Nonetheless, Stewart was able to nurse his No. 33 Oreo 100^th Birthday Chevrolet Impala across the finish line in eighth place while unheralded James Buescher scored a surprise win in the DRIVE4COPD 300.

“The hole that we had all of a sudden not only closed up, it shut – pretty quickly. It got slammed on us. We just ran out of real estate,” said Stewart, who had won six of the last seven season-opening Nationwide Series races at Daytona, including the past four.

Stewart started seventh in the 120-lap race around the 2.5-mile oval and quickly asserted his familiar position at the front of the field. He took the lead on lap five and went on to lead four more times for a total of 22 laps.

As the field took the white flag for the final lap, Stewart hooked up with his Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammate Elliott Sadler and rode the high line around turns three and four in a bid for the win.

“Elliott (Sadler) did a great job,” Stewart said. “Once we got going we got a big, big, big run down the backstretch. We got on the outside – we had that lane and then all of a sudden someone turned right, right in front of us. I don’t know how they got there or why they got there, but it was a pretty abrupt right-hand turn in front of us. Just all of a sudden the door got slammed on us. I don’t know why whoever it was turned right, but it wasn’t a very good time to either try blocking or moving.”

Eleven cars were collected in the last-lap melee, with Stewart and his No. 33 Oreo 100^th Birthday Chevrolet getting pinned against the outside wall. Smoke and debris filled the tri-oval, but Stewart kept his foot in the gas and willed his smoldering, smoking and sparking remnant of a racecar across the finish line in eighth.

“Richard Childress brought us an awesome Oreo Chevrolet today. Their whole crew just did a great job,” Stewart said. “It’s always so much fun to come here because I just sit in the car, I go run about a dozen laps and then they get it ready for qualifying. We ran around by ourselves most of the day when guys were in a two-car tandem and we could run with them. It showed how good a car we had.”

The loss didn’t deter Stewart’s spirits. The Nationwide Series race proved to be another solid outing in what has become an impressive Speedweeks for Stewart. He finished second in the Budweiser Shootout last Saturday night and won his Gatorade Duel qualifying race on Thursday. He starts third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ season opener – the 54^th Daytona 500 on Sunday. He has a total of 17 Daytona victories, but none in the coveted Daytona 500.

“I think we still have a pretty good batting average here, and we were a factor in it again today,” said Stewart after being asked if he was disappointed that he didn’t win the Nationwide Series season opener for the seventh time in the last eight years. “A lot can happen here at Daytona. The big prize is Sunday.”

His RCR teammates – Sadler, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Impala, and Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet Impala – finished third and fifth, respectively.

Buescher’s win was his first career Nationwide Series victory. Brad Keselowski finished second, while Sadler, Cole Whitt and Dillon rounded out the top-five. Tayler Malsam, Timmy Hill, Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 35 laps, with 18 drivers failing to finish the 120-lap race.

The next event on the Nationwide Series schedule is the March 3 Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. The race starts at 4:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN2 beginning with its pre-race show at 4 p.m.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEING IN DAYTONA AND WHAT THIS WEEKEND MEANS TO YOU:
“I guess once you’ve won the race (Daytona 500) it is always special to come back and be a part of the sport that you love. Starting off Speedweeks we have just been a little bit off on overall speed. We really played it safe in the (Budweiser) Shootout, after watching Shootout practice and purposely laid in the back. We didn’t get the right moves at the end there. Kyle (Busch) kind of snuck one in on us. Just working on a little bit of speed, working on seeing how everything unfolds with the rules changes. Making sure we are doing the best on our end to capitalize on the cooling and the speed and the handling and all those types of things with the U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevrolet.”

HOW MUCH INFORMATION ARE YOU GATHERING FROM THE NO. 14’S (TONY STEWART) SUCCESS THIS WEEK? HOW ARE YOU APPLYING IT TO YOUR RACE ON SUNDAY?
“The information sharing is no different with us and the No. 14 versus us and the No. 10 or across the board with anybody. Tony’s been in just a little bit better situation I would say. My car likes to be up front. When I’m hanging out in the back, I’m just hanging on. His car has been really good up front. I think our car will be too we just haven’t been able to put ourselves in that situation. We never got to the front in the Duel. When the pit cycling came around we lost one of the guys that was helping in our draft. We never got back to the lead group to mix it up. I feel confident in our car. He is 14 thousandths of a second away from two victories going two for two this year so far. We’re good.”

DID AT ANY POINT LAST YEAR YOU LOOK AT JIMMIE (JOHNSON) AND THINK ‘MAN THIS GUY IS JUST NOT HITTING IT THIS YEAR. IT’S NOT THE SAME SEASON FOR HIM.’ OR WAS IT JUST NOT THAT OBVIOUS?
“We were more worried about ourselves than what he was doing. We are part teammates with him; with our information sharing with their information sharing and things that we have with Hendrick (Motorsports). At the same time we want to win and at the same time we wanted to see somebody else win. We never really focused on what their struggles were. In the Chase itself we had struggles of our own. It was not much of an issue.”

A LOT OF DRIVERS ARE HAVING TROUBLE SUCKING-UP IN THE DRAFT. IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE SEEING? DO WE KNOW WHY?
“There are two reasons to that and part of it is just the rules package the way the cars are drafting. The second part of it is the cars are getting so hot. My feet were glowing inside the race car just from heat off the firewall. My pinky toe was laying up against the side of the foot rest and wherever there was any contact on metal it was hot. We are doing everything we can to get the cars cooled off. That means staggering out and getting some air and things like that. I think there are times when guys are paying more attention to their gauges than they are where they are going. I don’t know where that makes for the best racing.”

YOU CAN SUCK-UP THOUGH?
“When you have somebody behind you then you have no issues sucking up. You just can’t be the last car.”

