TONY STEWART This defending Winston Cup champion is having himself two seasons

By DICK BRINSTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tony Stewart, Winston Cup champion, had a mediocre season. Tony Stewart, racing junkie, had a great one.
Stewart is out of the running for a second straight title, but he's having a dream season away from NASCAR's elite division.
Stewart the racer has victories in six disciplines this year, from dirt cars to trucks. And car owner Stewart got to celebrate Danny Lasoski's second victory in three years in the Knoxville Nationals, the Super Bowl of dirt racing.
"We just haven't had the success we've wanted in Winston Cup, but it's been fun to win those other races," Stewart said. "It kind of takes the times where we've had a bad day in the Cup car and makes them a little easier to deal with."
Not being a championship contender is new to Stewart, mired in 10th place with eight races remaining. He's never finished lower than sixth.
He heads for Talladega Superspeedway looking for only his second victory of the season. Unless he goes on an incredible roll, this season will be one to forget.
"This Home Depot team is just trying to win each week, and whatever it gives us, it gives us," he said. "But I'll be kind of glad when this year is over."
Top-10 still possible
Regardless, a top-10 finish is possible, and that's impressive enough. Among active drivers with at least five years on the circuit, only four-time champion Jeff Gordon has always been in the top 10.
Stewart finished fourth as a rookie in 1999 with three victories -- both records. The next year, he was sixth in points but won six times. In 2001, Stewart finished second.
The strange part about this season is that his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet is a stronger car than the Pontiac with which Stewart claimed the 2002 championship.
"I've been ecstatic with the way they've driven," Stewart said. "It's been kind of sad, though, like the end of an era with me not driving a Pontiac Grand Prix anymore. But at the same time it was a positive move for us."
Another plus for Stewart is the contract he signed that will keep him with the powerhouse Gibbs team through 2009.
He's making millions in his Winston Cup ride. His other ventures don't pay enough to cover the fuel bill for the airplane he uses to fly to remote places such as Thompson, Conn., and New Egypt, N.J.
Money not an issue
But he loves it and frequently sneaks away to those grass roots venues at the first hint of a decent ride.
"I don't really care how much they pay me," he said, referring to owners eager to put one of the world's top drivers in a midget, sprint or dirt car at a bull ring on a weeknight. "I'd rather have them spend their money on a new set of tires so we can go faster, so we can win."
That's what it's all about for someone who has won championships in NASCAR, IRL and USAC. He makes no secret of his passion for the small stuff, but it's hard to believe a racer of his stature enjoys picking dirt out of his teeth.
"You don't get dirt in your teeth when you're in the lead," Stewart said.