Round 33 of 36
Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500
Atlanta
Car No.: 20 — Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot Chevrolet Monte CarloTeammates: Bobby Labonte in the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, J.J. Yeley in the #80 Vigoro/Home Depot Chevrolet* & Denny Hamlin in the #11 FedEx Chevrolet
(*J.J. Yeley's addition to Joe Gibbs Racing for the Atlanta race places two United States Auto Club (USAC) Triple Crown champions on the same team. Stewart won the Triple Crown in 1995, while Yeley won it in 2003. Stewart and Yeley are the only two drivers in USAC history to win the Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown championships in a single season.)
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Primary Team Members |
|---|
| Driver: Tony Stewart |
Crew Chief: Greg Zipadelli |
| Car Chief: Scott Diehl (pronounced "Deal") |
Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist |
| Engine Specialist: Jarrad Egert (pronounced "Egg-ert") |
Spotter: Mark Robertson |
|
Over-The-Wall Crew Members |
|---|
| Gas Man: Jeff "Gooch" Patterson |
Front Tire Changer: Ira-Jo Hussey |
| Catch Can: Brian "Shaggy" Larson |
Front Tire Carrier: Tom Dean |
| Windshield: Scott Geerts (pronounced "Gurtz") |
Rear Tire Changer: Todd Foster |
| Jackman: Chuck White |
Rear Tire Carrier: Jody Fortson |
|
Other Crew Members |
|---|
| Truck Drivers: Scott "Scooter" Crowell |
Frank Hodel |
| Tire Specialists: Jerold Shires and Bill Byrne |
Brake Specialist: Jason Shapiro |
| Shock Specialist: Ronny Crooks and Dave Hansen |
Engineer: Adam Stevens |
Car History -- Chassis No. 112
This is a brand new race car that was first tested at Charlotte on Sept. 20. It was crashed during that test and subsequently repaired with a new rear clip. Chassis No. 112 was then tested at Atlanta on Oct. 18, where it performed admirably, earning the right to start this weekend's race at Atlanta.
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Team History at Atlanta Motor Speedway |
|---|
| Year |
Event |
Start |
Finish |
Status/Laps |
Led |
Earnings |
| 2005 |
Golden Corral 500 |
9 |
17 |
Running/325 |
0 |
$115,861 |
| 2004 |
Golden Corral 500 |
19 |
7 |
Running/325 |
127 |
$133,778 |
| 2004 |
Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 |
15 |
9 |
Running/324 |
0 |
$130,063 |
| 2003 |
Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 I |
8 |
5 |
Running/325 |
17 |
$113,328 |
| 2003 |
Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 II |
24 |
2 |
Running/325 |
109 |
$207,678 |
| 2002 |
MBNA America 500 |
9 |
1 |
Running/325 |
143 |
$174,978 |
| 2002 |
*%NAPA 500 |
1 |
4 |
Running/248 |
39 |
$137,178 |
| 2001 |
Cracker Barrel 500 |
5 |
12 |
Engine/320 |
0 |
$55,020 |
| 2001 |
NAPA 500 |
12 |
9 |
Running/325 |
33 |
$78,650 |
| 2000 |
Cracker Barrel 500 |
27 |
34 |
Accident/270 |
0 |
$44,035 |
| 2000 |
NAPA 500 |
17 |
38 |
Accident/195 |
0 |
$54,625 |
| 1999 |
Cracker Barrel 500 |
3 |
11 |
Running/325 |
0 |
$35,815 |
| 1999 |
NAPA 500 |
30 |
15 |
Running/324 |
1 |
$55,815 |
* Race cut short due to weather.
% Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via car owner points.
Notes of interest
The Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 will mark Stewart's 245th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start and his 14th career Nextel Cup start at Atlanta.
Stewart comes into Atlanta as the first-place driver amongst the top-10 drivers eligible for the 2005 Chase for the Championship. He maintained his number one spot for the fourth week in a row and picked up 15 points on nearest pursuer Jimmie Johnson thanks to a strong second-place finish last Sunday at Martinsville. Stewart has led the point standings for 11 of the last 12 races. With just four races to go, the top-10 point tallies are as follows:
- Tony Stewart (5,957 points, -0) 0
- Jimmie Johnson (5,942 points, -15) 0
- Ryan Newman (5,894 points, -63) +1
- Greg Biffle (5,874 points, -83) -1
- Carl Edwards (5,808 points, -149) +1
- Rusty Wallace (5,791 points, -166) +1
- Mark Martin (5,787 points, -170) -2
- Kurt Busch (5,785 points, -172) +2
- Matt Kenseth (5,785 points, -172) 0
- Jeremy Mayfield (5,741 points, -216) -2
At this point last year Stewart was sixth in the standings with 5,769 points, 246 markers behind series leader Kurt Busch. Stewart has scored 188 more points this season than he did last year at this time heading into round 33 of the 36-race season.