WHY DID WE NOT SEE A LOT OF CARS PRACTICE TODAY AND A LOT OF TEAMS NOT TALKING ABOUT PRACTICING TOMORROW?
“I think it’s a little different with the testing. We have more to lose than we have to learn at this point. At least the people that aren’t practicing feel like they have more to lose than to learn. We worked on a couple of small things today. Just perfecting my brake bias and coming to pit road, simple things like that. Those things can really catch you off guard when you are trying to do a quick stop and no tires. When you have to do that abort and put tires on it and lose the draft. That is a significant change in your race strategy. We are working on a couple of small things, but as far as making the race car that dominant race car, I think everybody knows that the rules package doesn’t allow us to big like that or to do those things that we have in the past.”

DOES IT MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE THAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE COOLER ON SUNDAY?
“It is going to help my feet. It’s going to help my radiator. It’s going to help a lot of things, but we are still going to push the cars to that limit. When it cools off we can push a little bit farther, instead of a straight-a-way we can push two straight-a-ways or three straight-a-ways. It just depends on the situation that you are in. The farther you are out front the more opportunity you have with the cleaner, cooler air. When you are in a group of 30 cars if you are 20 cars back then you are going to be hot no matter what. The grill opening is so small that the cars just don’t recover like they should or they need to.”

TALK ABOUT RUNNING THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RACE ON SATURDAY AND THE DAYTONA 500 ON SUNDAY:
“Two years ago now we started the awareness campaign for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) this is the third year that I will be in the drive for COPD 300 and it is the third year as a partner. It would be nice to have a good day on Saturday for that. It would be good to get some more awareness out there about a disease that is really serious and takes a heck of a lot of lives and doesn’t get caught until the end usually. Of the 24 million people that have it only half know it. We are working really hard we are accomplishing great things. We have screened over 2 million people at www.driveforcopd.com and things are moving in the right direction. Actually outside of the Daytona fan exhibit you see all those pinwheels with license plates and that’s done by COPD and a guy named Michael Kalish, an artist. The pinwheel is the logo because you have to breathe. Remember when you were a kid and you breathe into the pinwheel, run with it those kinds of things. Things are going really well and I’m really happy about that. We have a big day on Saturday, big day on Sunday.”

HAVE YOU WATCHED YESTERDAY’S WRECK ON REPLAY? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? WERE YOU JUST HANGING ON FOR THE RIDE? DID YOU TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE WHEEL? DID YOU COVER YOUR EYES?
“I would be happy to clear that up. In Indy cars we learn to take the hands off the wheel because the holes for your hand are even smaller and we have dashes and the wheel flips. I’ve had plenty of times where I have bruised my thumb, my bones, on the wheel. I was trained to, when there is no saving it and no hope, you let go. That is what I did yesterday. Was I covering my eyes? I honestly felt like my hands were down here (places hands near her chest) but they were higher than that I guess. I did watch it. I watched the second race and then I went back and watched the accident. No, I wasn’t covering my eyes, but yes I did close them as I got to the wall. I didn’t want my eyes to pop out of my head. Obviously, I tried to save it and thought there is nothing happening here so I might as well let go. Again, that is an IndyCar thing. I don’t see any point in keeping my hands tangled up with anything that is going to be moving. I was just talking to medical on the way in here actually and he was giving me some ‘at a girl’ on doing that because all kinds of things can happen the more you connect yourself with stuff. Everything feels pretty good. I hit my foot on the clutch, which is my fault because I moved the clutch pedal towards me. I hit my arm on the side of the seat because of the angle I went in on the right front. We are just going to trim the seat up a little bit. I actually feel better today. That is a really good thing because last night it was starting to get sore. My husband is a physical therapist so he’s got a lot of good tricks and we’ve got a lot of good tricks on the bus to take care of things that don’t feel right. That is why I feel better today.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOU HANDSHAKE? YOU HAVE SUCH A FIRM GRIP:
“It’s weaker now (laughs).”

CAN YOU PUT IN PERSPECTIVE WHAT THIS ENTIRE WEEKEND MEANS?
“Back when I first started racing here in the states in Atlantics (Formula Atlantic Series) and in Barber Dodge Pro Series even. I had a lot of articles written purely about my handshake. I was taught from a young age by my dad to shake like you mean it and to not give a wimpy handshake. I’m even going to call it a ‘girl handshake’ because there are a plenty of guys out there with a wimpy handshake. That is genderless there. Just to make an impression and to know you are there and be strong. So that is where that came from. I’m guessing over the years of practice it keeps getting stronger maybe. I do get a little careful when I get to more delicate people. Sometimes I grab quick and then say ‘oh I’m sorry’. As far as the week goes, obviously yesterday was a disappointment to nearly make it around to the finish, but the worst time for me to crash is either in the first couple of laps or last couple of laps. Unfortunately, that is what happened. The good thing, the good side to that was that I did get that experience. That was very valuable. The team has been really supportive and said we don’t care about the car. It’s not a problem as long as you feel good and as long as you are confident and as long as you like the car then we have a great back-up for you. I’m very comfortable with that. I think they just said that the car that I’m going to be driving just about won last year in the (Budweiser) Shootout or something like that. I’m cool with that. I think everything happens for a reason. Maybe I’m in a spot that is going to be a little bit better for me at the start of the Daytona 500 from maybe an accident or a learning perspective. Who knows maybe the back-up car is better.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FEELING ABOUT HOW THE RACE YESTERDAY PLAYED OUT? WHAT DID YOU BRING OUT OF THAT?
“I think I was starting to learn a lot about how the side draft works and how effective it is. I made it up to I think sixth or something like that. I was in a nice straight line, perfect, pretty, organized train at the front. We pulled away a little bit, but I was the last car of the group, so as soon as the lines caught up. I asked Tony (Stewart) what I could have done different in that situation so that I could have stayed with that group. He kind of said when you are the last one of the group; you are the first one to get pulled back. Being not the last person in the group would have been about all I could do. That was good to get up there and it was good to run around and see even when I was further back to see how things happened. How lines moved and people used each other. In fact when I watched the races last night, because I watched the second duel and then I went back and watched the first one. I noticed quite a bit of bump drafting, to be honest, at least some periods of time down the straight-a-ways. I didn’t do any of that. Maybe some of the reason why at times I felt like I wasn’t keeping up well enough was because I wasn’t. I think that will be something that I need to at least check into about when you need to do that and how often you should be doing that. You obviously don’t want to get in a situation where it starts overheating as we saw lots of people were getting hot. I don’t mean just inside the car (laughs). That can be a little bit of an issue here and when you have 500 miles to go you don’t want to start that process on lap 20. I’m sure that there is a balance there. I in general felt very comfortable. I felt very relaxed. I was just lightly hanging onto the wheel and really comfortable. I say that only because I’m not having the ‘death grip’. As there is plenty of times in my early career in IndyCar where I think my left leg was absolutely numb from pushing on the dead pedal so hard. I was relaxed in the car and I felt good. I felt comfortable. I feel more ready for Sunday.”

