Daytona 500 is not a yardstick for sucess

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 | 9:03 a.m.

Although his primary goal this season is to win the Daytona 500, Tony Stewart admittedly isn't putting the same kind of emphasis into winning the race as he did the Brickyard 400.

Stewart, an Indiana native who said his victory last August at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway easily was the crowning achievement of his racing career, is of the mind that a driver doesn't have to win the Daytona 500 to have a great career.

"There (are) a lot of guys that haven't won the Daytona 500, but I think they've had great careers," Stewart said. "You look at Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin: They haven't won the Daytona 500, but I don't think anybody is going to say they haven't had a great career and successful career in NASCAR.

"Michael Waltrip has won the Daytona 500 twice and never won a championship ... (but) I don't think anybody is going to say he's had a great career just because he's won the Daytona 500. For him to win the Daytona 500 twice is an awesome accomplishment, but I don't think you can base your whole career off of one race."

Stewart, who finally won the Brickyard 400 in his seventh attempt en route to his second championship, said winning the Daytona 500 isn't his only goal for 2006.

"I love being the guy that does things first," he said. "I would love to be the first guy to win the Brickyard back to back, and we want to win another championship. Those goals never go away once you accomplish them. Even though we had a great year last year, you always want to win more races, win more poles, set new records and continue hot streaks."

Newman on Busch

Ryan Newman said he is glad to see Kurt Busch join Penske South Racing as Newman's teammate, replacing Rusty Wallace in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge.

"Everybody at the (two teams) look forward to working together," said Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. "We had a lot of conflicting things in the past, and that's all behind us. Basically we're all rookies again as far as us at the 12 (team) and the people at the 2 (team) as far as being a two-car team and being efficient.

"It's something I look forward to; it's something that could be good for my career and success at Penske Racing."

Newman, who battled publicly with Wallace during the past several years, said there was nothing that could have been done to repair the relationship between the two.

"It probably never could have been any different than the way it was," Newman said. "We all know Rusty is the way he is, and I'm the way I am (and) that wasn't the best scenario for teammates. There wasn't a point where we could have fixed it."

Also noted:

* Wayne Dupuy, crew chief for Doug Herbert's National Hot-Rod Association Top Fuel dragster, was released from a North Carolina hospital six weeks after suffering multiple injuries in an automobile accident. There is no timetable for Dupuy's return to the team.

* A spot in the field for this year's Toyota Pro/Celebrity race during the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend will be auctioned off to the highest bidder through eBay, the online auction site. The auction will run Monday through Jan. 26, and proceeds will benefit Southern California charities.

BY THE NUMBERS:

14 -- Kurt Busch's career NASCAR Cup Series victory total in five full seasons

750-1 -- Odds on Morgan Shepherd winning the Daytona 500 (as posted by Station Casinos)

10 -- The number of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races in which Terry Labonte will compete in 2006, his final season

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or at bh@lasvegassun.com.