Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / TONY STEWART RACING – BROWNSBURG, IN – Tony Stewart’s visit to Central Pennsylvania with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 ended in fantastic fashion, not only securing his first All Star victory of the 2018 season, his third overall, but doing so with aggressiveness, ultimately mounting an impressive charge from row three while battling some of the best young, as well as veteran, talent on the tour.
By the time the dust settled on Sunday night, Stewart had accumulated two podium finishes in five feature starts, bumping his overall top-five total to 20 this season.
“That was a fun weekend. The Pennsylvania Posse are the best local talent in the country. Anytime you can come to Pennsylvania and be competitive is special. We were on a whole different level,” Tony Stewart explained, driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Rush Truck Centers/Textron Off Road/Ford Performance/Curb Records/Sage Fruit/No. 14 sprint car. “When you have a teammate like Donny Schatz, you’re bound to learn. I have the privilege of calling him a friend, as well as a teammate. Watching him race certainly benefits my abilities.”
Tony Stewart earned his All Star victory during action at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven on Sunday, August 26. Steadily climbing his way through the field, Smoke took control of the main event for the first time on lap 18, utilizing a lap 16 restart to work around race leader and full-time All Star traveler, Paul McMahan. The remaining circuits were distraction-free for the former three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, ultimately holding off Vienna, West Virginia’s Cale Conley and a fast-closing Lance Dewease. It was Stewart’s first All Star triumph since dominating action at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in 2017.
Nearly visiting victory lane with the All Star Circuit of Champions prior to his visit to BAPS Motor Speedway, Smoke finished second during the second of two Jack Gunn Memorial main events at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday, August 24. With the second 20-lap feature lined-up according to an invert assigned from the results of the first 20-lap feature, Stewart earned the outside-third row starting position. The Columbus, Ind., native kicked-off his evening at Williams Grove Speedway by winning his respective heat race.
Other weekend results for Tony Stewart includes being scored 22nd at Grandview Speedway after being involved in an on-track incident, finishing 17th during the first Jack Gunn Memorial 20-lap feature at Williams Grove Speedway, and settling for a 15th place finish at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, August 25.
Stewart was battling just outside of the top-ten at Grandview before being caught up in the red flag chaos.
Up next on the schedule, Tony Stewart will turn his attention from All Star competition to IRA Outlaw Sprint Series competition, joining the Wisconsin-based racing organization during a pair of starts on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 & 2. Stewart will follow the IRA to Plymouth (Wis.) Dirt Track on Saturday, followed by a stop at 141 Speedway near Francis Creek, Wis., on Sunday.