Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and four-time New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner Tony Stewart “smoked” the competition today, racing go-karts at F1 Boston in preparation for the SYLVANIA 300, the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Sept. 25.

Stewart, who pilots the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, made a pit stop in Braintree, Mass. to mingle with local media members. The group then hit the track filled with sharp turns and rolling hills for some side-by-side karting action. “It’s so fun to have a day like this and get the media out there to show them how competitive we really are,” said Stewart. “It gives them a great idea of what it is like to get a helmet on and wear that firesuit. There was really only one driver out there I had any competition with. The rest of them, well there’s a reason why they are in their respective field!”

The Columbus, Ind., native has raced in four different series at NHMS, otherwise known as “The Magic Mile”, and has won in three of them, including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In July, Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman started and finished first and second, a feat that had not been accomplished in NASCAR’s elite series since Hendrick Motorsports drivers Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader finished one-two in the 1989 Daytona 500.

“New Hampshire is a track where we have had a lot of success at,” said Stewart. “We probably have had some of our best runs at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. As a team we always look forward to racing there because we know we’ll be competitive.”

He also shared that Danica Patrick will drive part-time next season for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “She (Danica) is someone that has really had to pay her dues and has worked really hard,” he stated. “She has the drive and determination to be at this level. She will work really hard and has the passion and feel for a racecar.” Patrick’s Sprint Cup schedule is still unclear. “We have looked at her Nationwide schedule and loaded her calendar up with races at the end of the season,” he said. “We thought that it was only fair to let her run cars at the tracks before she raced in the Sprint Cup.”

Stewart will join all of the NASCAR stars during the SYLVANIA 300 weekend Sept. 22-25. Great seats are still available by calling the NHMS ticket hotline at (603)783-4931 or by visiting www.nhms.com.

Tony Stewart has a double! His name is Flavio Insinna, an Italian actor, who has been seen in several Italian movies including the popular DON MATTEO series. DON MATTEO also stars Terrence Hill, who plays Don Matteo in the multiple episodes featured on the RAI Intenational Channel. Terrence Hill, when he’s not in Italy making movies, lives in Great Barrington, MA. Hill made his mark in the so-called Spagetti Westerns that also stared Clint Eastwood and Eli Walach.

Danica Patrick finally made her teleconference announcement and confirmed the fact that she’s leaving the IZOD Indy Car Series for a fulltime ride in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well as limited appearances in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It will be about 8-10 races not selected yet. That’s no big surprise because it’s been the buzz for months. Patrick was taken under the wings of both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart. “I’m lucky to learn from their advice, ” she said. She went on, “It’s been a difficult transition to NASCAR and Dale and Tony helped me a lot.”

“I had some great moments in the Indy Cars. It was a big emotional thrill to win at Montegi (Japan),” she said. “My success is relative to my performance and how I feel. There’s uncertainty, for me, about the Indy 500 for 2012. The Indy 500 is the greatest race in the world. But, at this point in time, were still considering it. Bob (Parson’s CEO of godaddy.com) made it possible for me to race in NASCAR. I want to do it now. I don’t want to wait. If it was about money I would have left Indy Car a long time ago.”

“The top 10′s are happening more frequently. Everyone in NASCAR wants to help me. There are great people here and a great atmosphere in NASCAR. Indy Car is another opportunity for us. We will probably be making another announcement tomorrow. The godaddy.com relationship works for me in the NASCAR Camping World Series, and I’m doing what I love to do.”

On Tony Stewart, “I’m happy with my performance in Sprint Cup. Even though I’ve got a shot at a Wild Card in The Chase, I’d prefer that someone else gets it”, he said. But we still think that if he gets it, he’ll take no matter what he said at F1 Boston. Stewart has a lot of success at NHMS. “It’s our best track on the circuit. We have always done well here in both NASCAR and Indy Car. The fans here in New England make the NHMS weekends a big deal. I watch everything here not just the Cup and Nationwide. All of the races here are important to see who is the best talent especially in the Modifieds. We watch guys like Bobby Santos. I also like the new Bristol especially the fact that you can go three wide racing. It’s harder to win at Bristol versus NHMS.”

“We’re working with Danica especially on those tracks she will race on the first time. When she comes back for the second event, she’ll be more confident. As an owner and driver, you have to surround yourself with capable people. Danica is a huge commodity. She works twice as hard as everyone else. What I really like about her is that she tries to get out ahead of the problems. To me she’s got what it takes. Danica will struggle for a while and then she’ll catch on. She has a lot of personal goals. The transition from Indy Cars to NASCAR as tough. At a point in time, Danica will make the big breakthrough. It’s a tough adjustment to make especially with all of the different tires. Everyone will be watching her because she has high visibility.

Stewart went on to say, “On my NASCAR situation, we are almost there. It’s not for the lack of effort. We’ve been struggling. Some races get away from us due to the weird things that happen. We still haven’t figured it out yet. A lot of companies would be happy with our record. But not us. I’m my team’s biggest critic. If you’re doing your job right, you don’t have to worry about tenth or just making it. You need to be in the top fives. Again, I don’t want to have to rely on the Wild Card. I’m not happy that Talladega is in The Chase. It’s too tricky and you have to hook up with someone. Ryan Newman’s driving style is similar to mine. We work closely with each other and our setups are very similar.” The discussion about the COT impacting negatively on some drivers brought this reaction from Stewart. “I boil it down to this. The car is either tight or loose and the drivers have to learn to adapt.”

On what he does when he’s not racing on the track, he said, “When I travel, we always like to try a new kart track. In my opinion, F1 Boston is the best of it’s kind in the country. By doing that, you can drive scientifically and learn how to take the turns better and faster and the same for the straights.”

We asked Jerry Gappens, General Manager of NHMS, about the percentage of probability that the IZOD Indy Cars will return to New Hampshire in 2012. He said, “We have to work on a better financial agreement. We don’t have a target date nor a tight deadline. Randy Bernard wants to comeback to NHMS. The Indy Cars need to be at a one-mile track, and it looks as though they won’t be going back to Milwaukee. Relative to their relationship with Speedway Motorsports Inc., Indy Car is already at five of the eight SMI tracks. That’s Texas, Vegas, NHMS, Kentucky and Sonoma. Indy Car wants this to work out.” (end)