DOVER, Del. -- Tony Stewart may be advertising the Burger King Whopper, but his hunger to win has turned into frustration in recent weeks following on-track miscalculations and mechanical problems.
The newly formed two-car Stewart-Haas racing team made the Chase, a feat not easily accomplished for a first-year team, but since the race at Richmond reset the Chase contenders, hunger has been traded for desperation.
Stewart said Friday at Dover that his game plan is simple: rebound from a poor performance at New Hampshire.
One of the main issues that plagued the No. 14 at Loudon was a loose axle cap incident, which prolonged his pit road time. Stewart said his crew reviewed the situation carefully this past week.
“We know what happened," Stewart said. "It is something we have addressed and are going to make sure doesn’t happen again."
While the Old Spice Chevrolet team rebounded to a 14th-place finish, Stewart is ready to move on.
A known practical joker in the garage, Stewart is quick to dismiss his tension relieving antics and get back to business.
“What we do here every weekend for three days is a stressful situation,” Stewart said. “There are 43 of us trying to win the race, knowing that only one of us is going to do it. You have to make it fun and lighten up while we are doing it so that is why we do that.”
All joking aside, the quintessential bad boy was stern when media questioned him on a reward for the point leader prior to the Chase playoffs.
As if adding salt into an open wound, Stewart quickly turned the tables and reminded them that the current system is easily understood -- a concept also believed by HMS driver Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin.
“At the start of the season, we all knew what it was and signed up for it,” Johnson said of the advantages given to the point leader after 26 races. “We all knew it was coming."
HMS teammate Mark Martin feels the same way. Martin said he was “not feeling any really sympathy right now” after taking the points lead from Stewart following Richmond.. “They did the Chase to make it more exciting just like they did the double file restarts. There’s going to be winners and losers.”
Stewart has nine more races to prove he's not one of the losers.
