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Stewart Solid in Prelude to
Coke 600
Home Depot Driver Finishes Fifth in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Date: May 17, 2008
Event: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 12th/5th (Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
Winner: Kasey Kahne of Gillette Evernham Motorsports (Dodge)
In a race typically known for aggressive driving and spark-filled
crashes, Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte
(N.C.) Motor Speedway proved to be a rather refined affair.
That suited Tony Stewart just fine. The driver of the No. 20 Home
Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing posted a solid fifth-place effort
for the second straight year in the non-points race, which serves as
a prelude to next week’s Coca-Cola 600 – the longest race on the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
“We started dead last tonight, and with nothing trick and fancy, we
drove ourselves to fifth-place,” said Stewart, who despite
qualifying 12th, had to start at the tail end of the 24-car field
due to an unscheduled engine change on Friday. “I’m really happy
with this finish.”
Adding to Stewart’s happiness was that the race ran caution-free,
something that hasn’t happened since the 2001 All-Star Race.
“It’s nice that nobody had to crash tonight,” Stewart said.
“Normally, these things are wreck-fests. It’s nice to have one where
nobody had to crash. You couldn’t run as close as you normally
would, and that probably kept everybody from having problems.”
Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates – Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch –
were the only ones who had problems, as both drivers experienced
engine trouble that put a premature end to their respective
evenings.
Hamlin finished a disappointing 23rd after leading twice for seven
laps before engine woes forced him into the garage on lap 84. Busch
finished right behind Hamlin in 24th with similar problems after he
appeared to be the class of the field. Bush led a race-high 38 laps
from the pole before retiring from the event on lap 50.
“We didn’t have the problem that they had in the race, but we had it
first yesterday in practice,” said Stewart when asked about Joe
Gibbs Racing’s collective engine misfortune. “It was one of those
deals tonight where it was just like pulling a pin on a grenade –
you didn’t know when it was going to go off for those guys. We ran
some experimental stuff and tonight’s the night to try that stuff.
When it comes time to run 600 miles next week, we can do it.”
Kasey Kahne won the All-Star Race to take the home the $1 million
payout. Greg Biffle finished 1.327 seconds behind Kahne, while Matt
Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Stewart rounded out the top-five. Ryan
Newman, Sam Hornish Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Carl
Edwards comprised the remainder of the top-10.
The Sprint Cup Series returns to point-paying racing on May 25 with
the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The race gets underway at 5:30 p.m.
EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by FOX beginning at
5 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite
Radio Channel 128.
– The Home Depot is NASCAR’s Home Improvement Warehouse –
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2008 RACE
REPORT ARCHIVE
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Fontana
TONY STEWART: “You Better Lock It Up”
Team Report - Fontana
RACE REPORT :
Bristol
Eighth at Bristol Keeps Stewart Sixth in
Points
Home Depot Driver Picks Up 20 Spots in Sharpie 500
PHOTOS: Bristol
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Bristol
TONY STEWART: Too Many of “Them
Racin’ Deals” at Bristol
Team
Report - Bristol
RACE REPORT :
Michigan
Stewart Earns Points in 3M Performance 400
Home Depot Driver’s 12th-Place Finish Bumps Him to Sixth in Points
PHOTOS:
Michigan
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Michigan
TONY STEWART: Hitting on All Cylinders
Team
Report: Michigan
RACE REPORT :
Watkins Glen
Centurion Boats at The Glen
PHOTOS: Watkins Glen
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Watkins Glen
TONY STEWART: Victorious Maximus
Team
Report: Pocono
RACE REPORT :
Pocono
Fill ‘Er Up: Stewart Fueled by Finishing
Second at Pocono
Home Depot Driver Earns 68-Point Buffer from Chase Cutoff
PHOTOS: Indy
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Pocono
TONY STEWART: Like Beijing, Only Different
Team
Report: Pocono
RACE REPORT :
Indianapolis
Motor Speedway
Indy “Tires” Stewart Out
Home Depot Driver Scores Worst Indy Finish as Tire Issues Take Top Billing
PHOTOS:
Indy
PRE-RACE
REPORT :
Indianapolis
Motor Speedway
TONY STEWART: Round No. 20 to the No. 20?
Team
Report: Indianapolis
RACE REPORT : Chicagoland
Stewart Snags Another Top-Five at Chicagoland
Home Depot Driver Rises to 10th in Points
PHOTOS: Chicagoland
NEWS FROM JGR:
Joe Gibbs Racing and Tony Stewart to
Part Ways after 2008 Season
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Chicagoland
TONY STEWART: Channeling the Blues
Brothers in Joliet
TEAM REPORT:
Chicagoland
RACE REPORT : Daytona
Stewart & Yeley Combine for Top-20 at Daytona
Home Depot Driver Relived on Lap 72 Due to Illness
PHOTOS:
Daytona
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Daytona
TONY STEWART: Zeroed in on
Coke Zero 400
TEAM REPORT: Daytona
RACE REPORT : New Hampshire
Rain Thwarts Stewart’s Winning Effort at New
Hampshire
Home Depot Driver Leads Race-High 132 Laps, but Winds up an Unlucky 13th
PHOTOS: New Hampshire
PRE-RACE
REPORT : New Hampshire
TONY STEWART: New Yankee Workshop
TEAM REPORT: New Hampshire
RACE REPORT : Sonoma
Stewart Rallies Twice to Nab Top-10 at Sonoma
Second Looked Likely Until Chain-Reaction Crash Forced Late-Race Charge
PHOTOS:
Sonoma
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Sonoma
TONY STEWART: Sonoma Brings a Breath of
Fresh Air
TEAM REPORT: Sonoma
RACE REPORT : Michigan
Stewart and Co. Lock-Up Top-Five
at Michigan
Home Depot Driver Rises to 11th in Points after LifeLock 400
PHOTOS: Michigan
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Michigan
TONY STEWART: Post Pocono Perspective
Leads to Michigan Motivation
TEAM REPORT: Michigan
RACE REPORT : Pocono
Pocono Speeding Ticket Thwarts
Solid Run for Stewart
Home Depot Driver Leads Laps and Contends for Top-10 Before Pit Road
Speeding Penalty
PHOTOS: Pocono
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Pocono
TONY STEWART: Pulling for a Pole at Pocono
TEAM REPORT: Pocono
RACE REPORT : Dover
Monster Mile Takes a Bite Out of
Stewart
Home Depot Driver Caught in Massive Pileup on Lap 17 at Dover
PHOTOS: Dover
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Dover
TONY STEWART: Monster Mile Mojo
TEAM REPORT: Dover
RACE REPORT : Charlotte
Déjà vu for Smoke in Coke 600
Cut Tire Takes Sure Win from Tony Stewart and No. 20 Team at
Charlotte
PHOTOS:
Charlotte
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Charlotte
TONY STEWART: Indiana Stewart and the
Temple of Vrrooom!
TEAM REPORT: Charlotte
RACE REPORT : All-Star Race
Stewart Solid in Prelude to Coke
600
Home Depot Driver Finishes Fifth in NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
PHOTOS: All-Star Race
PRE-RACE
REPORT : All-Star Race
TONY STEWART: All Set for All-Star Race at
Charlotte
TEAM
REPORT: All-Star Race
RACE REPORT : Darlington
Early Race Accident Makes for Long
Night at Darlington
Despite Bad Luck, Stewart and Home Depot Team Rally to Finish 21st
PHOTOS: Darlington
PRE-RACE
REPORT : Darlington
TONY STEWART: Darlington’s Extreme
Makeover
TEAM
REPORT: Darlington
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