NASCarla here...Tony
is way up there on top of my favorite driver list! And, it's about time I
updated his Driver Page - now that Tony is a Driver/Owner with a new #14 and
colors red/black... the orange has got to go! So, here's my Tony story - how
it began for me...
My interest in Tony started when Buckshot Jones lost his ride - I was depressed
for quite a few races. On one of my road trips to Talladega the Home Depot
car caught my eye (that's back when it was a Grand Prix). I spent a lot of
money at Home Depot as a dairy farmer, so this driver choice of mine was initially
sponser-based. Turns out I made an excellent choice, that was in 2002, the
year Tony won
the Championship! I love his driving style, his 'bad-boy' attitude, his looks
- I love everything I see and hear about him (although I'm a little hesitant
about the monkey...). In October of 2004, I finally got to meet Tony when
they all came to Kansas. Kathy, Sheryl, Pam and her mom, and I stood in line
at the Home Depot store for 3 hours, that is another fun part about being
a fan... well, between the boredom and intense anticipation, it has fun moments.
Like when people kept asking Kathy and I if we fight a lot - she was all in
her Jimmy Johnson Lowe's gear, in the Home Depot Store! She's got a lot of
nerve, doesn't she? Tony was absolutely awesome when we finally reached him,
although I'm a little peeved that Kathy received more attention from my favorite
driver than I did, even with my leather Tony Stewart jacket and short black
"20" skirt... Tony kept looking at her, shaking his head and smiling.
Kathy said to Tony "We're sisters and we share things, but not our drivers!"
He even tried to get the security guard to arrest Kathy for her Jimmie Johnson
get-up, but Kathy said that would be OK, Jimmie would bail her out... So I've
been shopping around, trying to find something to wear the next time we meet,
something that will keep Tony's attention on me and not my sisters!
Got to meet Tony AGAIN! It took 7 hours - but man, was it worth the wait! Judy arrived first, around 1o'clock Oct. 6th at the Home Depot in Overland Park, Kansas. Kind of a chilly day, but perfect for my leather Tony Stewart jacket (it's all about me, right?). I arrived around 1:30, fashionably later than Judy, I won't be doing that next year, by that time there were around 200 Tony fans in front of us. Robby Young, my supervisor at work, showed up a little later with youngest son Zack; Robby's wife was out rounding up oldest son Morgan... what a hectic day for them! After they handed out the wristbands we were sent outside - brrrrrrr... Which was kind of cool, we got to see a couple of Tony Stewart Monte Carlo's, and watch the fans roll in. 700 wristbands were handed out - Tony has tons of fans! He was a little late (I forgive him), and ran us through the line like nobody's business, that was kind of a bummer, but we all get why they're late sometimes. Those drivers schedules have to be grueling, I appreciate the few seconds I got! I handed Tony a picture to sign, and our new 3 Sisters Racing autograph cards for him to keep - he actually read the 3 Sisters Racing title, and smiled! So, I'm waiting for an e-mail Tony - hopefully you'll check out this page... especially since I didn't get to ask you a couple of things. Like, do you check out the fence before the race? And were you planning on going out to Lakeside to watch the TORA races, or the Modifieds? Didn't see you there. Jeff Hammond was sitting right next to us, would have preferred you! Or J.J. Yeley - was really nice to meet him, gave him one of our cards too - J.J. is now on my Favorite Driver list. I think it's great when drivers take the time to meet fans, that's a great way to bring attention to their skills - sometimes meeting a driver is the only way I ever notice them - there are so many - so many new guys coming in. I don't think anybody will take Tony's place at the top of my list! Congratulations for your finish in Kansas, and staying on top in the points!
I'm the luckiest girl in the world with these three good-looking guys around me... I'm going to have a big smile on my face untill next year...
Here are come cool Tony items, these can help to update your gear! My challenge now is to get some new photos of the new #14 team, so for now you can browse through the old ones - it's still all about Tony!!
Kathy made these signs for us to hold up when we were at Talladega, May 2005. This was after Tony and Jimmie's little tiff on the track... They never did show up... bummer.
September 2008 I had the opportunity of a lifetime - to spend the weekend in the pits! Shannon procured a Hot Pass for the both of us - and it was as awesome as I had imagined! Here are a few pictures of Tony and his crew in action in my backyard, Kansas Speedway!
Can you believe this??? I'm so close to Tony all weekend, and this is the only picture I got... I'm still kicking myself for that - I just froze. Shannon got me into position, and all I could do is stand there. Judy Kay is right, I felt like a stalker... Practice makes perfect, I'll try again in 2009!
