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Sunday, November 17
Chronology of Stewart's highs and lows
Associated Press
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The highs and lows of Winston Cup
champion Tony Stewart's four seasons, which have brought him 15
career victories, three stints on probation and $85,000 in fines.
Highs
1999:
VICTORIES:
Sept. 11, 1999: Richmond International Raceway.
Nov. 7, 1999: Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 14, 1999: Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Was named Rookie of the Year, set NASCAR record for most wins
by a rookie, finished fourth in the point standings. Made his first
attempt at running both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600
on the same day, completing 1,090 of a possible 1,100 miles, while
finishing fourth in the NASCAR event and ninth in Indy.
2000:
VICTORIES:
June 4, 2000: Dover International Speedway
June 11, 2000: Michigan International Speedway
July 9, 2000: New Hampshire International Speedway
Sept. 24, 2000: Dover International Speedway
Oct. 1, 2000: Martinsville Speedway
Nov. 12, 2000: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Finished sixth in the point standings. Both Dover wins were
the first of consecutive victories.
2001:
VICTORIES:
May 5, 2001: Richmond International Raceway
June 24, 2001 Sears Point Raceway
Aug. 25, 2001: Bristol Motor Speedway
Finished second in the point standings. Won the International
Race of Champions event in June at Michigan. Made second attempt at
Indy-Charlotte double, completing all 1,100 miles of racing and
finishing third in the NASCAR event, sixth at Indy.
2002:
VICTORIES:
March 10, 2002: Atlanta Motor Speedway
May 4, 2002: Richmond International Raceway
Aug. 11, 2002: Watkins Glen International
Finished first in the point standings, earning his first
Winston Cup championship and becoming the only driver to win the
title while on NASCAR probation. Did it despite a last-place finish
in the Daytona 500, which put him in 43rd in the standings at the
start of the season. Rallied in the week after he punched a
photographer in Indianapolis to win at Watkins Glen.
Lows
Oct. 3, 1999: After being knocked out of race at Martinsville
Speedway, Stewart threw the heat shields from his shoes at rival
Kenny Irwin. He tried to reach inside Irwin's car and grab him as
he passed by. Stewart was fined $5,000 by NASCAR.
Feb. 16, 2000: After making contact on the track in practice,
Stewart and Robby Gordon got into a shoving match in the garage at
Daytona International Speedway. Stewart was not penalized, but crew
member Jason Shapiro was fined $2,000 and placed on probation for
aggressively breaking up the fight.
May 6, 2000: After losing race at Richmond late, Stewart sped
his car into the garage and after exiting it, kicked at a
photographer.
Aug. 14, 2000: Stewart started a rivalry with Jeff Gordon when
the two wrecked each other at Watkins Glen, leading to a
profanity-laced argument on national TV. "I'll slam you into the
wall the first chance I get," Gordon warned. The two were involved
in an accident the next week at Michigan, but both chalked it up to
racing.
March 25, 2001: After Gordon wrecked Stewart on the final lap
at Bristol, Stewart raced around the track on the cool-down lap,
caught Gordon on pit road and bumped him into the retaining wall.
NASCAR fined Stewart $10,000 and placed him on probation.
July 7, 2001: After ignoring NASCAR's order to come in for a
black-flag penalty for making an illegal pass at Daytona, Stewart
angrily confronted Winston Cup official Gary Nelson after the race
and had to be restrained by his car owner and crew chief. When a
reporter approached him for comment, he knocked the tape recorder
away and kicked it. NASCAR fined him $10,000, extended his
probation until the end of the season, and made him apologize to
the reporter.
Oct. 19, 2001: Stewart confronted Nelson again after refusing
to abide by NASCAR's mandate to wear head and neck restraints.
Nelson did not let Stewart practice at Talladega until he put a
device on, so Stewart stalked off and had to be coaxed back to the
car by his crew chief.
Aug. 4, 2002: Stewart punched a freelance photographer
following the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR
fined him $10,000 and placed him on probation for the rest of the
season. Home Depot, his sponsor, fined him $50,000. Stewart
announced he was undergoing anger management counseling.
Sept. 14, 2002: An emergency medical technician claimed
Stewart shoved him while he tried to assist the driver following
his accident in New Hampshire in July. NASCAR investigated and
found no merit.
Sept. 24, 2002: A Tennessee grand jury heard allegations that
Stewart shoved a fan following the August race at Bristol but
declined to indict him.
Nov. 16, 2002: Bumped into a photographer after the final
practice on the eve of winning his first championship. Had a
lengthy meeting with the photographer and NASCAR officials, then
apologized. No penalty was issued. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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Winston Cup Champion
