How One Small Mistake Costs Tony Stewart Vegas Win

Auto Racing, Misc | admin | March 7, 2011 at 8:44 am

You may want to vent. You may want to cheer. But here’s your chance to have your say on the Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas.
Tony Stewart looked to be the driver to beat as the laps wound down. But as the race ended he could only wonder how he lost the race to Carl Edwards.
It was pit strategy that won Carl Edwards the race. Edwards took just 2 tires on the final pit stop while Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb was forced to take 4, having took only 2 on the previous stop.
The quick stop put Edwards in the lead and he never looked back.
What really cost Stewart the win was a penalty mid-race for leaving his pit with an air gun. That put him far back in the field and led to the decision him to take only 2 tires on the second to last pit stop in order to make up ground. This meant that on the final pit stop Edwards had the option of 2 tires or 4. Stewart had no options.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had a fast car for short runs, but was not so good on longer runs. He was faster than eventual winner Carl Edwards at one point late in the race, easily passing Edwards’ No. 99 Ford. But was unable to maintain the speed as the race progressed.
There was definitely an issue with the Goodyear tires today, with several drivers including last week’s winner Jeff Gordon and points leader Kyle Busch crashing due to blown tires.
Some teams are still trying to get the hang of the new self-venting fuel cans. Greg Biffle had more than one problem getting fuel in his No. 16 Ford. At one point the fuel man even dropped the can trying to fuel the car.
So whether you want to cheer or whether you need to vent here’s your chance. Have your say on the Kobalt Tools 400.