THERE IS ANOTHER WOMAN IN THE NNS RACE TOMORROW, JOANNA LONG. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE HER?
“That is cool. I don’t know much about her to be honest. She was at a test in Orlando (Florida) when we were there and she did a good job. Other than that I don’t know much about her. I’m sure that just like you guys I will be watching all the drivers and I’m sure I will go back and watch the race. That is all I can say, I don’t have a lot of feedback because I don’t really know her. I don’t know where she came from or what she did. I would just say finishing is the most important thing to start with. Being smart out there, being strong, but not being overly aggressive, just finish the races.”

BECAUSE OF YOUR UNIQUENESS THERE IS SO MANY EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BRING TO THE SPORT IN TERMS OF NEW FANS, NEW TELEVISION VIEWERS, ETC. ARE YOU OK WITH THAT? HAS IT EVER FELT LIKE AN ENCUMBRANCE ON HOW MUCH MORE IS PUT ON YOU BESIDES JUST WHAT YOU DO IN THE CAR?
“I truly don’t feel like anything more gets put on me. I feel like there are a lot of hopes, but I don’t feel the pressure that I have to do something. Trust me I have put in my head enough thoughts that I have to do certain things. Not all of them which I share with you (laughs). I don’t feel like that. I feel very lucky to be in the situation that I’m in. I feel lucky to be unique and different. I feel lucky to have the fan base that I do. If that helps in anyway or if we can work together to make it even better than that is just a win, win.”

HOW DO YOU COMPARE A WRECK IN AN INDY CAR WITH A WRECK IN A NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES CAR?
“That is why I’m excited about this. Get the first big accident out of the way on my first IndyCar race. Get the first big accident out of the way in my first Sprint Cup race. I actually said that before I went to bed last night. I said ‘honey it’s just going to be finishing from here’. I don’t know. It’s a little different obviously in NASCAR. As far as impacts go, in an Indy car I feel like your belts are tighter. You are really tight in an Indy car mostly because even for the lateral load that you get in the corner you can’t be moving around at all. In these cars (Sprint Cup) you don’t get as much of a lateral load. I end up feeling like the belts are maybe a little tighter, which maybe I need to tighten mine up a little in my Cup car. As far as the impact goes, there is a little less room to move around in an Indy car and you are very confined. If my arm hit the side of the seat, because there is room for a seat to be and there is room for angles. In an Indy car if your arm hits the side it’s literally hitting the side of the car, the side of the tub. There is just a lot less room to fly around. When you hit in an Indy car you hit quick. There is a lot less recoil I feel like. It’s like you hit and you slide along the wall. Where I feel like in a stock car, oddly enough, the impacts feel kind of bigger in a stock car. I think it is because of the room you can move and that the cars bounce a little bit more when they hit. They don’t just crush and slow down. There is a bounce there. Even at let’s say Milwaukee (Wisconsin) in 2005 when I spun in one and two in the Indy car. I hit back in and back in two and it spun around and it hit on the inside wall and that second hit felt bigger than the first hit. Sometimes the aftershocks are the parts that hurt a little bit.”

HOW DO YOU HIT THE RESET BUTTON EMOTIONALLY AFTER A CRASH LIKE THAT? THE AVERAGE PERSON GETS BACK INTO A CAR AFTER AN ACCIDENT AND IS USUALLY A LITTLE FREAKED OUT.
“We are not average people. We are not average to drivers on the road. We race, I’m not saying we crash for a living, but it is part of racing for a living. I feel fine. I feel good. I’m ready to go. We are not going to go out for the first practice in the Cup car. So the guys get a chance to make sure everything is perfect and make sure the car is ready to go because it will be the last opportunity before Sunday. I would be ready to go if they said we are heading out in the first green flag. I feel good. Do I like crashing? Of course not. I don’t think anybody likes crashing, but it’s part of the business and it’s part of big pack racing like this. So many more cars in a close quarter and while the accident started on the outside you don’t even have to take part in it, you just have to be there. As the first car hits the second car, as the second car hits the third car and then you know I was the third car. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do.”

FROM LOOKING AT REPLAYS, DID YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? HAVE YOU TALKED WITH (ARIC) ALMIROLA AT ALL?
“This morning I thought the only thing I would be able to do different is grab my belt instead of just holding my arms loose. Not loose, they were tense, but just hold onto the belts maybe so that your arms can’t fly around. I thought maybe that was the only thing I could do different. I think my foot was on the brake because the wheels weren’t turning. I don’t know maybe I don’t need my foot on the brake. I don’t know. It’s pretty tough to think about all those things in those moments that you have before you slam into the wall. I did see Aric (Almirola). I came in from the medical (center) and was going to go back to talk to the team and I saw Aric as he was coming out. He was my teammate obviously last year at the end of the year before (at Junior Motorsports). I get along with him really well. At first he said I hit his left-rear corner and then I was like ‘woah stop the tape I didn’t hit anybody. I had the wheels straight’. I was a little mad by that, but then I said ‘ok so you got hit and you came into me.’ Yes, ok that is what happened. He then sent me a text later on and said he saw the accident and he’s sorry that it ended up like that and that he had talked to Jamie (McMurray). I can’t remember I would have to look back at my texts and see what Jamie said. It is what it is. Honestly, that stuff happens. Everybody is getting greedy right at the end. To be honest I’m surprised it didn’t happen at lap 10. It seems like that sort of is the mark.”

