By the time Tony Stewart ventured into team ownership, he had already won two NASCAR Cup Series championships and knew full well the weight that came with building a team from the ground up. He launched Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009 with a modest two-car lineup: himself and Ryan Newman.
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Newman, having made the switch from Penske Racing South (now Team Penske), was expected to hit the ground running. He managed to finish five of the first 15 races in the top five — a steady start by any measure. Yet in his first season, victory lane remained out of reach. He closed his debut season with Stewart-Haas Racing ranked ninth in the standings.
Across the garage, Stewart — wearing the dual hats of owner and driver — hit the gas and didn’t look back. He captured the $1 million prize at the All-Star Race in Charlotte and later broke through with a points-paying win at Pocono in the first half of the season. Heading into that exhibition race, he had already logged five top-five finishes in just eleven races.
Starting 15th, Stewart wasn’t listed among the frontrunners that night. But when the checkered flag waved, it was the SHR co-owner who had delivered the organization’s first trip to victory lane. Post-race, Stewart delivered a candid remark: “There were a lot of people who didn’t know what to think about what we were trying to do.”
He went on to add, “I think [the All-Star Race win] really sent a message about how dedicated our organization is to being successful. It kind of quieted a lot of the naysayers and a lot of people who were on the fence, trying to decide if I’d made a good decision or not [to become a team owner]. I think standing there on the stage and getting the check was a pretty good statement.”
With one performance under the lights, Stewart not only silenced critics but also cemented SHR’s credibility in the Cup Series garage.
Stewart kept himself in the thick of the action, maintaining a spot inside the top 10 and lining up fifth for the final 10-lap shootout. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth led the field to green, while Kyle Busch, starting fourth, wasted no time moving ahead. As the field charged into Turn 1, Busch split the difference between Gordon and Kenseth, catching both off guard and snatching the lead with nine laps to go.
From there, Busch, Gordon, and Ryan Newman — Stewart’s teammate — rose to the forefront. As Gordon and Busch went door-to-door down the backstretch, Newman threw his hat into the ring, shoving Busch past Gordon and taking the fight three-wide into Turn 3. Newman then swung high, boxing in both Busch and Gordon as all three battled for real estate through Turn 4.
When @tonystewart won the All-Star , and captured @StewartHaasRcng‘s first win…at the same time! #AlwaysRac14g pic.twitter.com/9fdbIQNG7K
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 10, 2016
Pinned in the middle, Busch tried to side-draft Gordon to gain an edge. Gordon drifted half a lane up off the bottom, and the right sides met hard. The contact turned Gordon sideways and sent him nose-first into the outside wall. Busch, caught in the aftermath, collided with Newman, whose car slammed the frontstretch barrier.
With chaos at the front, Busch still led the pack, but now Kenseth and Stewart were in immediate pursuit as well. Kenseth edged ahead with six laps to go, though his duel with Busch allowed Stewart to creep within striking distance. A caution with five laps remaining offered Busch another shot, but instead, Stewart slipped past him for second.
Two laps from the flag, Kenseth laid down his best lap of the night, yet it wasn’t enough. Entering Turn 1, his car washed up the track, and Stewart jumped at the opportunity. He made the move stick and never looked back, delivering Stewart-Haas Racing its first win.
