With Danica Patrick in North Carolina racing stock cars, the Indianapolis 500 went off Sunday without an American woman in the field for the first time since 1999.FORT WAYNE – With 56 minutes to spare, Tony Stewart squeezed yet another victory into a year that already was reaching mythical proportions.
Taking the checkered flag at 11:04 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion completed a weekend sweep of the 14th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne indoor midget races, winning Saturday’s 50-lap feature in dominating fashion.
While he celebrated with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, not champagne, Stewart seemed to treasure his latest accomplishment as much as his hard-fought Sprint Cup title.
“This is the first time I’ve ever raced on New Year’s Eve,” the 40-year-old Indiana native said. “It’s been a dream year. I won by first World of Outlaws race and the (NASCAR) championship. Then I won at Conseco (in an all-star kart race in Indianapolis) and won here two times.
“What a great way to finish the year. It’s going to be hard to keep this up, but it’s going to be a lot of fun trying.”
Stewart has won eight times in his past 13 races, starting with his 5-for-10 charge to the Sprint Cup championship. His numbers at the 1/6 -mile track at the Coliseum Expo Center are similar. After sweeping the two-day program for the second time in his career, he’s won nine times in 14 career starts. He’s been the fast qualifier in each of his past 10 appearances.
Stewart’s road to victory lane wasn’t smooth, however. A series of caution periods and constant lapped traffic challenged him all the way, even though he was untested after pole-sitter David Gough dropped out on lap 18 with a broken ignition, handing him the lead.
Jon Stanbrough finished second in a car that caught fire early in the race.
Rex Norris III, Billy Wease and Dave Darland completed the top five, each taking turns coming from the rear of the field.
Note: Stuntman Henry “The Pitbull” Rife, returning to the scene of one of his worst crashes, successfully jumped 10 cars on an all-terrain vehicle Saturday to set a world indoor record.
Rife, 43, of Van Wert, broke the record on his first attempt by clearing nine cars. With the crowd egging him on, he returned 6 minutes later and easily jumped 10 cars on his modified Honda TRX 450R quad, landing smoothly and stopping several feet shy of the concrete barriers lining the track at the Expo Center.
