Each season, the manufacturer reps and original engine manufacturers (OEM’s) meet with the NASCAR media corp in the deadline room at Daytona International Speedway to discuss the expectations for the upcoming season. The biggest takeaway from the Ford availability, however, is that retiring as a NASCAR driver hasn’t changed the fact that Tony Stewart is still the same Tony Stewart that most people love.
Right from the start, the owner of Stewart-Haas Racing demonstrated his vintage snarkiness. Jack Roush spoke about forgiving Stewart for an incident involving him, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards at Pocono Raceway in 2007 when he “got frustrated with both of them at Pocono and he went after Clint and he got Carl.”
“Is that the only time I did anything? (laughter) If that’s it, I’m good with that,” Stewart said. “I appreciate it.”
The grenades continued flying, such as when he was asked to give the shortened story of when he and the folks at Ford started talking about transitioning SHR to the Ford camp.
“I can’t remember the date, but Raj (Nair) was sitting out front begging at the front door (laughter),” he said.
To which Nair responded, “Whatever it took (laughing).”
Stewart fired back with “That’s why they put us on opposite sides of the table, in case you were wondering about that.”
He was asked how Clint Bowyer’s transition to SHR was going and he delivered this classic.
“You guys know Clint. It’s like dropping a super ball off the top of a building and watching it bounce around non-stop,” he said. “The only thing we’re trying to figure out is what size shock collar we need to get to him to keep his attention and keep him focused (laughter).”
But the line that showed Stewart at his finest was his response to what it’s like being at Daytona as just an owner and not as a driver.
“I’ll be honest, it’s been kind of nice. If I’m late to practice, nobody yells at me. If I leave practice early, nobody yells at me. And if I don’t show up for practice at all, nobody yells at me (laughter),” he said. “That side has been kind of nice. Really, the only drama I’ve had so far is Roger (Penske) picking at me on the color of shirt I wear, and I guess Jack has kind of given me the pardon already, so it’s been a pretty good weekend so far. If all I’ve got to worry about is my shirt color, I’ve got it made right now.”
