INDIANAPOLIS -- What separates Tony Stewart from so many of
the drivers plying their trade on the world's racetracks these days
is his passion for the sport.
For Stewart, it's being in the race car, at the racetrack and
part of the racing community that gets his blood flowing.
Few people could understand just how much finally winning a race
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway means to the Indiana native, who
fulfilled his lifelong dream Sunday with a victory in NASCAR's
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
It came -- finally -- after years of frustration and failure at
the track in both his first love, the Indianapolis 500, and then,
after he moved to NASCAR in 1999, the Brickyard race.
"I wish everybody could have the feelings that I have right
now," said Stewart, who grew up 45 minutes from the speedway in
Columbus, Ind. "I wish everybody could experience this, because
for somebody that appreciates it like I do, I mean, it's the
coolest feeling in the world.
"I mean, I hope Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
guys that are buddies of mine, I hope they all get a chance to feel
what I feel today and be that excited about winning a race that's
this prestigious."
This is just the latest success for Stewart, the hottest racer
in NASCAR with four victories in his last six races. The Indy win
boosted him past Jimmie Johnson -- who crashed in the race and
finished 38th -- into first place in the season standings, 75 points
in front heading into next Sunday's road race at Watkins Glen.
And, as deeply as he felt about winning at his beloved Indy,
Stewart will quickly put it behind him, moving on to a week only a
true racer could love.
Stewart will spend the next three days in Knoxville, Iowa,
watching the team he owns featuring driver Danny Lasoski in the
World of Outlaws series attempts to defend its title in the
Knoxville Nationals, the biggest sprint car event of the year.
Then, he will head for Watkins Glen in upstate New York to race on
Friday in the Rolex Sports Car Series, on Saturday in the NASCAR
Busch Series race and, finally, on Sunday in the Cup race.
"It's my life," he has said. "Racing is where I feel most
comfortable. It's where I belong."
And it's more than just driving race cars that attracts the
34-year-old Stewart to the sport. He is a real fan.
In the moments of ecstasy after he drove under the checkered
flags on Sunday, Stewart told a story that illustrated just how big
a fan he is.
"Kenny Schrader came up to me today and said he had bought
something really cool, then he mentioned A.J. Foyt's name,"
Stewart explained. "He was talking about the first Champ Car race
that A.J. Foyt won. I thought, "Man, he bought the car."
"He goes, `No, I bought the trophy.' Kenny knew that I'm the
only person in the whole garage area that would probably appreciate
that, how jealous I was that he had the first Champ Car trophy that
A.J. Foyt ever won."
Of course, Stewart got a fine new trophy for winning the
Brickyard and joining four-time Indy 500 winner Foyt in the track's
pantheon of victors. And Stewart had big plans for it.
"I was telling some photographers my dog is going to be really
mad tonight," Stewart said. "She's 6 pounds and sleeps right by
my knees. She's going to have to move over because I'm sleeping
with that trophy in the bed tonight.
"I'm serious as a heart attack. I'll wake up, I may have stab
marks in my back from the edges, but I'm sleeping with it tonight.
I'm scared somebody will get in my room and get it. That's how
serious I am about it. I mean, it means that much to me."
This was a very different Tony Stewart from the angry young man
sometimes seen over the years after frustrating losses or dealing
with the pressure of being a celebrity.
The sometime bad boy said the combination of moving back from
NASCAR's hub in North Carolina to the comfortable environment of
Columbus earlier this year, as well as learning to enjoy life and
stay positive, has changed his life.
"It's the most relaxed I've ever seen him in seven years,"
said Greg Zipadelli, the crew chief on his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
Chevrolet. "It's the first time in seven years I've seen him that
he can enjoy himself and realize what he's capable of and enjoying
his accomplishments."
And now, Stewart no longer has to explain to people how much
winning at Indy would mean to him.
Zipadelli likened Stewart's situation to the late Dale Earnhardt
taking 19 agonizing years to win the Daytona 500.
"Believe me, the harder and the more emphasis you put on
things, sometimes the harder it is for them to come," he said.
"You know, so many things stack up against you rather than in your
favor sometimes. Believe me, I was hoping that that wasn't going to
be the case. But for six years, it surely was.
"But, hey, we did it and we can look at it and say we did it;
we accomplished it as a group, a team. I know Tony will enjoy this
win here the rest of his life."