TONY STEWART
All-Star Test Session
ATLANTA (May 15, 2006) - When Major League Baseball plays its All-Star game July 11 at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, players won't be there to test out the field or develop a new bat that always hits home runs. They'll be there to put on a show, plain and simple.
But the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge - NASCAR's version of an All-Star game - does all that and more. Fans will certainly be treated to a show at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval, as top NASCAR drivers compete for a $1 million payout in a race with no point ramifications.
But overshadowed by the glitz of the event is a high-profile test session. Drivers and teams can use the track time garnered from participating in Saturday night's All-Star Challenge and put it toward next weekend's Coca-Cola 600 - a point-paying race that is also at Charlotte.
For Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, the All-Star Challenge represents the perfect test session. Unlike most test sessions that are lonely and monotonous, there's actual competition in the All-Star Challenge. And the incentive of a nice trophy augmented by an equally nice paycheck is not overlooked.
The winner of the All-Star race will take home $1 million. How does that sound?
"It sounds great. There are a lot of things I can do with a million dollars, and now that I own a race track (Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio), a lot of bills I could pay off too."
Can the All-Star Challenge be used as a test session for the Coca-Cola 600?
"Absolutely. It always is. If your car is driving well, you're running for a million dollars. But if your car isn't driving well, you're learning from that and applying it to the 600 instead. I've always looked at it as however your car is driving in the All-Star race is relatively true to how your car is going to drive in the 600. It's a really good test because it's really the only time we have to run at night in race conditions."
Some have said the new pavement at Charlotte and the new tire compound provided by Goodyear has made the cars harder to drive. Is that the case?
"These cars are always hard to drive. If they were easy to drive, you and everybody could do it. When you're in the car, it still feels loose or tight. Sometimes you're in a four-wheel drift and you have to make adjustments based on that. That aspect of driving these cars really hasn't changed. It doesn't seem to me to have been a huge transition."
With other tracks wanting Nextel Cup races and NASCAR wanting to be in new markets, is the All-Star Challenge still needed?
"I don't think we need to add another point race to replace the All-Star race. I think it's nice to dedicate a weekend to the race fans. We put on a race for them where we're not worried about points. We're all hanging it out every lap, instead of three-quarters of the way through the season, where some guys are hanging it out while others are points racing. It's good to have one evening where we all just get up on the wheel and put on a good show for the fans."
Is the All-Star Challenge less pressure-filled and more fun because there are no points to be won or lost?
"It's as fun as Nextel Cup racing can be, and I think that shows. The fans obviously seem to like it."
Do drivers attempt moves in the All-Star Challenge that they'd never think about using in regular point races?
"Nah, you just race hard and you don't worry about what happens."
Chassis No. 126:
This car debuted in the spring race at Bristol. It started from the pole after qualifying was rained-out, but kept its place at the front of the field when the race started. Chassis No. 126 led eight times for 245 laps before handling issues with 25 laps to go dropped it to 12th when the checkered flag waved. Prior to Bristol, Chassis No. 126 had never turned a wheel on a race track. Darlington marked its second career start, where it had some teething problems, qualifying 13th and struggling with handling before rallying to finish 12th. The car was quickly turned around to make its third career start in this weekend’s All-Star Challenge at Charlotte.
Notes of Interest:
This is Stewart’s eighth year in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and his eighth year in the All-Star Challenge at Charlotte.
Stewart won The Winston Open during his rookie year in 1999 to advance into The Winston, where he finished second for his career-best finish in The Winston.
Stewart won the first segment of the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge in 2004 and the second segment of The Winston in 2001.
Home Depot store #3634, located in Raleigh, N.C., will be represented on the lower rear quarterpanel of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet during the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. Store #3634 was judged to be the outstanding store of the week, thereby earning its place on the orange and black Joe Gibbs Racing machine.
Home Depot Corporate Notes:
Stewart at the ACMAs – Tony Stewart will award country music superstar Vince Gill with the 2006 Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award during the 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast live on CBS Tues., May 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. In its fifth year, the Humanitarian Award recognizes artists who serve others, have a generous spirit and help build the dreams of those in need. Gill will be honored with a KaBOOM! playground, built by The Home Depot and the Company’s volunteers, in the city of his choice. In addition, The Home Depot will be selecting a Home Depot Hometown Hero as part of the Humanitarian Award program. The award acknowledges the efforts of an extraordinary citizen and the community efforts they lead in their own hometown. The Home Depot Hometown Hero grand prize winner will receive a trip to participate in the KaBOOM! playground build with Vince Gill and a trip to the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2007.
Racing to Play in Charlotte on May 24 – NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley, along with volunteers from The Home Depot, Joe Gibbs Racing, KaBOOM!, and the local community, are joining forces to build a racing-themed playground in just one day at the McCrorey YMCA in Charlotte, N.C. The playground is part of The Home Depot’s Racing to Play program, which is aimed at making a lasting, positive impression in the lives of at-risk children who live in race communities. Now in its second year, the program will build 10 racing-themed KaBOOM! playgrounds in 2006 and is a partnership between The Home Depot, Joe Gibbs Racing, and KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Racing to Play is part of The Home Depot’s $25 million commitment to KaBOOM! to create and refurbish 1,000 playspaces in 1,000 days. As a founding partner of KaBOOM!, The Home Depot provides financial support, materials and numerous volunteers for playspace projects as part of its ongoing commitment to give back to the communities its stores serve. By the end of 2006, The Home Depot and KaBOOM! will have built more than 500 new places for children to play across North America.
The Home Depot Receives Golden Hammer Award – Home Channel News awarded The Home Depot The Golden Hammer Award on May 9 during the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. The award is based on the company’s new convenience store format. The award honors retailers and manufacturers who have excelled in strategic partnerships.
