the biggest gordon fan cause he sure hates stewart oh and by the the way tony is a great driver not decent whats wrong don did tony turn you down for a autograph or something you have a lot of bad attitude for stewart maybe your ego is as big as your gut anyway thats racing and if this sport wasn't exciting i wouldn't watch it

9-09-2008 @ 8:00AM

jambread said...

Tony always speaks first from his gut and his heart, he loves racing and hates, i repeat hates to lose. Sunday was a tough loss for him and yep he spouted off, but that's Tony. so bite me.

9-09-2008 @ 8:36AM

Mike LeVan said...

Sometimes the truth hurts. Tony Stewart does wonderful things to give back to the world around him as Geoffrey Miller has reported throughout the year. But it is his piss poor attitude that draws all the criticism and turns many people away that would be his fans. Yes, he is cetainly a winner and very passionate about racing but there is a differencein being passionate and being an asshole.
As Tony has been a new man all year long perhaps this is nothing but an isolated incident and he will make sure he takes his pills before the race next Sunday. Maybe he and his fans should take a page from the Jr Nations excuse book and blame it on the fact that now that he has announced he is leaving, he is getting the crappy used worn out equipment just laying around the garage at JGR.
MBL

9-09-2008 @ 9:29AM

Kim said...

Well it is now clear to me why Zippy doesn't have any intentions of following Tony to his new team. I heard the communications between the two on CNN yesterday and Zippy sounded like a guy who had frankly just had enough with the negativity! And who can blame him? He is an excellent crew chief, one that has always been there for and supported Stewart, helped him win races and championships alike.

I agree with Mike a.k.a "snarky"......Stewart does a lot for charities and helps so many programs that help children. For that, I respect him and support him. But like Mike said, I would love to be a fan of his and have tried, but frankly sometimes the negativity and the "blame game" just turn me off to him. He is looked up to by so many up and coming racers and children alike. He should be leading by example. A piss poor attitude on the race track and toward one's own team just shows a sore loser and sends the wrong message.

Kim

9-09-2008 @ 10:49AM

Tony and his "snarky" behavior is nothing new to Zippy or the crew, they all know how Tony is after a heart-breaking loss...move on

9-09-2008 @ 9:32AM

9-09-2008 @ 11:28AM

Mike "Snarky" LeVan said...

Tony better get used to it. I do not see him in the winners circle next year at all with Stewart/Haas Racing. While I understand that once you lern to accept failure you become a loser, he should learn to handle it better. There is no dishonor in failure as long as you can walk away with the knowledge that you did everything you could do to succeed.
Snarky

9-09-2008 @ 2:28PM

Stewart Fan said...

It didn't sound good at the time it happened. But, come on, it's Tony Stewart! He wants to win. He went into the pits leading the race and then lost positions on pit road. I would have been angry too. Tony did recover and was polite in the post-race interview. Why would Tony relive what Joe Gibbs has done for him for years in the seconds that he lost the race? He's passionate.

Didn't Jeff Gordon trash his team over the radio recently? I remember the interview and Jeff said that he wished he didn't have a radio button. He said it would have been better if he hadn't been given the opportunity to vent his frustrations.

What about Denny Hamlin? I recall him getting out of the car last year and trashing his team. He openly talked about replacing crew members on TWO separate occasions. He has trashed his team publicly this year. Denny goes straight to the media to complain. That's much worse in my opinion.

I've listened to Kyle Busch's radio and he trashes his team on a routine basis.

Nascar is the only sport where we are allowed to hear what is happening during the game or race. I know from watching my kids play sports that team members call out their own teammates when they make mistakes. It happens in team sports all the time.

I'm happy that Tony Stewart is a manly man with passion. Masculine men are an endangered species judging from the shows that I see on TV.

Stewart Fan from Ohio

9-09-2008 @ 9:02PM

DEBRA said...

HI SNARKY!
I AGREE THAT TONY HAD A PISSY ATTITUDE, BUT AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER WE'VE HEARD PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING FROM A LOT OF OTHER DRIVERS. THERE'S REALLY NO NEED TO SINGLE TONY OUT. I LIKE THE IDEA THAT TONY ISN'T AFRAID TO SPEAK HIS MIND.I'VE HEARD WORSE FROM DON EMERSON. AND JUST FOR THE RECORD , TONY AND HIS NEW TEAM MOST CERTAINLY WILL WIN NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE HE IS A WINNER!

9-09-2008 @ 10:32PM

anna seitter said...

