Smoke Steals The Show For The All-Star Million

For all the things Tony Stewart has accomplished- two NASCAR championships, a win in his back yard at the at the Brickyard, wins at Daytona, Talladega, Lowe’s Motor Speedway and numerous other accomplishments, he’d never won the the All-Star race. In fact the closest he’d come was in his first all-star start in 1999 when he finished second.

In the 2009 Sprint All-Star Challenge, Smoke checks off a pair of important milestones: his first all-star win and his first as driver/owner for Stewart- Haas Racing. It was a win not accomplished through sheer horsepower or clever strategy, it was a win achieved through smart, skillful driving- an ability to steer clear of trouble in the mad dash for cash in the 10 lap final segment.

At first, it sure looked like Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus had devised the perfect plan for the “48″ car setting it up for short run dominance. Johnson ran the table in the 50 lap opening segment, showing only weakness as the run closed- teammate Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch closing in.

In another display of gutsiness- Kyle Busch would lead a contingent of drivers off of pit road who would only take two tires. Before the race, SPEED-TV analyst Darrell Waltrip pointed out the Goodyears used for Lowe’s Motor Speedway were holding up very well, and no doubt the likes of Shrub, Matt Kenseth and Sam Hornish Jr. figured this might their best shot at catching the Johnson juggernaut. Ryan Newman appeared to be in serious trouble with a splitter dragging the track.

In the same way that Johnson dominated the first segment, Kyle Busch was equally untouchable in the first of the 20 laps runs. Busch appeared headed for pit road before the second 20 lap run, but he and other lead cars would elect to stay out- joined by Gordon and Mark Martin among others. Johnson comes to pit road.

‘It was at this point things started going sour for Johnson. The “48″ would end up tagging the wall and in the aftermath of this incident, Hornish and Biffle collide, sending the “16″ to the garage and a last place finish. After looking sporty for a while, Martin started developing all kinds of problems and faded away.

As the second 20 laps segment run reached 12 laps to go, Jeff Gordon closed in on the “18″ of Busch to take the lead.

As the curtain opens for the final act, it appears it will be a battle among Gordon, the younger Busch, Kenseth and maybe even Johnson for the win. Let the games begin!

As the donnybrook unfolds, Johnson checks up and Denny Hamlin gets into the back of Johnson. The “48″ goes into a wild spin….but manages to hit no one!

Shrub shows more fearlessness- finding a gap between Gordon and Kenseth and threading it. As the Gordon, Busch and Ryan Newman go three-wide with Busch the meat in the sandwich, contact ensues that rubs Newman against the wall and sends Gordon off to the garage. At first I was livid, ready to pin the blame on Busch (instinct kicked in). When they showed the replay, it was apparent it was a racing deal with the drivers involved likely surprised to find themselves in that traffic jam.

With Gordon out, it appeared to be a horse race among Busch, Newman, Kenseth and suddenly Tony Stewart is in the mix. While Kenseth and Busch battle, Newman gives away with a car having sustained too much damage to play a part in the final scene. Busch gives way to Kenseth, but Kenseth is unable to hold off Stewart who pulls away at the end to take the checkered flag.

What a fitting finish on the night Gene Haas returns to the track. Stewart has been oh-so-close, and under the Saturday night lights, he makes a little history and a whole lot of green. Props also go out to Sam Hornish and Jamie Mc Murray for racing their way in. Joey Logano got in as the fan’s choice- demonstrating he already has a following.

If he’s this good before July, one can only wonder what lies in store for Tony Stewart as the season continues.