Thursday, September 11, 2008 The news you need now
















Sprint Car weekend at NHMS


When animals attack with sarcastic comments
An angry Tiger is primed for Sunday's race at the Speedway



AP
Tony Stewart trails Jimmie Johnson to the finish line Sunday at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Stewart snapped at his pit crew for the loss.
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Related articles:
Wallace cuts to the Chase (9/11/2008)
Past champs have driven different paths to success (9/11/2008)




Sometimes, the Tiger purrs; other times, he's playful. And sometimes, the Tiger roars. He pounces. He attacks. He's mean.

That was Tony "the Tiger" Stewart on Sunday at Richmond International Raceway. The Tiger, perhaps the most colorful and talented driver on NASCAR's elite tour, lost the lead late after Jimmie Johnson beat him to the punch on the final pit stop.

Johnson won.

The Tiger, blaming his crew, finished second.

And he wasn't happy about it.

"Good job there, guys," the Tiger told the boys on pit road, moments after the Virginia race. "We gave another one away today. Great job."

That's one of the subplots entering Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The big story is that it's the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's 10-race playoff to determine the overall points champion.

The top 12 drivers after 26 races made the cut. The Tiger enters in eighth place. He and three other Chase qualifiers - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon - spoke to the news media yesterday at NHMS during a video conference from New York City.

The Tiger was relaxed, upbeat, cooperative, as he oftentimes is. He reflected on his mood Sunday, when second place caused his tail to stiffen.

"Sunday was one of those races that coming in the pits on the last pit stop leading the race and coming out second and not being able to get that position back, we felt like we gave one away," the Tiger said. "And that is the perfectionist

in me, and that's the competitor in me. Anybody that's not going to be upset about that is the guy I want to race every week because I can beat that guy every week if he's not that passionate about winning as I am."

That's been the Tiger's paw print for years. And his demeanor has gotten more attention since he joined the Cup tour 10 years ago.

The Tiger wants to win. The Tiger's teeth and claws come out when he doesn't. The Tiger can be a nasty pussycat.

"That's how we won two championships," the Tiger said. "And that's how we won (32) races. . . . That's how we won all those series and all those races because we're that dedicated to winning races and we know when you have an opportunity like that and we let it get away, second wasn't good enough on that particular day. . . . This past weekend, second wasn't acceptable."

Neither is merely making the Chase field. That would be a highlight for many other drivers. Not the Tiger, though. He's eyeing his place in history.