Dirt
TONY STEWART
third and final NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2011 with Mobil 1 as both a sponsor and technical partner . It ’ s a 13-year-and-counting partnership that encompasses Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR and Tony Stewart Racing ( TSR ) in the NHRA and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series .
“ I ’ m really excited about having Mobil 1 back on-board ,” Stewart said . “ They have been a great partner since I went to Stewart-Haas Racing . All the years of NASCAR Cup racing , sprint car racing , and now drag racing , they ’ ve been there with me the whole time . It ’ s great to have a partner like Mobil 1 that believes in everything we do and wants to be a part of it with us . That ’ s something that means a lot to me . They ’ re a long-term partner and it ’ s relationships like that you value as a driver and team owner .”
The Columbus , Indiana native ’ s events will include over a dozen NHRA national events , beginning with the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in March and wrapping up at the In- N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in November . On top of national events , he will also compete in select races in the divisional series .
“ Getting prepared for this season over the winter has been about trying to understand what the schedule is going to look like ,” Stewart said .
“ I ’ m just trying to prepare for every racetrack we go to – the shutdown areas and which way to turn off the racetrack . Just simple things and small details that the people that have been in this sport for years already know . That ’ s what this sport is all about , small details . Preparing for the season is thinking about all the small details it takes to be successful .
“ You compete against so many talented people like Madison [ Payne ] at Las Vegas last year . There was no disgrace in finishing second to her because she is a great race car driver . It was an honor to be as close to her as we were in our first event . There are a bunch of great drivers and teams in that class and they really made me feel welcome . That ’ s one of the things I ’ m so excited about is that they make you feel like you ’ re a part of the family .”
With 13 driving championships to his resume , Stewart is looking forward to the year he ’ ll have in his Mobil 1 Top Alcohol Dragster and the potential to add a 14th title to his name .
“ It ’ s been like being a little kid all over again ,” Stewart said . “ When I was racing go karts , I couldn ’ t wait for the winter to be over so I could go racing . That ’ s where I ’ m at all over again . I ’ m going to have great teammates in Matt Cummings and Jasmine Salinas . They are two people that have won a lot of races and championships . Having them as teammates will be an asset . The hard part is sometimes I ’ ll have to race them for the win . Hopefully we don ’ t get paired up until the end of the day and it ’ s a win for the team as a whole . I ’ m excited and honored to be a part of the NHRA .” DI
Carb Screens have
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