So maybe I ain't the queen of writing, but I am quite proud of MY work! Wanna leave me your opinions? Go for it!
Tony�s the Champ, Face it, Prepare Now Grace it! Written: In 2002 (First public article.)
This is a perfect year for Tony Stewart, Joe Gibbs and his Home Depot team. If you think about it, it makes sense that he won the championship this year. His number is 20 and if you look at 2002 you see 20 frontward and backwards and that is exactly how his year was. Sometimes his placement in the field justified his year as well. He had his good days and he had his bad days. Whoever thought he could end the Daytona 500 last and finish the year in first! He has definitely gone through his share of problems this year, whether it be on the track or off. But in the end he has overcome every obstacle and is ready to show the world what he and his team are made of. Heck, he has shown that to us all his Winston career! He was Rookie of the year and finished the year in 6th; 2000, he walked onto the New York stage in 4th; 2001, he finished so close to first but finished second and now when the year that makes sense but seemed so impossible he finished as the champion. He will always be known as a Nascar Winston Cup Champion. So many years, so very few have graced that stage in first. He will forever be in the books with some of the greats; Benny Parsons, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliot, Cale Yarbrough, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty and of course the late Dale Earnhardt. Now we can add Tony Stewart to that famous list!
Boy, it certainly didn�t come easy! This probably was a hard one to acquire. And it came with a price, literally! The media breathing down his neck and once in while getting a little too close to his face certainly didn�t ease his nerves. Nascar didn�t always like what he did, nor did the public and it may have taken away some of his fans. But he still overcame all that and yes to top it all off, he finished the year on probation, one of the very few to do so.
Once people get to know Tony, the REAL Tony, the more they like him. And let me tell you I wasn�t a fan at first, in fact I�d always bet against him. But guess what? I started liking that he had emotion for a sport he absolutely loves. I saw his anger and his fire but when I read between the fine lines I really started seeing someone I liked and would be happy to bet on. If you look into his eyes you can see complete sincerity.
The name Stewart comes to mind when talking about a loss of temper and anger. So what if he loses his temper once in a while? Put yourself in his shoes. What would you do if you exited a race car after a crash or blown engine? Or look at it this way, you just got into a car accident on the freeway. How would you handle it? The last thing you want in your face is a camera and the media or questions. You just want time to cool down, think about what happened, and compose yourself. In auto racing, most of the time the cameras come into view at the second they�re fuming. Everyone deals with anger in their own way. Tony has to handle his publicly. But one thing I do not approve is if it came down to a physical attack. Thankfully we have not had to witness too many valid stories of such.
When you think of a champion automatically you think of Petty or Earnhardt, well now it is time to face it, Tony is a champion! Teams should take this as a warning, they better look in their rearview mirror because he will be right there if not already in front. He WILL be defending his championship, only time will tell if it pays off in the end. Prepare!