IF YOUR WIN AT MOTEGI HAD HAPPENED IN THE UNITED STATES, DO YOU BELIEVE THERE WOULD BE LESS CHATTER ABOUT YOUR ON-TRACK PERFORMANCES IN THIS COUNTRY?
“No, I think that people can choose to look at what I have done and like it. Or they can look at it and choose to judge it and think it is not enough. I don’t think you are ever going to change the people that want to cheer for you and the people that don’t want to cheer for you. It’s funny I did see somebody say something right after the win (in Motegi). I saw something that said oh let’s see what she does against the people in the United States. I thought how funny what a casual fan that they didn’t know that was the IndyCar Series racing in Japan. I just thought that was a random funny thing. I really think that the people that write have the ability and are fortunately enough to be there every weekend to see what I do. They can draw their own opinions. To be honest I have had better races than Motegi, but I didn’t win them. I was in the United States for most of those so no I don’t.”

DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN EVERYTHING YOU DO IS NOT SCRUTINIZED?
“No, I don’t I enjoy being different. I enjoy being unique. I enjoy it all. I really do. I chose to look at the positives that come with it instead of the negatives, but it is a balance. The ups are really good and the downs are sure disappointing. I don’t. Partly because I’m used to it the other part is what’s not to like? I’m followed well and I have lots of great fans and I’m always so grateful when people write nice things about me. I feel good. The people that don’t, I also respect that perspective as well.”

REGARDING A TWEET FROM JILLIAN MICHAELS:
“I’m flattered she was watching. There were a lot of people watching it seemed like. I got messages from other countries. We went on vacation in New Zealand a year and a half ago and I got an email from somebody that was watching it there. A lot of people were watching. You are asking what I think about Jillian Michaels wanting to kick Aric’s (Almirola) butt after the wreck. She probably could. He is pretty tall and works out a lot, but Jillian’s got a lot of fire. I know that from working with her. She is very stern and she definitely has an aggressive side to her. Maybe that is why we get along so well. Thank you Jillian I guess. She has my back then.”

Forty-nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were split among the two Duels, putting 25 drivers in the first 150-mile race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and 24 drivers in the second 150-mile race.

It was an uneventful race for Newman and his No. 39 crew, who have had their fair share of on-track incidents at Daytona in recent years. Newman hung around in the top-10 for much of the first half of the race.

Along with much of the field, Newman brought his No. 39 U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevy to the pits for fuel on lap 40. Newman returned to the track in ninth place.

Unfortunately, the cars were spread out on track after the pit stops. Newman was left without a drafting partner to help catch the leaders. He was stranded and losing time to the lead pack of cars and ended up ninth in his Duel race.

“Our U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevy handled OK out there today,” 2008 Daytona 500 winner Newman said. “Unfortunately, we kind of just missed it there when we pitted. I’m not sure what happened because we came on pit road with several guys, but when we left pit road, we didn’t have any drafting partners and you have to have that help here at Daytona. I had hoped that (Jeff) Gordon would catch up to us and we would be able to get up to that lead pack, but our cars didn’t hook up when he caught up to me. At that point, I didn’t want to risk anything happening, either, so I didn’t want to push it.

“We still have a little work to do before Sunday, and we’re not going to give up. We’re going to soldier on and do what we can to get the U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevy out front on Sunday.”

Newman’s SHR teammate, Tony Stewart, will start third in the Daytona 500 after winning the first Gatorade Duel.

SHR driver Danica Patrick will start 29th. Patrick finished 16th in the first Duel after a hard crash on the final lap. She is driving the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing via a collaborative agreement with SHR.

The first Gatorade Duel finished under caution due to the accident involving Patrick and another car. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards took spots two through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Michael McDowell, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

Matt Kenseth won the second Gatorade Duel by .209 of a second over Regan Smith. Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and Greg Biffle took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Newman and Kasey Kahne.

With the Gatorade Duel races now complete, the field for the Daytona 500 is set. Carl Edwards is on the pole, with Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle sharing the front row. Both drivers locked in front-row spots for the Daytona 500 after producing the two quickest laps during time trials last Sunday.

Failing to qualify today for the Daytona 500 were Bill Elliott, Robert Richardson Jr., J.J. Yeley, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip.

The Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

Patrick is driving the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) via a collaborative agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

rick was in 14th place and exiting turn two on lap 60 when the Ford of Aric Almirola was hit by another car. Almirola’s car, which was on the outside of Patrick’s GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, was forced into the right side of Patrick’s car.

The resulting contact sent Patrick’s machine into 180-degree spin across the infield pavement before she made heavy contact with the SAFER Barrier on the inside backstretch wall with the right front of her machine. The car was extensively damaged, but Patrick walked away from the accident and was checked and released from the infield care center.

“I’m betting that everybody that was watching on TV probably had the best look,” Patrick said. “From my perspective, it was obviously the last lap and the bottom lane started moving well, so that is where I was. We were just getting our run down the back, and all of a sudden I got hit. I’m betting that somebody also got hit outside of me. I’m going to have to look.

“It was just a chain reaction. Every person that gets hit, next and next and next. It gets bigger and bigger. It felt like a pretty big hit, so I don’t know what it looked like. I’m really just bummed out that we didn’t finish the last two corners. Instead we have a Go Daddy car in the wall and lots of damage. But maybe the backup car will be faster.”

Patrick, who started 17th, still gained valuable experience in her first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“If that would have happened at the beginning (of the race), it would have been very frustrating to not have that experience,” Patrick said. “I was definitely picking up a lot about the side drafting and about which lanes move well. How to just pick up the draft in front of me without pushing it away and trying to stay in a nice pocket there. Of course, I’m going to go back, and I’m going to be asking what I need to do. I’m definitely asking Tony (Stewart) what to do.

“At times it was much calmer than I expected, to be honest. At times when we got single file or just very steady, two-lane racing, it was pretty calm. I felt like I learned a lot. I felt like I learned a lot about the side draft and what to do in those situations and get the most out of it.”

