The Final Lap – NASCAR News, Radio, Podcast

For Stewart-Haas Racing, the beat goes on.
Ryan Newman’s Sunday victory at Martinsville Speedway was the organization’s third of the 2012 season and eighth trip to Victory Lane over the past 16 races.

Batting .500 ain’t bad – especially in an environment as competitive as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
It’s fair to say SHR has few – if any – weaknesses. The team’s recent run of victories includes wins on short track (two), mile, intermediate tracks (five) and a two-mile layout.

Newman had been winless since last summer’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Teammate Tony Stewart had been doing the heavy lifting, a point not lost on Newman, who collected his 16th victory.
“Just glad I finally contributed,” said Newman, smiling, following the race.

Heading to Texas Motor Speedway, Stewart, winner of last November’s Texas race, stands third in points. Newman, also a Texas winner, is eighth.

Stewart-Haas Racing Forms Collaborative Partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing

Alliance Provides Danica Patrick and No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Guaranteed Starting Spot in 54th Annual Daytona 500

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Jan. 31, 2012) – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has entered into a collaborative partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) where TBR will field the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for all 10 of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012.

The alliance guarantees a starting spot for Patrick in her Sprint Cup debut – the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

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PHOTO CREDIT: NASCAR MEDIA

Stewart-Haas Racing Welcomes Aspen Dental
Reason To Smile as Fast-Growing Network of Dental Care Providers Inks
Multi-Year Deal To Become Primary Sponsor of No. 39 Team and Driver Ryan Newman

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Jan. 23, 2012) – Aspen Dental, one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of dental care providers in the United States, has reached a multi-year agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by three-time and reigning series champion Tony Stewart.

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Greg Zipadelli Named Competition Director for Stewart-Haas Racing

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Dec. 16, 2011) – Greg Zipadelli, winner of two championships and 34 victories as a crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been named competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). He will work with Vice President of Competition Matt Borland and oversee the Nos. 14 and 39 teams, while also building the No. 10 team for which Danica Patrick will run a 10-race Sprint Cup schedule with in 2012.

Zipadelli comes to SHR from Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) where he served as crew chief for the No. 20 team since 1999. It’s where the 44-year-old from Berlin, Conn., began a 10-year tenure with Tony Stewart, the co-owner of SHR along with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation.

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Steve Addington Named Crew Chief for Tony Stewart

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Nov. 28, 2011) – Steve Addington, winner of 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as a crew chief, has been named to the same position for three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) effective immediately.

The Spartanburg, S.C., native is only the third crew chief Stewart has had during his 13-year Sprint Cup career, and it comes just a week after Stewart captured the 2011 Sprint Cup title.

“I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a racecar,” said Stewart, who worked with Addington from 2005 through 2008 during his time at Joe Gibbs Racing. “My comfort level with him is already strong. He balances the technical part of our sport with the real-world experiences we get at the track, and that will allow for a smooth transition as we prepare to defend our title in 2012.”

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With “Walk-Off Win,” Stewart Takes Third Title At Homestead

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2011) – Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart went from all-time great to legend, capturing his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in grand fashion – a number that places him among a short list of historic NASCAR figures.

With a victory in Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Stewart became the seventh champion to win the season finale in his championship season. He out-dueled runner-up Carl Edwards in a finale befitting a championship showdown, tying Edwards in points – but winning the championship on a tiebreaker. Stewart’s five wins bested Edwards’ one, clinching the title for Stewart.

Stewart won his first championship in 2002 and second in 2005. The Indiana native now joins David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough – all NASCAR Hall of Fame members or inductees – as three-time champions. Nine drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history have won three or more championships.

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Outback Steakhouse Joins Stewart-Haas Racing
Award-Winning Steakhouse To Become Primary Sponsor of
No. 39 Team and Driver Ryan Newman in 2012

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 11, 2011) – Award-winning Outback Steakhouse, with more than 750 locations nationwide, has formed a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by two-time series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.

Outback Steakhouse will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 team and driver Ryan Newman for two races in 2012, and when not serving as a primary sponsor, will be an associate sponsor with placement on the B-post of the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala. Outback Steakhouse joins the U.S. Army, Quicken Loans and Tornados as primary sponsors of the No. 39 team.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan Newman who are recognized for their leadership and performance on and off the track,” said Mike Kappitt, chief marketing officer, Outback Steakhouse. “It’s especially meaningful to us to continue Outback’s longstanding commitment to supporting troops and their families by being a sponsor on the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.”

Since first opening in 1988, Tampa, Fla.-based Outback Steakhouse has hosted military events and initiatives all over the country and abroad including its Thanks for Giving program, which over the last two years has donated $2 million to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that supports military troops and their families, and its Operation Feeding Freedom initiative that sends teams of Outbackers overseas to feed American troops stationed abroad.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Outback Steakhouse, and I know why it’s been voted the best steak year in and year out,” said Newman, winner of 15 Sprint Cup races, including the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. “They have a quality product that I’m very familiar with and we’re certainly proud to be representing Outback Steakhouse on the racetrack.”

In officially launching the partnership, Outback Steakhouse’s logo, along with a special message to United States Veterans, will be featured on the decklid of Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevy during this weekend’s Sprint Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway. Fittingly, the U.S. Army Chevy carries a special paint scheme during this Veterans Day weekend at Phoenix honoring Army Vietnam Veterans. A collage made up of hundreds of photos of those who served is incorporated into the car’s design.

“We’re honored to have Outback Steakhouse join Stewart-Haas Racing,” added Stewart, who in his three years as a Sprint Cup team owner has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup each season while scoring 10 of his 43 career Sprint Cup victories, the most recent of which came last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. “The company’s reputation for quality and great service is second to none in the restaurant industry, and it’s a true pleasure to be associated with a company and a product that is admired by so many, including myself. We’re looking forward to doing some great things together on and off the racetrack.”