Tony Stewart commits to full NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster schedule with McPhillips Racing By Rob King

Stewart advanced to the Finals in his first NHRA event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October , where he finished second to Madison Payne by two-10,000ths of a second . Stewart ’ s 5.258-second , 271.57 mph run in the Finals came up just one inch short out of 15,840 inches on the quarter-mile dragstrip , which made his desire to return to the seat even stronger .

“ I am super excited about the season ,” Stewart said . “ It ’ s been a long winter and I think what ’ s made it feel even longer is the fact that we ’ ve been working on putting this package together with the McPhillips family to expand on what we did at Las Vegas last year and get back in the seat . I want to keep learning about the sport and have the opportunity to go compete more this year with a team I really enjoy .

“ To be able to go to Vegas last year with the

McPhillips family was really special ,” Stewart continued . “ Pops ( Rich McPhillips ) and Richie ( McPhillips Jr .) are an unbelievable family to drive for . Everyone on the crew is a fun group of guys to race with . It ’ s nerve-wracking to try and do something different , but when you have a team like what the McPhillips Racing team has , it makes everything a lot easier .”

The adaptable racer has earned championships across NASCAR , IN- DYCAR and USAC , along with hundreds of victories on oval tracks , dirt tracks , and road courses . While his goal is to gain more experience behind the wheel of a dragster , he will be eligible to earn a NHRA national championship to add to his impressive resume . Each Top Alcohol Dragster driver is eligible to earn points at their first 10 national events . Their best six national finishes from their eligible points earning events will constitute their NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national championship points total .

“ It ’ s hard to sit there and know what expectations we should have for the year ,” Stewart said . “ I think as long as I keep learning more and more as I go by trying to be more consistent with driving the car , keep it in the groove , trying to stay

consistent on reaction times and improve reaction times , those are all goals for me . I want to keep learning and get better every weekend and every race we go to .”

Joining Stewart in his quest for victory will be longtime partner Mobil 1 , the world ’ s leading brand of synthetic motor oil . Stewart won his

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NHRA AND DYAN LOVER