Stewart improved his finishing position by one, winning his Gatorade Duel race in convincing fashion by leading three times for a race-high 21 laps, including the final 18 around the 2.5-mile oval. The win places the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion third in the starting lineup for Sunday’s 54th Daytona 500.

“This Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy has been awesome all weekend,” Stewart said. “This thing has been fast, so we’re hoping to be there at the end on Sunday.”

The win was Stewart’s 17th overall triumph at Daytona, including previous Gatorade Duel victories in 2005 and 2007. Stewart now stands alone at second on Daytona’s all-time win list, surpassing 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Allison and trailing only the legendary Dale Earnhardt, who has 34 victories at Daytona and was a part of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class of 2010.

Despite all of that success, Stewart remains winless in the Daytona 500 as he heads into his 14th career start in the Great American Race.

“To be able to come out and have two really good strong and solid races, back-to-back, is an awesome start for us,” Stewart said. “It’s good momentum for the crew – everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing – to carry that momentum from last year. It gives you confidence going into Sunday.”

Forty-nine drivers were split among the two Duels, putting 25 drivers in the first 150-mile race and 24 drivers in the second 150-mile race.

“We only raced against half the field in this qualifier,” Stewart said. “It’s a long race on Sunday, and a lot can happen. Even though we had success today, it’s no guarantee that can happen Sunday.

“I think we showed the rest of the field that we have a car that has good speed. That’s a really strong point, just like Trevor Bayne (defending Daytona 500 winner) showed last year that he had a strong car, so people wanted to go with him. Hopefully that will work for us on Sunday, too.”

Stewart’s SHR teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala, finished ninth in the second Gatorade Duel. Newman will start 18th in the Daytona 500.

SHR driver Danica Patrick finished 16th in the first Gatorade Duel, driving the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing via a collaborative agreement with SHR.

Patrick endured a hard crash into the infield SAFER Barrier off turn two after an inadvertent nudge from another competitor on the final lap. The wall and the car did their jobs, and Patrick walked away from the accident unhurt.

With her primary racecar destroyed, Patrick will use her backup GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Daytona 500. While she’ll be credited with a 29th-place starting spot for her Sprint Cup debut, Patrick will drop to the rear of the field prior to the start of the race per the NASCAR rulebook.

Patrick’s accident happened after the white flag had waved, signifying the final lap. Stewart led when the white flag was displayed, and despite the caution coming out for Patrick’s accident, the race ended under caution per the NASCAR rulebook.

Stewart crossed the stripe ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., to take the win as the checkered and caution flags waved simultaneously.

Marcos Ambrose finished third, while Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Michael McDowell, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

Matt Kenseth won the second Gatorade Duel by .209 of a second over Regan Smith. Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and Greg Biffle took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Newman and Kasey Kahne.

With the Gatorade Duel now complete, the field for the Daytona 500 is set. On the pole is Carl Edwards, and alongside him is Biffle, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate. By notching the two quickest times during last Sunday’s time trials, both drivers were able to lock themselves into the front row for the Daytona 500.

Failing to qualify today for the Daytona 500 were Bill Elliott, Robert Richardson Jr., J.J. Yeley, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip.

The Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26 with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

Patrick is driving the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) via a collaborative agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

Forty-nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were split among the two Duels, putting 25 drivers in the first 150-mile race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and 24 drivers in the second 150-mile race.

Patrick was in 14th place and exiting turn two on lap 60 when the Ford of Aric Almirola was hit by another car. Almirola’s car, which was on the outside of Patrick’s GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, was forced into the right side of Patrick’s car.

The resulting contact sent Patrick’s machine into 180-degree spin across the infield pavement before she made heavy contact with the SAFER Barrier on the inside backstretch wall with the right front of her machine. The car was extensively damaged, but Patrick walked away from the accident and was checked and released from the infield care center.

“I’m betting that everybody that was watching on TV probably had the best look,” Patrick said. “From my perspective, it was obviously the last lap and the bottom lane started moving well, so that is where I was. We were just getting our run down the back, and all of a sudden I got hit. I’m betting that somebody also got hit outside of me. I’m going to have to look.

“It was just a chain reaction. Every person that gets hit, next and next and next. It gets bigger and bigger. It felt like a pretty big hit, so I don’t know what it looked like. I’m really just bummed out that we didn’t finish the last two corners. Instead we have a Go Daddy car in the wall and lots of damage. But maybe the backup car will be faster.”

Patrick, who started 17th, still gained valuable experience in her first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“If that would have happened at the beginning (of the race), it would have been very frustrating to not have that experience,” Patrick said. “I was definitely picking up a lot about the side drafting and about which lanes move well. How to just pick up the draft in front of me without pushing it away and trying to stay in a nice pocket there. Of course, I’m going to go back, and I’m going to be asking what I need to do. I’m definitely asking Tony (Stewart) what to do.

“At times it was much calmer than I expected, to be honest. At times when we got single file or just very steady, two-lane racing, it was pretty calm. I felt like I learned a lot. I felt like I learned a lot about the side draft and what to do in those situations and get the most out of it.”

Tony Stewart, driver-owner of SHR, crossed the stripe ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the checkered and caution flags waved simultaneously. Stewart collected his third Gatorade Duel win, with the others coming in 2005 and 2007.

Marcos Ambrose finished third. Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five, while the rest of the top-10 consisted of Michael McDowell, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

Matt Kenseth won the second Gatorade Duel by .209 of a second over Regan Smith. Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler and Greg Biffle took spots three through five. The rest of the top-10 consisted of Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, SHR’s Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

With the Gatorade Duel races now complete, the field for the Daytona 500 is set. Edwards is on the pole, with Roush Fenway Racing teammate Biffle sharing the front row. Both drivers locked in front-row spots for the Daytona 500 after producing the two quickest laps during time trials Sunday, Feb. 19.

Failing to qualify today for the Daytona 500 were Bill Elliott, Robert Richardson Jr., J.J. Yeley, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip.

