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Monday, February 11
Updated: February 15, 3:34 PM ET

Tony Stewart
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car/sponsor/make: No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac

Tony Stewart
Stewart

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Poles
Top-5s
Best finish

2001 2 3 0 15 1st, Three times

Career 12 4 39 1st, 12 times

2001 recap
The good: Stewart proved he's ready to make the ascension into Winston Cup's elite class of drivers with an outstanding 2001 scorecard. The biggest key to his runner-up finish to series champ Jeff Gordon was consistency. To put that in better perspective, Stewart was a top-5 finisher in nearly half (15) of the season's 36 races and finished in the top-10 in nearly two-thirds (22) of the events. While inconsistency was a problem in his first two seasons, it seemed everything came together in 2001, as Stewart showed he knows what it takes to put together one respectable finish after another.

Season highlight: Stewart's short-track roots again were the key to two of his three wins in 2001, as he convincingly covered the field at Richmond, Va., and Bristol, Tenn. It was the win at Bristol that was arguably the sweetest of the season for Stewart, as he bounced back from a celebrated bump-and-run-in with Gordon at the end of the spring race there a few months earlier, earning him a hefty fine and NASCAR probation.

The bad: Stewart failed to nab a pole in 2001 after claiming two each in 1999 and 2000, but it was his temper that continued to get him in trouble in 2001. When he spun out Gordon in the pits at Bristol, he was fined and placed on probation. Then, late in the season when NASCAR mandated drivers must wear head-and-neck restraint devices, Stewart balked, saying it should be driver preference whether or not to wear such a device. After some tense discussions, he finally capitulated to NASCAR's demand, as he would not have been allowed to race if he failed to go along with the edict.

What's more, Stewart has one of the best-kept secrets in racing with perhaps the most underrated crew chief in the series, Greg Zipadelli, spinning the wrenches and plotting strategy. However, there have been times where Stewart has gone against Zipadelli's gameplan -- last November's race at Homestead, Fla., comes to mind, as Stewart overruled Zipadelli, wound up being assessed a penalty and watched what should have been an easy top-5 finish end up in a disappointing 19th-place showing. Stewart has to have faith in Zipadelli's calls for their relationship to work. Anything less, and Stewart's hard-headedness could not only ultimately cost him a championship, but could cost him his crew chief.

Season lowlight: From a performance standpoint, two races stand out. First was Stewart's disappointing 36th-place finish after being knocked out by an accident in the season-opening Daytona 500. Second was his return to Richmond last fall: he came into the event hoping for a sweep of both events in 2001, only to go home early when his engine failed.

Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart finished second in the Winston Cup standings last season.

Key stat: Stewart did a dramatic flip-flop in terms of qualifying from the first-half to second-half of last season. In the first 18 events, he started 20th or worse in seven races, finishing 20th or worse in all seven events. But in the last 18 events, Stewart started six races 20th or worse, yet wound up with five top-7 finishes and one 19th-place showing.

2002 outlook
What needs to be done: As he enters his fourth season, Stewart is poised for a breakthrough in 2002 -- he's already being considered by most as one of the favorites to win the title this season. In just three years, he's established himself as one of NASCAR's top drivers and is arguably the strongest challenge to Gordon. With his win-at-all-costs philosophy and aggressive style, Stewart harkens back to an era of gritty, tough drivers who didn't fear any challenger, guys like A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough and the late Dale Earnhardt. In fact, if anyone will ascend to fill Earnhardt's shoes as the roughest, toughest competitor out there today, it will be Stewart and not Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Not a thing has to be changed for the team in 2002; it just has to keep on doing what has gotten it to its current level of success. One interesting note: Stewart is ahead of Gordon in number of victories after their respective first three seasons on the circuit (Stewart has 12 wins, while Gordon won only nine races in his first three seasons).

Prediction: If anyone is going to knock Gordon off the champion's throne, odds are it'll be Stewart, who has all the tools, talent and resources to make 2002 his year. However, Stewart's quest for the crown won't be pretty. He'll have to learn to rein in his temper, particularly his continual run-ins with NASCAR officials. There's an old saying in racing that you have to go along to get along, and that could be the most valuable lesson Stewart will have to learn if he hopes to win his first -- but likely not his last -- championship.

Your take
Will this be Stewart's year to take the title? Or is the native Hoosier still to hot-headed to get it done? Here are your thoughts.

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