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Saturday, May 26 All eyes will be on Stewart By Bill Frederickson ESPN.com CONCORD, N.C. -- Tony Stewart's participation in both of Sunday's big American auto races -- the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 -- has drawn a ton of attention from fans and the media. It hasn't gone unnoticed in the Winston Cup garage area either. Racers are generally race fans. But there aren't many Winston Cup drivers who are avid open-wheel followers. This year, however, more than a few drivers at Lowe's Motor Speedway will be tuning into the Indianapolis 500. "I'm sure we'd all like to see the start of it and watch it to see how the race progresses and see if (Stewart's) coming back here or not," joked Johnny Benson. "It's going to be interesting to see how it goes, both weather-wise and also the race." Benson also admitted a bit of a bias for Stewart. "We wish him the best up there," he said. "I hope like heck he gets a little tired, so he's not as quick at the end of this race." Sterling Marlin will definitely be following the goings-on at the Brickyard. After all, his boss owns Stewart's Indy ride and could be a major player on Sunday. "I'm driving for Chip Ganassi now, and there's a lot more interest (in the Indianapolis 500) than what it has been," Marlin said. "He's got four cars in the race, and we'll definitely have the TVs on and keep up with it. "I just hope Tony wins the race and he stays up there and is late here." Jeff Gordon, who spent his formative years racing open-wheel sprint cars in Indiana, noted Ganassi's victory last season with Indy rookie Juan Montoya at the wheel when he picked Stewart to win this year's event. "You'd typically think of a normal IRL driver that knows those cars and has been running those cars for the past few years," Gordon said. "But Juan Montoya threw that all out the window last year. "Chip Ganassi knows how to put a good, strong effort out there and I think Tony is as good as any other driver out there to get that car around. "If the race starts on time, I think he might have 'em."  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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