Tony Stewart Wins The Rumble

Rumble in Fort Wayne
Memorial Coliseum Expo Center, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Friday, Dec. 28 & Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007

SATURDAY STORY

Upbeat Stewart dominates for another ‘Rumble’ victory

By RON WARE

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Tony Stewart had barely made the short walk from victory lane to his pit area, and already a makeshift autograph line snaked halfway around the interior of the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center.

Did the sometimes bad boy of racing scowl, glare at a photographer or brush past his adoring fans?

Hardly. He simply plopped in a chair, picked up a Sharpie and kept signing anything and everything till they turned out the lights.

“I just love coming here,’’ the two-time NASCAR champion said after making another triumph return to his racing roots Saturday night, dominating the USAC midget feature that capped the 10th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne indoor races.

“This car is always fun to drive,” he said of his nearly 20-year-old Munchkin chassis, which has taken him to five victories in eight races here since 2004. “But a lot of it is the fans. It’s not like going to a NASCAR race.

“I love my NASCAR fans, but the open-wheel fans are so polite and respectful. Everybody is saying thank you, nobody’s cutting in line, nobody’s saying you gotta do this, you gotta do that, like at a NASCAR track.

“If people want to know why I’m happy, look around. It’s the people.”

Stewart’s scintillating performance didn’t dampen his spirits, either. After posting the fastest qualifying time (of 48 cars) and winning his heat, he quickly sliced through the field in the 60-lap feature, holding off teammate Mike Fedorcak over the final 35 laps for the victory. Dave Darland finished third, followed by Derek Bischak and Rich Corson.

The 36-year-old Indiana native charged from his eighth starting position to fifth in just four laps and was second by lap nine. Never touching another car all night on the tight, 1/6-mile track, he passed Geoff Kaiser for the lead with an inside move in turn one on lap 17 and was never seriously challenged.

But Stewart said it wasn’t as easy at it looked. The racing groove got very slippery late in the race, he said, when outside air was let into the building for ventilation.

“When they opened up the doors off turn two, the floor got slick,” he said. “There was a spot about two feet wide (that was especially slippery), and you had to stay underneath it. But it helped us, too, because we were out front and everybody else had to go through there.”

Fedorcak -- his once-a-year teammate and the builder of the Munchkin chassis -- came away convinced that few mortals could have beaten Stewart on this night.

“The difference between Tony and me is, Tony can put four good laps together. I can put maybe two and a half together,’’ the 53-year-old veteran said. “I’ve won races that way, but he is just superb. He is just that much better than anybody else. My car was faster than his.

“If he were in my car, he would have won.”

Ironically, perhaps the only thing that kept Stewart from sweeping the two-night program was his pal Fedorcak. In Friday’s feature, Stewart was making his way toward the front when he got caught up in an accident Fedorcak triggered, knocking him out of the race. Billy Wease went on to win in a slam-bang finish that saw him go from third to first in the final 30 yards.

Not that Stewart had any trouble shaking off Friday‘s disappointment.

“Mike really underestimates his talent,” Stewart said. “He’s a once-a-year driver, and he can come out and run like this.

“He’s the reason I win here. The car (the Munchkin) is his design and engineering from 17 years ago. He’s the guy who makes it so easy to drive.”

Wease wasn’t a factor, with a spin in the treacherous turn two ending his day early. He finished 13th in the 14-car field.

“I just wasn’t patient enough,’’ he said glumly.

The USAC midget race capped a 14-division program that attracted more than 400 cars and an overflow crowd.

John Ivy -- nearly as dominant in the 600cc winged midget class -- beat Larry Joe Sroufe and Friday winner Joey Payne in that 50-lap feature. Ryan Smith notched a second straight Slingshots win, while Jake Blackhurst won two kart features. Single kart wins went to Bob Baker, Dustin Heath and Ryan Moran.

Tyler Duff won in junior sprints. Cannon Konzer, Ryan Fleming, Travis Ford, Aaron Leffel, Cooper Clouse and Austin Nemire captured the quarter midget features.

Somebody asked Stewart afterward how he was enjoying his “vacation” from his regular job.

“Vacation? I don’t know about vacation,” he said, breaking into a grin. “This is too much work for vacation.”

Then he went back to signing autographs.

{end of story}

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