Is Tony
Stewart the Biggest Winner in the 2006 Chase?
September 15, 2006
Jay Staton - SCR
“But Tony did not
make the Chase!” is probably your first reaction. It is impossible for him to finish higher than eleventh even if five
of the other drivers retire to Aruba instead of starting any of the final ten events (like that is
going to happen!).
True enough. However,
Tony could still be a big winner, if not the biggest winner, of the year.
Mark Martin is one of
the most respected, if not the most respected, names in the sport of big time auto racing. And that respect is not arrogantly
demanded, nor is it because he has simply been around the sport for years. It is because he races hard and clean, but probably
even more due to the fact that Mark puts his whole heart into his driving.
And even though Tony
has had his share of scrapes with other drivers, the press, and even the public, Mark Martin has proclaimed him to be the
“finest driver of our era”.
How can that be, given
that Mark has seldom, if ever, has acted out of anger on the track while Tony, well, shall we say, is challenged from time
to time? It is because Tony, like Mark, puts his whole heart into his racing, and further, has phenomenal car control in everything
from a Cup car to a Daytona prototype -- in the rain, with broken suspension, three
wheels on the track, at a 140 or so mph.
So why is Tony not in
the Chase if he is so good? His equipment is second to none, and his skill is second to none, but there is one man that can
beat Tony Stewart, and his name is… Tony Stewart.
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In 2005 when Tony won
the Championship he actively worked at remaining calm. He apologized to his team at the beginning of the season, moved back
to his childhood home in Columbus,
Indiana, and generally kept a close eye on his emotions. For his efforts, he was rewarded
with a second Cup Title.
But, as it is so easy
to do, Tony let his guard down—regarding himself and the illusion that others cause him to get upset. The dark side in all of us does not go away, even if we consider ourselves to be a “good” person. There
is no such thing as a “mulligan” in real life. When we drop our guard and choose badly, there are always
consequences. In short, Tony relied on his own emotions to carry him. The results were predictable enough. Certainly Mr.
Stewart can add, and 16 points is not a great deal. No one needed to tell him that his skirmishes with Matt Kenseth and Ryan
Newman cost him a spot in the Chase, and quite possibly a third Championship.
As he wearily climbed
from his car at Richmond, he knew he would have to face his sponsor, his car owner,
his crew, the camera, and himself. He was eloquent, and humbly discussed how tough the series is, and how the ten drivers
that made the Chase earned their way in.
As with most of us, particularly
drivers, the only lessons learned in life come from the school of hard knocks, and it has to be incredibly hard on Tony to
realize that he, and only he, beat himself.
Fortunately each day
brings a new dawn, and Tony has ten races to win yet this year. No one would be surprised if he does not win the majority
of them, while the Chasers focus on not falling out. Some will be surprised if the humble, compassionate Tony remains in control.
But certainly not all
of us, particularly those who empathize with Mr. Stewart-- that have knocked themselves out of the game repeatedly in their
own lives.
There is always a choice within us, a voice of reason and a voice of ruin. To underestimate the power of either entity
and to try to deal with life by trying to be in charge of our own destiny and shoot from the hip inevitably has disastrous
results, sooner or later. On the other hand, to repeatedly seek to be just, and in fact deliver--as does Mark Martin, produces
a win every time.
Mr. Stewart, thank you for
your honesty on and off the track, may we all learn from your mistakes, and learn to follow the same light that you now seem
to be focused on. The challenges will remain, the temptations to act out of anger will continue to be a whisper, and occasionally
a relapse will occur. But, Tony, if you have truly gotten The Message, your personal win will be far bigger for the rest of
your life than just another cup, and years from now, in retrospect, you will look back and realize that in the 2006 race for
the Cup, you just might have been the biggest winner of all.
2006 StockCar Review.
