2014 Driver Reviews: No. 25 Tony Stewart
After doing exit interviews for Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2013, we’re turning the tables. We want the drivers to sell themselves. So here are the resumés for all full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2014. Then, at the end, we’ll provide a summation of the driver’s season in 150 words or less.
Name: Tony Stewart
NASCAR Experience: Three Sprint Cup Series titles, most recently in 2011. The only driver to win a championship in both the full-season and Chase format. 48 Sprint Cup Series wins.
Most recent team: Stewart-Haas Racing
Most recent season finish: 25th
2014 accomplishments: Finished fourth in the Bristol spring race, fourth at Martinsville in the fall and fifth at Auto Club Speedway. Yeah, this really doesn’t jive with the stats listed above. Can we call this an outlier season for a myriad of reasons?
Most memorable moment: Smiling at Martinsville after that fourth-place finish. A late gamble to not pit meant a chance for the win, but as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took fresh tires and sliced through the field, he couldn’t be stopped.
Strengths: A lot of things. You remember the 48 wins, right?
2015 goals: Win races Nos. 49 and 50. Qualify for the Chase. You know, return back to normal, or establish a new normal.
FTM’s Take: A Stewart resumé about 2014 is brief for obvious reasons. When you add in the recovery from the broken leg he suffered in 2013 and then what happened at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in August 2014 when he struck and killed Kevin Ward, there aren’t many fitting adjectives to use to describe Stewart’s season. It’s fair to question whether or not Stewart, 44 in May, will ever return to the form he’s shown throughout his career, especially after a less-than-stellar 2013 before his sprint car accident. And those questions are likely why Stewart was forthright about his 2014 and adamant about his future at the end of the season. 2015 may be Stewart’s most vital season yet. But we’ve learned to never bet against him.
Previous reviews: No. 26 Casey Mears, No. 27 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 28, Danica Patrick, No. 29, Justin Allgaier, No. 30, David Gilliland, No. 31 Cole Whitt, No. 32 David Ragan, No. 33 Michael Annett, No. 34 Reed Sorenson, No. 35 Alex Bowman
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
