Tony Stewart on Chase chances: 'Whatever happens, happens'

CHARLOTTE – A long-scheduled media session with Tony Stewart turned into a virtual “State of Tony” interview Wednesday, as the three-time champion heads to Dover International Speedway this weekend facing elimination in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Stewart spent more than 30 minutes answering questions on a variety of topics, including how many times he’ll race next year, some of the frustrations he’s had in his final season at NASCAR's top level and his outlook on Dover.

Here’s a sampling of what Stewart told a small group of reporters in a conference room at NASCAR’s office tower:

Advancing to the second round of the Chase is a tall order.

Stewart said he’s taking a simplistic approach to his playoff situation. He's 11 points behind the current cutoff and doesn't want to worry about anything but getting the best possible finish.

“We’ve just got to go do the best we can this weekend and whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I look at it the realistic way I have to look at it. You don’t want to wish bad luck on somebody else to begin with, because it’s not right. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.

“You hope when it’s over, you did your job. If we stick to our guns and do our job right, hopefully we can win the race. If we don’t, hopefully we were in a scenario where we gained enough points to get to the next round. But if not, it’s over.”

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He doesn’t care where the other Chase drivers are running at Dover.

“What difference is it going to make?” he said. “It still doesn’t matter where they’re at. Me knowing that, what’s that going to change? Nothing. I’ve still got to get every spot I can get. When it’s over and they do the math, we’ll know where we’re at. There’s only one car out of 40 cars I can control, and that’s mine.”

Stewart still is capable of winning if everything comes together.

Told that others have said he can still “flip a switch” and win, Stewart chuckled.

“If you can find it,” he said. “Right now, I’m in a large dark room and don’t know where the wall is, let alone the switch. But if I can find it, I guarantee I’ll flip it in a heartbeat.”

No matter what happens at Dover, he’s still going to enjoy the rest of his NASCAR career.

Though Stewart is definitely ready to move on, he also openly acknowledges there are parts of being a NASCAR driver he’ll miss. So he’s trying to savor that time for now.

“I’ve still got eight more weeks that I get to race with (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and I get to race with my guys,” he said. “And I still get to drive a pretty cool race car each week in a pretty cool series. I’m going to enjoy these last eight weeks, regardless of what happens this weekend.

“Am I going to be upset if I don’t make it to the next round? Yeah, absolutely. That’s natural. That’s what a competitor should be like. If we don’t, it’s not the end of my year. I’ve got seven more weeks after this weekend to do the best I can, try to get another win and finish on a high note.”

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Frustration with how today’s Cup cars drive has contributed to his retirement decision.

After trying “everything I learned in 38 years that I know to do in a stock car” during the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last week – and to no avail – Stewart said he’s fed up with how difficult it’s become for drivers to have an impact on their car's performance.

“When we come off the truck, we fight the same thing for three days and there’s nothing I can do to fix it,” he said. “And that’s part of what’s so frustrating for me as a driver and part of the reason I’m ready to do something different.

“I can’t make a difference anymore. I can’t go out there and do different things with my feet or hands or run a different line and fix the problem. I used to be able to do that. You just get so frustrated, you can’t see straight.”

So would Stewart like to lobby NASCAR for a change in the rules to help the situation?

“I’ve been fighting that fight forever,” he said. “It’s not something I’m willing to go in depth on, but it’s another reason I’m ready to exit. You can only beat the drum for so long and it can only fall on deaf ears for so long before you finally say, ‘OK, the people who need to make it better can’t make it better or aren’t going to make it better.’ ”

There’s too much practice time in NASCAR.

“I like (the practice schedule in) dirt racing,” he said. “You practice two to three laps, you take 10 minutes and you get in line to qualify. I’ve never understood how the tracks that change the most (dirt), you get the least amount of time. And the tracks that change the least (pavement), you get the most amount of time.”

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