Tony Stewart still in the battle as he prepares for Martinsville

Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs 

Now that Talladega is behind the Chase contenders, with just four races to go it is time to make haste to win the Chase. Still within striking distance of the lead is Tony Stewart, who currently is fourth in points and just 19 points behind Carl Edwards.

Stewart heads to Martinsville, a track where he has two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s and three pole awards. With that being said, Stewart has what it takes to come out of Martinsville with a strong finish.

During Tuesday’s NASCAR teleconference, Stewart spoke of his plans for the paper clip that is Martinsville.  “We are going to Martinsville this weekend with Ryan's package that he's been running really well with and we have kind of struggled there so we are going to start with Ryan's setup and work our way from there. We know it's going to be a little different for me and our driving style. Mine and Ryan's are a little bit different. But I feel that's a good place to start for the weekend,” explained Stewart.

My question for Stewart,  "What specifically is the team working on at the shop to get you that championship, is there one thing that Darian and the crew are working extra hard on to make this possible for you?"

Stewart responded with a bit of a chuckle and said,I hope not, because if they are working extra hard to do something, it's something they should have been doing all along.”

“This sport is so hard and technical to begin with that you can't go into each week not giving 100%. And you're not going to get more than that. You're only going to get 100% out of each person, and if they are not doing that, then you know, there are plenty of guys out there that will work that hard. But I feel like our guys have done a great job of keeping the morale up and the team, it's been a trying couple of weeks for the 14 car and the 39 car," said Stewart.

As he continued, “Smoke” praised his team, “I feel like our guys and our attitude in our shop is very, very positive right now. We have got a really strong group of true racers that have been involved with the team, guys that have been involved with racing for a long time in different series. They are really keen and savvy when it comes to keeping their morale high and realizing that one bad week doesn't take it out of it until they say we are mathematically out. I feel like they have been giving 100% all along."
Tony Stewart still in the battle as he prepares for Martinsville Tony Stewart still in the battle as he prepares for Martinsville Reviewed by Unknown on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Rating: 5