If the pre-Chase point system were applied to this season (minus the point recalibration for the Chase for the Championship), Stewart would have 4,623 points and a 263-point lead over second-place Greg Biffle and a 316-point lead over third-place Jimmie Johnson.
With five wins, four seconds, a fourth, a trio of fifths, two sevenths, an eighth and only two finishes outside of the top-10 in his last 18 races - 18th at Dover (Del.) Sept. 25 and 25th at Charlotte (N.C.) Oct. 15 - Stewart's average finish is fifth.
Stewart has scored 16 top-fives and 22 top-10s in the 32 races run this season, tops among Nextel Cup drivers.
Stewart has scored four top-five finishes in the six races of the Chase for the Championship, the most of all Chase drivers.
Get to the Point! - 32 races into 2005,
Stewart is first in bonus points earned with a total of 140. Greg Biffle is second with 130 bonus points, Kurt Busch is third in bonus points earned with 110, and Jimmie Johnson is fourth with 90 bonus points. Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth are tied for fifth with a total of 85 bonus points apiece.
(Bonus points are awarded only for laps led. Five points are given for leading a lap, while another five points are given for leading the most laps.)
Stewart has led the most laps in 11 races this year, tops among Nextel Cup drivers - 107 laps in the Daytona 500, 247 laps at Martinsville (Va.) in April, 97 laps at Michigan in June, 39 laps at Sonoma (Calif.), 151 laps in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, 232 laps at New Hampshire in July, 44 laps at Indianapolis, 83 laps at Watkins Glen (N.Y.), 173 laps at New Hampshire in September, 65 laps at Talladega (Ala.) in October and 283 laps at Martinsville in October. Stewart has led a total of 1,829 laps in the 32 races run this season, the most of any driver. Greg Biffle is second in laps led with a total of 1,107 laps, 722 fewer laps led than Stewart.
Stewart has led the most laps (583) in the six races of the Chase for the Championship, earning 40 lap leader bonus points, 15 more than any other Chase driver.
Of the four races remaining in the Chase for the Championship, Stewart has won at three of those venues - Atlanta (3/10/2002), Phoenix (11/7/1999) and Homestead, Fla. (11/14/1999 & 11/12/2000). The only venue where Stewart has yet to record a victory is Texas.
Stewart earned his 17th career win in October of 2003 at Charlotte, the sister track to Atlanta Motor Speedway. He now has 24 wins to his resume, with the last one coming 11 races ago at Watkins Glen.
Stewart's win in the 2002 spring Atlanta race was his first win in a 500-mile Nextel Cup race. It was also his 13th career Nextel Cup victory. Stewart now has three wins in 500-mile races - spring Atlanta in 2002, spring Pocono in 2003 and fall Charlotte in 2003.
Prior to that Atlanta win, Stewart's best finish at the 1.54-mile oval was ninth in the 2001 NAPA 500, for what was then his only top-10 finish at Atlanta. Since winning at Atlanta, Stewart has finished within the top-10 all but once, as he finished 17th in this year's spring race.
Model of improvement - Stewart's average finish in his last eight Atlanta races (2001-2005) is seventh. His average finish in his first five Atlanta races was 22nd.
In his past eight Atlanta races Stewart has led 468 of a possible 2,523 laps (18.5 percent).
Home Depot store #365, located in Slidell, Ala., will be represented on the lower rear quarterpanel of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet during the Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500. Store #365 was judged to be the outstanding store of the past week, thereby earning its place on the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine.
Atlanta is home to Stewart's Nextel Cup sponsor - The Home Depot.
The Home Depot, in partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and the national non-profit organization KaBOOM!, will have their ninth "Racing to Play" playground build on Thursday at Sumner Park in East Point, Ga. There, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Bobby Labonte and J.J. Yeley, along with Joe Gibbs Racing crew members, will volunteer their time and energy.
The "Racing to Play" program identifies and works with 10 organizations in select race markets to build racing-themed KaBOOM! playgrounds in a single day at the organization's site. The program targets organizations that serve children, including those that support at-risk youth and provide positive after-school and learning environments. The first eight builds were in Jackson, Mich.; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Markham, Ill.; Indianapolis; Pomona, Calif.; Richmond, Va.; Talladega, Ala.; and Kansas City, Kan., respectively, while the 10th and final build is scheduled for Nov. 10 at Longview Elementary School in Phoenix.
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