The Daytona 500 gets underway at 1 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 26, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

The win puts the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet second on the all-time list of winners at Daytona. He led three times for a total of 21 laps in the 60-lap race to set the field for the 54th running of the Daytona 500.

An interview with: Tony Stewart and Steve Addington

Kerry Tharp: Picking up right where he left off from last season is Tony Stewart, our defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of today’s first Gatorade Duel. Tony drives the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing. He’s joined by his first year crew chief Steve Addington.

Congratulations Tony and Steve.

Tony, you looked strong in the last part of that race. That has to make you feel good about trying to capture your first Daytona 500.

Tony Stewart: Yeah, it really does. We just had a great race car. We had a great race car since we got here, especially when I messed up the car for Shootout, all three teams dug in together and got us a car put back together that almost won the Shootout the other night was a testimony to how hard this organization has worked.

Have a great group at Stewart-Haas Racing that got this car ready, good horsepower from Hendrick Engines. Really proud of this group and this guy next to us. He hasn’t been with us very long. He just has done an awesome job of getting acclimated to a whole new organization, whole new group of guys, bringing two new racecars down here this week.

Kerry Tharp: Steve Addington, congratulations. Victory number one for you with Stewart-Haas Racing. How does that feel?

Steve Addington: It feels great. Like Tony said, everybody in the organization has welcomed me with open arms, has got in there and done everything that I’ve asked of them. Just told me whatever they need, they’d get it done for me. The reason I came here is because there’s a bunch of racers there. We just want to go win races. I’m pretty happy about my decision.

Kerry Tharp: We’ll take questions.

Q. Tony, did you see Danica’s crash behind you? What were your impressions of the way she raced today in the draft?

Tony Stewart: I mean, I got to see a replay of it, but I didn’t see how it started. I saw in the mirror on the last lap, saw her car making a hard left there. Didn’t know what’s start of that was.

Kept looking in my mirror to see what was going on behind me, see where she was at. The good thing, with a fluorescent green car, she’s easy to pick out. Impressive to see how she kept picking her way through the field. I think she got up to sixth at one point the way I saw it.

I thought she did a pretty good job. I think I’ll get a better shot to understanding exactly how her race went when I get to see a replay of the race. The little bit I could see, I thought she did a good job. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind she would do that.

It’s hard for her now because she’s trying to gain the confidence of the guys around her that she’s solid and is going to make good decisions, not just going to pull the pin every time she gets the opportunity to break out a line.

I think there’s more aggression and confidence in her than what she showed here today. It shows her poise and what she’s trying to do to gain the other drivers’ confidence.

Q. On the restart at the end of the race when you lost the lead briefly, how much confidence did you have when you got it back so easily on the backstretch?

Tony Stewart: Felt like being on the bottom was probably the better spot to be in, to be honest. Kevin Harvick was an awesome teammate for me today. Having a Team Chevy driver behind us was a big key.

Kevin and I have always worked well together, especially at the restrictor plate tracks. Having him with us was kind of a good, comforting feeling knowing he was with us on the inside there.

But, I mean, it was hard. They got a pretty good run on the outside. He was able to get caught back up to us. Once he got there, we drove on from the pack there. Felt good we had two good Chevys there.

Q. Tony, you have 17 wins at this track, but no Daytona 500. You have now a first and a second this week at this track. How much momentum is that going to give you for Sunday? What are your biggest challenges going into Sunday?

Tony Stewart: Well, I mean, obviously the fact that we’ve won 17 times here and not won on the right day is proof it’s good momentum, but it’s no guarantee obviously. It’s nice to come here, especially for Steve and I, being our first race together, to be able to come out and have two really good strong and solid races back-to-back is an awesome start for us.

It’s good momentum for the crew, everybody at Stewart Haas Racing, to carry that momentum from last year. It gives you confidence going into Sunday. We only raced against half the field in this qualifier. We got the other half going off now. Just trying to see how strong those guys are.

It’s a long race on Sunday and a lot can happen. Even though we had success today, it’s no guarantee that can happen Sunday.

I think we showed the rest of the field that we have a car that has good speed. That’s a really strong point, just like Trevor Bayne showed last year he had a strong car, so people wanted to go with him. Hopefully that will work for us on Sunday, too.

Q. Were you at all nervous? You said after the Shootout you knew you were a sitting duck in front of Kyle Busch. Did you have any nervous moments being out front on that last lap?

Tony Stewart: Well, the hard part was I got a really good push from Kevin that got us back in the lead there from third. The hard part is when it got us up there, they separated us. That easily could have got us freight trained to the back.

Where Kevin was, he ended up just being two wide with Dale Jr., that pulled both of their momentum. My spotter told me to get hooked back up with Kevin. To me, I felt it was better to keep the momentum going.

I felt like unless they just got a really big run, we were going to be able to pick which line got going and be able to hopefully protect and stay leading that line.

So felt like we were better off trying to keep the momentum than trying to break it, get hooked up with Kevin again, take a chance of getting passed by a bunch of guys not having that opportunity again.

Q. Tony, very strong Saturday night, very strong today. How hard is it not to show everything you got before Sunday? Maybe Steve wants to talk about that.

Tony Stewart: Like we said, at least from my side, I mean, I want those guys to see that we’ve got strength. I mean, I think that’s why, you know, Jeff Gordon stayed with Trevor Bayne, that’s why everybody wanted to run with Trevor last year during the 500, because he showed a lot of strength.

I think it’s an advantage to do that at this point of the game, showing that guys around you are going to hopefully want to be around you and know that you got a car that can stay up there, so they want to stay with you.

I think it’s a plus. From Steve’s side it might be different.

Steve Addington: I think the speed that we saw in practice yesterday, I think everybody paid attention to that. He made comment of it. He said, Maybe everybody was looking at that and seeing how fast we were pulling the pack in practice.

Felt good. Felt like if we got in that situation, that we was going to have people that were going to go with us.

Q. Steve, everybody was saying on the radio afterwards, Don’t put anything on the car. Keep the car clean. What do you do and not do with this thing over the next few days?

