Shane McMahon's Ass
12-28-2009, 12:24 AM
HE'S a superstar NASCAR racer who has amassed $80 million in prize-money. But, come Boxing Day, American Tony Stewart will find himself behind the wheel of a sprint car drifting on the dirt at Parramatta City Speedway.
All Stewart knew when he arrived in Sydney yesterday morning for a 2 1/2-week mystery holiday was that half the vacation would be spent racing on the dirt track.
Stewart's close friend and sprint car champ Donny Schatz, who is also racing at Parramatta, is doubling as a tour guide while he and the dual NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion spend time relaxing on Hamilton Island for a week before returning to Sydney on Christmas Day.
The 38-year-old team owner from Indiana will race four times at Parramatta Speedway, including the Australian Sprint Car Grand Prix and the big $50,000 race on January 3.
Until Schatz twisted his arm, Stewart had planned on watching from the stands. "I figured if I'm already going to be there, I might as well race too," Stewart said at The Rocks yesterday.
"I've never forgotten how much fun I had when I came over here for the first time in 1995 - I love dirt, I always have. I got what I wanted for Christmas, I got to come here. That's my Christmas present.
"I wanted to make sure I got away far enough from the shop that they can't call me and make me run right over there in an hour or two."
Stewart owns the team Schatz races for in the US, but both will be racing 410 cubic inch sprint cars for Garry Rush's Pick'N'Payless team.
Schatz, a four-time World Of Outlaws sprint car champion, said he was looking forward to racing his boss. "You have to get the races won, there's no question that's what we're both here for," he said. "I get to do this every day, he gets to do it for fun. He knows what he's doing in these cars. You can't take him for granted."
Schatz said Stewart would still be racing at Parramatta even if there was no prizemoney on offer - such is his love of motorsport
"There's not a guy in any form of motorsports that gives back to the sport like he does," Schatz said. "He does love the sport tremendously. I don't know how he can keep his mind so focused on it and never shut it off - it's always about racing."
Stewart, who has raced in the NASCAR series for 11 years, is no stranger to sprint cars and won the last event he raced in July. Stewart will return to the US in January where he will prepare for the start of the NASCAR series beginning February 6.
DailyTelegraph.com.au
All Stewart knew when he arrived in Sydney yesterday morning for a 2 1/2-week mystery holiday was that half the vacation would be spent racing on the dirt track.
Stewart's close friend and sprint car champ Donny Schatz, who is also racing at Parramatta, is doubling as a tour guide while he and the dual NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion spend time relaxing on Hamilton Island for a week before returning to Sydney on Christmas Day.
The 38-year-old team owner from Indiana will race four times at Parramatta Speedway, including the Australian Sprint Car Grand Prix and the big $50,000 race on January 3.
Until Schatz twisted his arm, Stewart had planned on watching from the stands. "I figured if I'm already going to be there, I might as well race too," Stewart said at The Rocks yesterday.
"I've never forgotten how much fun I had when I came over here for the first time in 1995 - I love dirt, I always have. I got what I wanted for Christmas, I got to come here. That's my Christmas present.
"I wanted to make sure I got away far enough from the shop that they can't call me and make me run right over there in an hour or two."
Stewart owns the team Schatz races for in the US, but both will be racing 410 cubic inch sprint cars for Garry Rush's Pick'N'Payless team.
Schatz, a four-time World Of Outlaws sprint car champion, said he was looking forward to racing his boss. "You have to get the races won, there's no question that's what we're both here for," he said. "I get to do this every day, he gets to do it for fun. He knows what he's doing in these cars. You can't take him for granted."
Schatz said Stewart would still be racing at Parramatta even if there was no prizemoney on offer - such is his love of motorsport
"There's not a guy in any form of motorsports that gives back to the sport like he does," Schatz said. "He does love the sport tremendously. I don't know how he can keep his mind so focused on it and never shut it off - it's always about racing."
Stewart, who has raced in the NASCAR series for 11 years, is no stranger to sprint cars and won the last event he raced in July. Stewart will return to the US in January where he will prepare for the start of the NASCAR series beginning February 6.
DailyTelegraph.com.au