Tony Stewart is hoping that the third year is the charm for the Stewart-Haas team.
After a fast start in 2009 with both Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman in the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year was a bit of a disappointment with only Stewart in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.
Stewart thinks that his personnel will make the difference, and possibly, turnaround with a title year. "It's definitely not easy for sure, but we have Bobby Hutchens leading this for us. We have some great crew chiefs in Darien Grubb and Tony Gibson. And I have a great teammate with Ryan (Newman). Those are the key ingredients that you have to have."
Although the team isn’t exactly a start-up as HAAS CNC, the predecessor team was in existence for years before Stewart was given a part ownership, it is still only in the third of its incarnation.
As Ryan Newman explained: "We are just continuing to build. Working hard on our race cars. I had a good year last year (one win at Phoenix) and am looking forward to this year to start off strong. That's one thing we haven't done as a team. To start the season off with the Daytona 500 is a good opportunity. We had some fun down there with testing and I'm looking forward to the entire Speedweeks."
Darien Grubb, Stewart’s crew chief, explained all the details and rules changes that teams will have to face starting with the season-opener at Daytona.
"This is a good time for us," he said. "The program we have has gotten so strong. The competition level is so high and I think we have a leg up on this year. We have a leg up with Mobil 1 and their technology. We have been trying to pay attention to our downforce. We are working on fuel. We have the new E85 coming this year. We need to make sure we get the mileage and performance when we get down to Daytona."
Tony Gibson, Newman’s crew chief added "one of the biggest things we have been working on is our aero department. Chevrolet has done a great job. We have spent time in the (wind) tunnel. It's been a huge benefit for us."
Bobby Hutchens added: "The engineering department has really been working hard getting ready for 2011. They have been out in Phoenix at the Chevrolet proving grounds working on our speedway program. They were at the General Motors facility in Michigan working on parts and pieces. Mobil1 (the new sponsor) and Wix Filters and their technical departments have helped us in the transition over the off season. This will hopefully make our end product better on Sundays. Everyone here wants to make our third season the most successful yet."
After a fast start in 2009 with both Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman in the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year was a bit of a disappointment with only Stewart in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.
Stewart thinks that his personnel will make the difference, and possibly, turnaround with a title year. "It's definitely not easy for sure, but we have Bobby Hutchens leading this for us. We have some great crew chiefs in Darien Grubb and Tony Gibson. And I have a great teammate with Ryan (Newman). Those are the key ingredients that you have to have."
Although the team isn’t exactly a start-up as HAAS CNC, the predecessor team was in existence for years before Stewart was given a part ownership, it is still only in the third of its incarnation.
As Ryan Newman explained: "We are just continuing to build. Working hard on our race cars. I had a good year last year (one win at Phoenix) and am looking forward to this year to start off strong. That's one thing we haven't done as a team. To start the season off with the Daytona 500 is a good opportunity. We had some fun down there with testing and I'm looking forward to the entire Speedweeks."
Darien Grubb, Stewart’s crew chief, explained all the details and rules changes that teams will have to face starting with the season-opener at Daytona.
"This is a good time for us," he said. "The program we have has gotten so strong. The competition level is so high and I think we have a leg up on this year. We have a leg up with Mobil 1 and their technology. We have been trying to pay attention to our downforce. We are working on fuel. We have the new E85 coming this year. We need to make sure we get the mileage and performance when we get down to Daytona."
Tony Gibson, Newman’s crew chief added "one of the biggest things we have been working on is our aero department. Chevrolet has done a great job. We have spent time in the (wind) tunnel. It's been a huge benefit for us."
Bobby Hutchens added: "The engineering department has really been working hard getting ready for 2011. They have been out in Phoenix at the Chevrolet proving grounds working on our speedway program. They were at the General Motors facility in Michigan working on parts and pieces. Mobil1 (the new sponsor) and Wix Filters and their technical departments have helped us in the transition over the off season. This will hopefully make our end product better on Sundays. Everyone here wants to make our third season the most successful yet."
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| Photo: Stewart-Haas |