msrpk.com blog

Smoke, Super Tex, Newman and the Captain

• Tony Stewart will formally apply to NASCAR for the numbers 4 and 14 for his Stewart-Haas Racing Team entries in 2008. The number 14, if you remember, was displayed on the cars driven by racing legend A. J. Foyt in Indy style competition. What drew "Smoke" to Super Tex? " I saw him (A. J.) get out of a car during the Indy 500 one year to beat on his car with a hammer. He then climbed back in and went back on the racetrack. I thought 'That guy is nuts.' " AJ gave Stewart his first Indy Car test in 1995 before the Indy Racing League was founded by Anton H. "Tony" George. They spent some quality time together during that test, and from that experience Smoke and Super Tex became fast friends.


• Tony's #14 Impala SS will be co sponsored by Office Depot and Old Spice, who distributed small towels to the news conference attendees. Wags wondered if the towels would survive the Milka Duno toss test.


• Still no word on the second driver at Stewart-Haas Racing--it's down to a short list of three and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman is likely on that list.


• A controversy between Rusty Wallace and Newman concerning Newman's departure from Penske Racing South reared its head when Wallace stated in a Brickyard news conference that Penske let Newman go. Newman said that was not the case; the decision was more his than Roger's, and that their goals didn't align...that lack of alignment was, in Newman's words, "for that reason alone--we decided not to continue after 2008."


• In the first of two Sprint Cup practice sessions, Elliott Sadler was quick. In the second, past Brickyard winner Jimmie Johnson (you did remember that he is the defending Sprint Cup Champion?) set the fast time.

That's it for us on practice...we'll blog some pole stuff tomorrow.