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Darlington: Winning team interview

TONY STEWART , No. 20 Old Spice Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finished: 1st What is it like driving a race car that is good enough to win four races in a row? "What an honor. Everybody from Old Spice and Farm Bureau Insurance and Armour All and ...

Published: May 10, 2008, 11:55 AM

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TONY STEWART , No. 20 Old Spice Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finished: 1st

What is it like driving a race car that is good enough to win four races in a row?

"What an honor. Everybody from Old Spice and Farm Bureau Insurance and Armour All and all of the guys that have been on this car this year -- it's just been such an honor. Dave Rogers (crew chief) and these guys -- it's not the drivers, I'm telling you that. It's been here with three different guys so it's this team behind us and all of the guys at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). They do such an awesome job. It's just a real honor to drive this race car."

Everyone thought the No. 18 was going to win this race, but then they didn't make it. How did you pull through for this win?

"We were a bunch better today than we were yesterday. He may have still won the race if he was in it, but we would've been right there with him. And Kyle (Busch) would've been here, too. All three of us (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) guys were the cars to beat today. You got to be in the show to win it and you've got to be there at the end to win and that's what we did. We finally won a race at Darlington."

How good is this No. 20 Nationwide car?

"This team is so awesome. It's not me. It's not Denny (Hamlin). It's not Kyle (Busch). It's Dave Rogers (crew chief) and all these guys here. Everybody from Old Spice to Farm Bureau to Armour All -- that's been on this car this year. They've just done an awesome job with this thing and it is teams that win these things. We had an awesome race car today. Denny Hamlin was the fastest car in practice last night, but I'm telling you this thing was head and shoulders above what it was last night. We had something for them tonight."

How does it feel to win for the first time in your career at Darlington?

"If you were at Talladega a couple weeks ago it's exactly the same. At the start of this year there were still four tracks that I hadn't won at. It was California, Las Vegas, Texas, Talladega and here. Thanks to Dave (Rogers) and the guys on the 20 car on the Nationwide side we've concurred three of those four and should've won the fifth one, but I'm not going to be greedy. You get four this year and three at tracks that I haven't won at. With the rich heritage and history here at Darlington -- to win here and be the first guy to win after they resurfaced it. It's a feeling that's hard to describe. It's just cool to win at Darlington. You think back at guys like David Pearson who were so good here. We've had David on our radio show a couple times and makes you be that much closer to the guy. It's just fun. This series is just so deep in history in general and this is one of those tracks that history goes as deep as NASCAR does, for the most part. To finally win here is just a huge honor to me."

What is it about this No. 20 car that makes it unbeatable?

"I can't speak for the team side, but there is one thing. You look at the wins. You look at who all has been in it. All three of us on the team have won in this car. So it's not one driver winning all of the races. It's the team. It's been proof of that. All three of us wining in the same car, the same equipment and the same group of guys. It's easy to point the finger at where the success lies and where it comes from, and it starts with Dave (Rogers). It starts with him and his guys. People kind of make fun of you when you say it is an honor. It is. It is an honor to drive for this team this year. When you walk in the garage area guys from other teams are looking at you like 'man, this guy is in the car this week.' You can tell that it doesn't matter who it is that walks into the garage, it's a force to be dealt with. This car has been capable of winning every race it's been to this year."

DAVE ROGERS , Crew Chief, No. 20 Old Spice Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What did you see out of that 20 car today?

"I saw Tony Stewart drive probably one of the smartest races I've ever seen here at Darlington. There were plenty of times where we weren't the fastest car on the track but he kept gapping the competition just because he timed it right. He made the moves when he needed to make them. He stayed patient. Brilliant race I thought."

-credit: toyota motorsports

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