Tony Stewart
1 Dallara/Aurora
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1998 Driver Profile
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Tony Stewart threatened to dominate the Indy Racing League in 1996-97, but only won one race -- the Samsonite 200 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Nevertheless, Stewart won the IRL championship by six points over Davey Hamilton. Stewart's bonus points for several pole positions and most laps led kept him on top; he led 812 laps in 1996-97, almost 700 more than his closest competitor. But mishaps late in the Indy 200 in Orlando and the True Value 500K in Texas barely kept him from winning those races. He challenged the leaders at the Indianapolis 500 before coming home fifth on the lead lap after brushing the wall late. Stewart returns in 1998 to defend his title with Team Menard.
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Career
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Stewart started 199 USAC features in a career time frame spanning 1996 to 1990, 31 in Silver Crown, 61 in sprints, 69 in midgets, 29 in Western States midgets, two in three-quarter midgets, 13 in midgets at the Indianapolis Speedrome and one special event. In 1996 he added NASCAR's Busch Series, Grand National Division, to his resume and he ran nearly a full season.
Stewart has several championships and titles to his credit, including: 1983
International Karting Foundation Grand National champion, 1987 World Karting
Association National Champion and 1989 Hoosier Auto Racing Fans First-Year
Driver Award in three-quarter midgets.
Named USAC Sprint Rookie of the Year in 1991, Stewart continued to add laurels
to his collection. He was named Rookie of the Year in the Indianapolis Speedrome midget series and got his first USAC victory Aug. 9 in midgets at the Speedrome.
His first USAC national midget victory came in 1993 in the Hut Hundred at Terre
Haute. Among 17 USAC national midget starts he finished fifth in points. His
best finish of second in Copper World Classic at Phoenix came from among nine
Silver Crown starts, he finished 13th in points.
Stewart's first USAC national midget championship came in 1994 with wins at
Indianapolis Raceway Park, Lima (Ohio), North Vernon (Ind.), Bloomington and
Winchester among 22 starts.
In 1995 his USAC national midget, sprint and Silver Crown championships made
him the first driver ever to win three titles in the same year.
Courtesy SpeedNet, from the Indianapolis Star/News
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Driver Stats
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Team: Team Menard
Series: Indy Racing League
Car: #1 Dallara / Aurora / Firestone
Sponsor: Glidden/Menard
Car Owner: John Menard
Chief Mechanic: Bill Martin
Resides: Indianapolis
D.O.B: 5/20/71
IRL victories: 1997 Pikes Peak
IRL points, standing: 1996 - 204 (8th); 1996-97 - 278 (1st)
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