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[h=2]INDYCAR: Penske regrets not having run Stewart at Indy[/h] Friday, 18 November 2016


RACER staff

Roger Penske says that he regrets not having had the opportunity to run Tony Stewart in the Indianapolis 500.
Stewart, who is preparing for his final Sprint Cup outing at Homestead this weekend, made five appearances at Indy between 1996 and 2001, with a best finish of fifth with Menard in 1997, the year that he went on to win the Indy Racing League title (pictured above, IMS Photo). Penske said that he and Stewart had spoken about trying to put a deal together for the 500, but it had never worked out.


"He and I talked about him going to Indy and driving for us, and it's a shame that we never had that chance, because I used to sit in those meetings and he would sit up front there being the guy that we had to beat, and we just never had a chance to partner," said Penske (pictured, LAT photo).
"I respect him, and I also respect him to say, hey, it's time for me to get out. Rick Mears did that a number of years ago. He said, 'You know, Roger, I just can't dig down deep enough anymore to make it happen.' I think that's where Tony is."


Stewart, who is not in contention for the title, will retire with three Cup championships to go with his 1997 IRL crown, and Penske said that he will be missed by both the open-wheel and stock car arms of the sport.
"Tony coming from an open-wheel part of the business ... Indianapolis was the crown jewel for him, and to see him compete there and then move on to NASCAR – he brought such emotion and class to the sport. To see him step out is certainly amazing when you think about [how] the years have gone by, and it's time for him to do something else. But what he's been able to do is take his name, take his spirit, and certainly his expertise and build a team with Gene Haas, which will give us the ability to compete with him for a long time."
Penske's sentiments were echoed by Joe Gibbs, who ran Stewart in Cup between 1999 and 2008 – a relationship that yielded two championships.
"There's so many things about Tony," he said. "First meeting him; I think he was one of the guys that had the best feeling for himself and a great pride about what he wanted to do in life, and we talked to him and we signed him, and he said to me, 'I'm not ready.' I don't know that I've heard that from somebody else that's a driver.
"He said, 'I'm not going to embarrass myself I want to spend some time in the Xfinity Series, Busch Series.' And when he was racing for us, he had such a passion. That's his total focus, and when Tony went after it, I don't care what the track was, I thought he was one of the great competitors.