Steve Addington: We’re going to put our Daytona 500 race engine in it, a couple of freshened up parts and pieces, run a few laps, make sure we don’t have any leaks or vibrations or anything. We’re going to put it on jack stands. Our focus is on Sunday.

We talked about it when he got in the car, just fill it out, we’ll do what we need to do, but we needed to have this piece for Sunday to have a chance to win the race on Sunday. That’s our game plan, to take care of this thing till Sunday.

Q. Tony, what was your temperature gauge showing you throughout the race and how did it fluctuate depending on the configuration you were running?

Tony Stewart: The needle kept moving all day back and forth. Let’s just say I was watching it a lot today (laughter).

Q. Tony, as a fellow driver/owner, do you feel for Michael Waltrip when you see him wreck? He started 25 straight here. Pretty impressive streak that would come to an end.

Tony Stewart: And Michael is very passionate about restrictor plate racing. There’s a lot of us that like it when we get back to normal racing. This is Michael’s specialty. This is what he eats, lives and breathes, is Daytona and Talladega. It would be a shame if he doesn’t make it.

He’s put a great effort with great teams out here and he’s got some good full time teams. He takes that pressure on himself of having to race his way in. It shows what kind of car owner he really is. It would be a shame if he misses it.

Q. Tony, the pack racing seemed much more tame today than it did on Saturday night. What did you learn about the racing today and what do you expect on Sunday? Do you expect it to be a bit calmer?

Tony Stewart: I think it will be similar to what you’re seeing today. You know, you got to make this thing you got to get these cars to 500 miles. It doesn’t matter what you do at 150. It’s a long day. You’re going to have to take care of the engine. You’re going to have to take care of the nose and the tail on these cars and not get yourself in compromising positions.

I think the guys that get impatient are the guys that will get in trouble, and the guys that are smart will race smart. I think that’s typically what it comes down to here anyway.

500 miles at a superspeedway is a long, long, long race. You just got to race the race, you know, be careful of who you’re around, knowing when to push, knowing when to ride, and take care of it.

Q. Tony, there’s a list of drivers over the years that have been the best of the time, certainly leading drivers. If history was written right now, you would be on it, who haven’t won this race. What is the problem here? Is it just because we focus on just this place, and if we looked at other tracks, the same situation would exist?

Tony Stewart: I don’t know. I mean, there’s just something magical about Daytona. Just like IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy 500 are the same way. When it’s the most important race of your season, especially the first one, all the drivers and all the teams and all the crews put more pressure on themselves for that one race than they do anywhere else the rest of the year.

Especially at a place where the draft is so important, you don’t get away from each other. It really brings everybody into the fold and everybody has a shot at winning this race.

It just leads for no mistakes. You have to get every little ounce of performance that you can get out of these cars. So, you know, it puts a lot of pressure into what it takes to win this race.

Q. Steve, talking about momentum. When you came into the situation, you took over a team with momentum, did you make any changes? Talk a little bit about how that was, how your personality may have affected this.

Steve Addington: I didn’t make any major changes. It was just moving a couple of people around or whatever. But they had a good baseline. I just went in there, and we’ve talked about it, and we’re not going to change baselines. We got racetracks that the 14 and 39 both struggled on that I’ve had success at that we’re going to implement some of the things that I do different than what they did.

We’re just going to build on it. We did a Texas tire test. We just implemented a couple little things. Trying to build on it to make it better. You’d be an idiot to go in there and blow the thing out of the water.

Just to be smart about it, look at the baseline, build on it to go out and win races all year long.

Kerry Tharp: Tony, Steve, congratulations. Good luck to you and your team on Sunday.

Tony Stewart: Thank you.

The caution flew after Stewart had led the field to the white flag, with race runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. in hot pursuit. Contact from Aric Almirola’s Ford launched Patrick’s Chevrolet toward the inside SAFER barrier on the backstretch, and impact with the wall was hard enough to lift all four wheels of Patrick’s car off the pavement.

Michael McDowell and Robby Gordon finished sixth and ninth, respectively, to race their way into Sunday’s 54th Daytona 500.

Marcos Ambrose ran third after regaining a lost lap under a late caution, followed by Jeff Burton in fourth with pole-sitter Carl Edwards coming home fifth.

Stewart had led 10 consecutive laps when Michael Waltrip, returning to the track after pitting for a splash of fuel, shot up the banking and into the Turn 2 wall, simultaneously destroying his No. 40 Toyota and his prospects of racing in his 26th consecutive Daytona 500.

Stewart, the defending Sprint Cup champion, will start third in the 500, with Earnhardt set to roll off fifth. Patrick will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, celebrates from his car in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gatorade Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)

That’s why there’s no better driver to help Oreo kick off its 100^th birthday celebration than the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint CuSeries champion.

While Stewart hopes to defend his Sprint Cup title in 2012, there’s one other title he hopes to retain as the season gets underway at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway – the winner of the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

Celebrating a win right out of the box on the Nationwide Series’ biggest stage has become second nature to Stewart. He has six total wins in the DRIVE4COPD 300, including the last four in a row.

Should Stewart win Saturday, he will tie the late Dale Earnhardt for the most wins in the Nationwide Series at Daytona with seven.

Beginning in 2005, Stewart has won the opening round of the Nationwide Series at Daytona every year with the exception of 2007, when Kevin Harvick proved victorious. In that race, Stewart finished eighth. Every other year, it’s Stewart who’s been to victory lane, and he’s done it driving for three different car owners – Joe Gibbs in 2008, Rick Hendrick in 2009 and Harvick in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011.

This year, Stewart looks to earn his seventh victory in the first race of the season with his fourth different owner as he pilots the No. 33 OREO 100^th Birthday Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing (RCR).

Stewart’s relationship iwith Kraft Foods’ Oreo and Ritz brands is a byproduct of the company’s partnership with Stewart and the Sprint Cuteam he co-owns with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas – Stewart-Haas Racing. The Oreo cookie and Ritz cracker brands are Stewart-Haas Racing’s official cookie and cracker, with Stewart and his Sprint Cuteammate Ryan Newman carrying the brand’s colors on their respective uniforms and cars.

