‘Twilight Zone’

Tony Stewart can’t figure out his slow start to the season

Associated Press

CONCORD, N.C.

A sponsorship conflict prevented Tony Stewart from making any appearances on behalf of Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first 10 years of his career. Those issues now untangled, the two-time champion spent half a day this week doing promotional work on behalf of the track.

Boy, did he make up for lost time.

Stewart charmed a roomful of his fans with his sharp wit and dark humor, pleasantly answering more than 30 minutes of questions that covered everything from his business ventures, the house he’s building, his new girlfriend and, most important, his troubling start to the season.

What made Monday’s appearance most remarkable was Stewart’s upbeat demeanor. The notoriously moody driver had been cranky and terse at the track for about a month, and after a 23rd-place finish last weekend at Richmond, his spirits weren’t expected to be all that improved.

Instead, he was able to joke about his on-track struggles, admitting he and crew chief Darian Grubb are in the “Twilight Zone” right now when it comes to performance and figuring out why the No. 14 Chevrolet is so off.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Darian and I just look at each other, and hug each other and say ‘I love you man,’” Stewart said. “We don’t know what the problem is.”

Stewart heads into the weekend at Darlington Raceway — one of only three active tracks where he’s yet to grab a Sprint Cup Series victory — ranked 15th in the standings. This time last season, when he was full bore into his first year as owner and driver of Stewart-Haas Racing, he was third in the standings and just weeks from his first career victory in the All-Star race at CMS.

This year, however, there have been few bright spots aside from a second-place finish at Bristol in March. Stewart has placed outside the top 15 in the last five races, and four of those finishes were 23rd or worse.

That includes Saturday night, when Stewart, a three-time Richmond winner, was lapped early by winner Kyle Busch at a track that ranks among his favorites.

“We’re confused,” Stewart said. “Darian and I are both confused with what’s going on and why it’s going on.”