IT'S FUNNY HOW EVERYBODY PICKS ON STEWART WHEN
he trashes his team but this year alone , CARL EDWARDS-DENNY HAMLIN-and lately JEFF GODON picked and trashed their teams and NOBODY SAID A WORD ABOUT!. NADA!!!!
And that includes JEFF MILLER and my buddyes bloggers above.And NO, hell no 2 championships were not eniough for
JG, DE#3, RPRETTY, ALLISON,YARBOROUGH; EVEN JIMMY JOHNSON is seeking a third one.
SO they are not enough for TONY STEWART, got that mr
miller?. See ya all later.

9-09-2008 @ 10:43PM

As i said in the other file ghost blogging, lately has become a national trend.Works for me.Did i start that fashion while ago? I hope not.
OH and i just remembered, KYLE BUSH trashed his team too in quite few occasions. Teams need to be elogiate when they perform , smacked when they fail. It's the fair way of life.

9-10-2008 @ 12:15AM

Stewart Fan (Susan) said...

Anna,

I thought we were buddies! I defended Tony in Post # 12, That post # is subject to change since they seem to move sometimes. I agree with your comments.

I changed my name because there have been 3 different Susan's posting here lately. I am not trying to hide my identity.

Stewart Fan (Susan Ohio)

9-10-2008 @ 12:17AM

racinglife said...

As a Jimmie Johnson fan, I must admit it was great to see Tony and Jimmie drive clean. Tony does have an attitude, but when you look at how frustrating a year he has had I would not expect any less. Champions do not "settle", this is just like a couple of years ago when Jimmie and Chad nearly went their seperate ways. Besides, no one else, not even Jimmie, Jr, Jeff, have the guts to stand up to nascar like Tony does. He is a great personality for racing, just like Dale Earnhardt use to be. Whether we like him or hate him, he makes Nascar a better sport.

9-10-2008 @ 6:48AM

First to all, sorry for the double posting. My computer is having a temporary mental breakdown, I do believe.

Hey Susan! I thought that was you posting as Stewart Fan. Good to see you back!

You are correct....Jeff Gordon in particular has been ripping his crew apart, but imo for a darn good reason. They have been a disgrace all season. In Jeff's case it certainly hasn't been the driver, but the crew. The difference I believe is Jeff is a little more tactful and professional than Tony is when he does it. But like you said, Tony is extremely passionate.

Kim

9-10-2008 @ 7:42AM

Snarky said...

It wasn't you Susan she was refering to. And yes, Jeff Gordon has righfully ripped his crew this year. Of all the stats that get published, I personally would like to see the net gain/loss of positions under yellow flag pit stops. Since so much has been said about how it is harder to pass with the new car, it is more important than ever to not lose those positions under a yellow flag on pit road. While it is not fair to drag Dale Jr into every post I will use Jr here for a good reason, they always show his pit times on TV. Dale jr's pit crew consistantly turns in 13.5 and under times on stops. That team probably has a net gain of 1-2 places on the track as a result. Jeff Gordon's times are in the 14.2+ range that result in a net loss of 1-2 places on the track.
Now, when that is the AVERAGE and there are 6 times you come in to pit under yellow that means you can either gain 12 places on the track or lose 12 places on the track. You pick.
MBL

9-10-2008 @ 9:20AM

Mike,

I agree. That would be a great stat for NASCAR.com to show. If not NASCAR, maybe the individual race tracks could post those stats along with others after each race run at that particular track that season? It would definitely help explain why so many talented drivers lose positions and lose races when the driver isn't the problem. I know when watching a race, I really focus on pit stops to try to see just who lost spots versus who gains. Sometimes it is difficult however, because they put the stats up so quickly and then they are gone. :-(

Since I didn't see the race the other day, I can't comment on Stewart's pit stops whether they were acceptable or not. What I can comment on however is the fact that Jimmie's pit crew is superior to many. I personally complained earlier on in the season because the 48 team wasn't doing so hot there for a while. It is clear now that at the most important time of the season, they definitely have their act together. Jeff Gordon's team still appears to not. Due to Gordon's lackluster season, I must blame the team as a whole but place most the blame on Steve Letarte himself. He had always been an excellent crew chief but it seems like when it really matters for that team, they slip and cost Jeff races and dare I even say, possibly a championship or two? In Jeff's case, it certainly isn't the driver that is the problem, IMO!

And you are correct on Jr.'s crew as well. The past couple of races they seem to be making a comeback. I have been accused of calling for Eury Jr.'s head in the past, but it is nice to see he and his team are getting their act together for their driver as well. This is after all a big deal for Jr. (and for Hendrick) for Jr. to be a true chase contender for what, the first time in three years? It is proof that Hendrick Motor Sports is one hell of an organization to work for! They know how to hire good quality crew members to assist their drivers (except maybe in J.G.'s case this year, how depressing). J.G.'s team clearly needs some changes made and quick!

Kim