NASCAR-WCUP: #20 Home Depot Race Team - Pre-Race Stats and Driver Quotes
16 April 1999
GOODY'S BODY PAIN 500 Martinsville Speedway - .526-mile oval Race 8 of 34 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series April 16-18, 1999 Race time: Sunday, April 18,1999 1:00 p.m. EDT Live television coverage: ESPN, Live radio coverage: MRN
Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit and one of the most physically demanding on the drivers. The track has been described as side-by-side drag strips joined by two hairpin turns. The Goody's Body Pain 500 will be the #20 Home Depot Team's first-ever race at Martinsville Speedway. According to driver Tony Stewart, Martinsville is a true indicator of just how valuable testing is for a rookie team. Stewart and the crew tested at Martinsville last week and believe they made good progress on the car's setup. Though it is Stewart's first time racing at Martinsville, crew chief Greg Zipadelli has competed there and is familiar with the demands the short, flat track places on both car and driver.
Tony Stewart, Driver
On racing at Martinsville:
"When The Home Depot Pontiac tested last week in Martinsville it was a
real eye-opener. It's a tough old racetrack and for the first day and a
half, it really had my number. We learned a great deal from the test and
feel confident that we made great progress in getting a good setup. The
Martinsville race will be a true indicator of just how valuable testing is
for a rookie team.
"Greg and the majority of my crew have been to Martinsville with other drivers, and Bobby and Jimmy (Makar) have run there quite a bit. All of this is a tremendous help in getting the right setup on the #20 car but I'm the one who will be racing on the track for the first time. Qualifying will be key for us. On a track this short, you can get a lap down in a hurry. Once the race starts, we'll focus on tire and brake management and staying out of trouble."
On last week's run at Bristol:
"I had the most perfect racecar I think I've ever driven at Bristol
last week. The Home Depot Pontiac and crew were about as perfect as a
team can get. We had great pit stops that helped give us awesome track
position. Things happen so fast there we weren't able to avoid trouble a
couple of times but we were still able to salvage a top-15
finish. It was great racing up front with Rusty, Jeff, Mark and Bobby.
Hopefully, I continue to gain their respect. It was just a great race and
I had a ton of fun. I am looking forward to going back in August.
On rookie season to-date:
"How do you describe the kind of rookie season we've had so far? None
of us on the Home Depot team expected to be doing this well so early in
the season. Winning a race would be the ultimate but we don't want to win
a race then run 30th or 35th every week after that. We want to continue
to be consistent and run in the top-10 or top-15 every week. Qualifying
first round is still our number one goal."
STEWART 1999 NASCAR WINSTON CUP STATS: STARTS POLES WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 TOP 15 WINNINGS7 0 0 0 2 5 $421,064
STEWART MARTINSVILLE NASCAR STATS: STARTS POLES WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 TOP15 TOP 20 NONE
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