A fly on the wall on December 8, 2008 9:30 a.m. in Kannapolis, North Carolina, may hear:
Tony Stewart: Wow. This changed since I went to New York.
Secretary(via intercom) : Where have you been?
Stewart: (fumbling with intercombutton) Home. Why?
Secretary: Didn't you read the schedule we sent to your phone?
Stewart: No. I never check my messages before I get to the shop in the morning.
Secretary:(sound of exhaling breath) Oh. Well you missed the meeting with Joe Custer. And you're about to be late for the all shop meeting at 9:45.
Stewart: Okay. Where is the coffee?
Secretary: I'll get it. And I'll let Custer know you are here.
Stewart: What's the meeting about? Hello? (intercome shuts off). What is all this stuff? Stacks of catalogs. Speedway Motors catalogs. T-Shirt design samples. Media requests - ha - that'll be easy to put in the NO box.
Secretary: Teresa Earnhardt, Line 1.
Stewart: What the Hell? (Picks up phone) Teresa?
Teresa Earnhardt: Tony, congratulations again on your new team.
Stewart: Thanks.
Teresa: Have you given any more thought to the merger option we discussed in New York?
Stewart: Ummm. Noooooo.
Teresa: I really think it would work to our benefit.
Stewart: Ahhhhh... (Loud crash)
Secretary and Joe Custer: (sound of door opening and footsteps) What was that?
Stewart: Got to go. Talk to you later. (Call ended).
Custer: You threw your shoe at Martinsville clock!?
Stewart: I needed a diversion. Put Teresa on my "do not call" list. And get more glass for the clock.
Secretary: Ok. Is this a good time to ask for a raise?
Stewart: No problem. As long as you don't schedule anything before 10 a.m. And screen the calls from women I don't want to talk to.
Secretary: Deal.
Custer: Now you're negotiating salaries?
Stewart: If she handles things the way I want, she'll earn it.
Custer: Uh-huh. I brought in your schedule for the next few days. And a few important dates we have before Daytona.
Stewart: The day after Christmas you scheduled a sponsor meet and greet?
Custer: We have several to do and it fit. I know it is a bit odd, but they'll be able to get lots of kids there as they are on Christmas vacation.
Stewart: But I'm racing that day in Fort Wayne. And I'm at the Chili Bowl these dates in January. And I have to go to the season opening World of Outlaws races these dates in February.
Custer: Oh. Well. I guess we can move a few things around.
Stewart: While we're on that, put on the master schedule the dates of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, the Knoxville Nations, and the Knoxville Late Model Nationals. There's the Prelude in June, and the Sprintweek in July.
Custer: When exactly do you plan to do ownership stuff?
Stewart: I'd have times on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Custer: I think we'll need a bit more than that. Let's talk about that after the shop meeting.
Stewart: Great.
Custer: Don't forget that part of the deal with the sponsors is that you would be available for meet and greets, commercials, autograph signings and media tours.
Stewart: I've done all that before. Wait, how many media tours?
Custer: I think they want you talking to the camera every opportunity.
Stewart: Hendrick doens't do that.
Custer: But you see Richard Petty, Ganassi, Childress, Hendrick and Evernham regularly talking about their teams on Trackside and the Pre-Race shows.
Stewart: Isn't my radio show enough? It's going to take 10 minutes to get through the list of sponsors already!
Custer: We'll talk later. I'll see you in the shop in a couple minutes. (Sound of footsteps and door shutting).
Secretary: Your Dad, Line 4.
Stewart: Dad?
Nelson Stewart: So are you going to run the double this year?
Stewart: Dad, I haven't really had time to think about it.
Nelson: You're your own boss now. And that Indy 500 trophy would look good on your trophy shelf.
Secretary: Junior, Line 2.
Stewart: Dad, I gotta go. We'll talk later. Junior.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr: Hey Tony. Thought I'd call in and talk a bit about the Nationwide program and warn you about my crazy stepmother. She is shopping hard for a partner. Thought I'd give you a heads-up.
Stewart: A little too late for that. She already cornered me in New York. And I do mean cornered.
Stewart: I'd better go, someone just walked in. Bye. I still can't believe no one has put this together yet.
Chad Knaus: They will at Daytona.
Stewart: Yeah. Well, since I had no crew chief and you got fired from Hendrick after the fiasco during the Chase, it should work for both of us.
Knaus: I agree. Do you want to know what my ideas are? I went back and re-read some of Smokey's stuff and Ray's stuff, and I think there are a few tweeks we can make to the COT that techinically aren't outlawed. Yet.
Stewart: I don't want to know. As the owner/driver, Nascar will think I do, but as long it as doesn't involve lead water containers, I don't care. We just have to get into the top 35 in points.
Knaus: The cars will be very fast.
Stewart: That's what I expect.
Secretary:(Intercom) The meeting is starting now in the shop. Both of you need to get there!
ROTFLMAO!! Great one Iowa and very very possible (well except for the Knaus part...)!!! God help his secretary!! LOL
Wonder who his cc will end up being. Think Loomis would leave Petty? Perhaps the guy calling the shots for the Gibbs #20 NW team...cant remember his name at the moment. Will be an interesting year!
SI - Glad you liked it. Stewart is already an owner in the USAC and WoO series. He has an uncanny ability to pick drivers and team managers. I don't know if it is him personally or if he just has good people working for him, but the teams are successful. I don't think he'd put his name on it if he didn't think he could do well.
KLV- Thanks. I don't know who will become crew chief. There are a few good ones on the market, but there are probably a few in the garage who would jump at the chance. Knaus is unrealistic, but who knows. The #20 NW team crew chief (Rogers?) would be a good choice. The interesting question is who and how many crew members jump with him. His #20 car chief may be a candidate too.
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Iowa - That fly on the wall has mighty big ears! Do fly's have ears? Anyway, funny stuff here. It will be interesting to see how Tony handle all his ownership duties with his other commitments.
Gerrel - It will be interesting. I saw Richard Petty comment that he didn't think Tony realized how much there is an owner does at the track. My guess is that Tony will delegate a lot of it to someone, but there are a few things he'll have to deal with.
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OH MY ! This rocks and I know it had to take sometime to put it togather and it shows with very fine detailed not being left out. I wish you had more time to do more cause they are awsome.
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I do think Tony will have someone else running it with him to take up the slack when he runs off to all the races. I couldn't figure out his name but I will just agree with you on the #20 Nationwide crew chief and Why wouldn't he want to jump up to cup?
Hanahan - Oops. I forgot that! You are probably right. And the secretary better bring back a danish/roll/doughnut with that coffee or she's fired! Maybe it was a lunch shop meeting?
Forensic - Thank you. It does take sometime, but usually once I start to write, it flows out. The idea is sometimes the harder part - but you know that with the blogs you do.
I'm not sure either. His Dad is involved in the TSM teams (to what degree, I don't know) and he has a couple other guys there too. It wouldn't surprise me to see him put in a retired driver/crew chief as the head of the Cup teams. That is what he has done with the USAC teams, and it seems to work well.