This year, Stewart makes a return to the No. 33 Chevrolet, which is the same car number he piloted when he earned his first Nationwide Series victory at Daytona in 2005. That win was also his first career Nationwide Series win. Stewart also won in the No. 33 in 2006.

And while Stewart will be with a new car owner in this year’s Nationwide Series race at Daytona, he will have some familiarity with the team. Several of the current team members at RCR worked on the cars he won with from Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI), which sold its Nationwide Series operation to RCR at the end of the 2011 season.

There would be no better way to kick off the monumental 100^th birthday celebration for Oreo, the sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet, than by celebrating a Daytona victory. Oreo officially turns 100 years old on March 6.

It’s almost become a February tradition to see Stewart pull into victory lane on the Nationwide Series’ biggest stage – just like Oreos have become a snack-time tradition in households around the country. While Stewart has won the last four February Nationwide Series races at Daytona, none would be bigger, at least in his eyes, than if he were to earn a fifth consecutive win this Saturday.

Stewart has loved to snack on the iconic Oreo brand of cookies since his childhood, and to celebrate its birthday with a big win at Daytona would be just as refreshing as enjoying an Oreo cookie dipped in a tall glass of milk. Simply put, a win would be a slam dunk for Stewart and Oreo.

Tony Stewart, Driver of the No. 33 Oreo 100^th Birthday NASCAR Nationwide Series Chevrolet Impala at Daytona:

You’ve won the season-opening Nationwide Series race six times, including the last four. How nice is it to start the year with a win, and how much confidence does it give you going into the Daytona 500?

“The good thing is I’m probably the happiest guy going into the Daytona 500 if we get a win on Saturday. It shows that we can win, and it’s just a matter of whether the cards play out for you on Sunday. It’s always a bonus when you can win on Saturday before going into the biggest race of the year on Sunday. Getting a Nationwide win there, that’s how you like to go to bed the night before the Daytona 500, knowing that you’ve got that trophy sitting out there on your desk from what you did Saturday afternoon.”

This year you’re running the Nationwide Series race for a different team – Richard Childress Racing. What kind of difference does that make?

“There’s really no difference. In fact, a lot of the guys on the team are the same guys who had worked on my KHI cars that I have run in the past since Kevin and DeLana (Harvick) essentially sold their team to Richard (Childress). So I already have a comfort level and a relationshiwith the guys. Ernie (Cope, crew chief) and I have worked together in the past, too, so that’s a plus because we already are familiar with each other. As for driving for Richard (Childress), I’m pretty pumped about that. Richard is an icon in our sport and someone I’ve admired. It’s definitely an honor to be on his team at Daytona. When you think of Daytona, I think people automatically think of Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt. Hopefully, I can add to Richard’s list of accomplishments there.”

Speaking of Dale Earnhardt, should you win the race on Saturday, you would tie his record for most wins in the Nationwide Series at Daytona with seven. What would being tied with Earnhardt for the record mean to you?

“That’s a pretty cool feeling to know we’ve closed in on something he’s done here. To me, this was his playground. You just watched him play with the guys here. He was the best at this place. To even be remotely close to him in the record books, in anything here at Daytona, is very humbling.”

How difficult is it to win one race at Daytona, never mind five in a row?

“Restrictor-plate races at Daytona are always a wild-card race. You never know who’s going to win. We were fortunate enough to win one and then back it uthe next year. To do it back-to-back-to-back-to-back is something we’re really proud of. We’ve won six out of the last seven here, and none of them have been the same. It’s been different cars, different teams, different pavement. There wasn’t one of the six in that scenario that have been even remotely close to the same. To me, that’s the part that’s ironic. You think, ‘Man, the scenario has to double up, eventually.’ Six wins here and none of them have been alike. It really shows that you can’t predict what’s going to happen. It’s impossible to even try to do that.”

What makes you so successful at Daytona, particularly in the season-opening Nationwide Series race?

“I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of luck there. A lot of it has just been being at the right place at the right time, and making calls that were a little edgy on pit strategy to put ourselves in position at the end. I’ve had great cars to drive every time there. We’ve just been one of those guys everybody knows that when we’re out there, we’re a threat in that division. So when it comes to the end of it, we’ve had some pretty good help.”

In order to win a restrictor-plate race, you’ve got to have drafting help. How do you get that help?

“I think it’s more a situation of guys finding the fast cars, and you finding the guys you know are going to go with you because they know you’re quick. If they go with you, they’re going to get you to the front, which is going to get them to the front. It’s kind of ‘helme helyou.’”

Are there certain guys you’ve worked with at restrictor-plate races in the past who you know you’re going to draft with?

“You have a list of guys you know you’re drafting with, and then there’s another list of guys you’re alright with, and there’s another list of guys you don’t want to be around. So you always know who the guys are you want to be with and who you’d rather not see anywhere near you.”

Is there any strategy involved in running a restrictor-plate race, or is it just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented?

“The strategy is making sure you’ve got somebody you can draft with. You have to take the opportunities as they come but, with those opportunities, you have to make a very quick decision. You’ve got to think, ‘What happens if I try this and it doesn’t work? What are the ramifications going to be?’ You don’t have the luxury of sitting down and taking the time to analyze the situation. You’ve got to make a split-second decision. A lot of times it’ll work, but there are times when the decision you made doesn’t work. But once you’ve committed yourself to doing something, there’s not much you can do about it.”

What does it mean to represent such an iconic brand in Oreo, especially with a car celebrating Oreo’s 100^th birthday?

“It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that I have always been a big Oreo fan. I remember eating Oreo cookies after school as a kid, and I’m proud to represent them as an adult on the racetrack. Since I’m a big kid, I guess you could say we’re a pretty good fit for each other because Oreo cookies definitely bring out the kid in everyone. Turning 100 is a pretty big deal, so to honor that with a special racecar celebrating their birthday is pretty cool. And I can’t think of a better way to helthem celebrate such a big birthday than to get a big win on Saturday at Daytona.”

Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Daytona Box Score

† Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via car owner points.

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.