in a word- NOTHING!!!!
I know, I know. After what can easily be called a stellar first season as an owner/driver, Tony hasn't won a race this season. Prior to his 9th place finish at Dover, he finished out of the top 10 in several races. So what?
Joey Logano hasn't won a race this season. His teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have both won races this season(3 and 2 respectively); yet, no one is asking if there's anything wrong with the #20 team.
But Joey Logano is not Tony Stewart you say. Fair enough. What about Mark Martin? He drives for the juggernaut that is Hendrick Motorsports. He hasn't won a race this year either. In the last three races he's finished 25th, 16th, and 15th, but no one is writing off his 2010 season.
So why do the same with Tony Stewart?
It is common knowledge in NASCAR circles that Tony Stewart comes on strong in the summer months, and that during the spring months, he sometimes struggles. In fact, I've even blogged about what could be done to improve Tony's spring performance(read here).
In 2005, the media was ready to write off the entire JGR organization heading into Memorial Day weekend. Tony had gone through a streak of races plagued with bad luck- a loose wheel at Martinsville, the car catching fire at Texas. Yet, over the summer months, Tony put together a string of 5 wins over 7 races that helped vault him to the 2005 Cup Championship.
So, am I worried about what's wrong with Tony Stewart? Not in the least. It's springtime in NASCAR- the media speculating about what's wrong with Tony is as predictable as the sun setting in the west.
