By: Lisa DeSpain

The feel good story of the year has to be the continuing excellent performance of the brand new Stewart Hass Racing teams. As a huge Tony Stewart fan, of course, I am rather excited about this. Oh, don’t bother to boo or give me any grief! (I can hear you out there.) We Smoke fans are used to abuse, and will give as good as we get while defending our guy. I happen to appreciate a driver who drives like a demon and speaks his mind. I don’t enjoy watching corporate puppets spouting the party line.

At any rate, no one can deny that the No. 14 is smoking hot these days, pun intended. Of course, that particular car number has had a lot of success in NASCAR, with some of the sport’s most legendary drivers in the seat. Names like Curtis Turner, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Bobby Allison, Fonty Flock, and Hershel McGriff have all been associated with the No. 14 at different times in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.

Hershel McGriff has his own feel-good story going on this year. At 81, he is the oldest driver to compete in a NASCAR race. He finished 13^th in a Camping World West series race at Portland International Raceway. He is also expected to attempt to qualify for a race in August in Utah. I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed. I know guys in their forties who groan just getting into their cars…and those doors open!

Let’s get back to the No. 14. As Tony himself has stated, he chose that particular number because of its close association with his childhood idol, legendary Indy-car Champion and former Daytona 500 winner, A.J. Foyt. Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 four times with 2 of those wins coming in a car adorned with the No. 14. As any Tony fan knows, it has been a long-held dream of his to win the Indianapolis 500. In fact, early in his NASCAR career, in 1999 and 2001, he ran “Double Duty”, competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. In 2001, he drove 1,100 miles in one day, breaking his own record.

Now he is out to break another record. The No. 14 has 860 starts and 28 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. This year already, the No. 14 has been to NASCAR Victory Lane 3 times in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Pocono 500, and the Coke Zero 400. Only 25 more victories to go, and Smoke likes Pocono quite a bit. If anyone can do it, it’s Tony Stewart. Even with a third place finish at the Brickyard, I’m sure A.J. Foyt is mighty proud.

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Information gathered from NASCAR.