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A Porsche vs. a school bus Versatility key in Stewart's Indy-NASCAR double feature
Posted: Saturday May 29, 1999 03:00 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (CNN/SI) -- Speed he has. Now it's a question of endurance. The driver in Indy Car No. 22 is out to complete a most improbable daily double -- Tony Stewart wants to win the Indy 500 on Sunday afternoon, then commute 500 miles to Charlotte, North Carolina to chase the checkered flag in NASCAR's Coca Cola 600 that evening. "We've got great race teams on both ends of the deal and it is just a matter of getting back and forth efficiently," said Stewart, whose pedigree for such a feat includes stints as the 1997 IRL champion and the current Winston Cup rookie points leader. Stewart traded in his Indy Car for a stock car last October. That was in the prime of an IRL career in which he earned three victories in just 24 career starts, along with the overall 1997 points title. But as a native of nearby Columbus, Indiana, the 28-year-old vowed to come home every May to run at the Brickyard. If I was running 20th on the back or something I guess I wouldn't be as aggressive about coming back," he said. "But knowing that we had a chance to win this race every year keeps bringing me back I want to win this race really bad." Stewart consistently clocked some of the fastest times during practice last week. The fact that moonlighting has limited his practice time was evident, however, when he hit the wall last Thursday before qualifying 24th in the 33-car field.
"It is like driving a Porsche versus driving a school bus," Stewart said of the differences. "These IRL cars are very responsive on what you do driving wise. When you turn them in a corner they turn and you can go in there a lot harder than you can with stock car when you are in a stock race. "You don't forget. It just takes you a couple of laps to get used to it again." "We put him in a car on Sunday, the 2nd day the track was open," said Larry Curry, Stewart's Indy Car co-owner. "He hadn't been in an IRL car since October. And his 4th lap he went 222 miles per hour. So it doesn't take him too long." Stewart also has a trick up his sleeve that he hasn't enjoyed in previous Indy 500s. The longer, more grueling events on the Winston Cup schedule have helped him in one significant area -- stamina, which is always a factor in the IRL's 500-mile showcase event. "Well, I think it gives me a mindset on what I have to do for 500 miles and how to be competitive for 500 miles," he said. "You know, I'll have my car set up accordingly where I can make those adjustments and be right at the end of the race." In attempting to race over a thousand miles in one day, Stewart leaves himself little time to enjoy the traditional victory toast if he wins the first race. It's just over six hours between the green flags at Indy and Charlotte. But then, getting things done in a hurry is what Tony Stewart is known for. "Oh, don't worry," he said, with a grin. "We will have a lot of time in the next week to celebrate, so we will get it done."
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