Throughout the night, the sheer power and exhilaration of white knuckle speed and dirt pebbles peppering onlookers characterized an exciting series of races. NASCAR champion Superstar Tony Stewart headlined an action-packed night of racing on Friday night from the Greenville Speedway. Just before Stewart’s race, there was an exchange of words between a racer and a speedway staffer. Stewart helped quell the hostility, something he’s known historically he’s often on the business end of.
Once the tension was brought under control and the race began, it was clear that the man known as Smoke was head and shoulders above the rest.
After one lap around the track, he opened a sizable lead in his number 14 car and began wizzing past the competition midway between the second and third laps. “It’s clear tonight that he’s in a league by himself,” said Wesley Nichols of Boyle, La. “It’s obvious that he’s still go it. He blew the competition away.”
During pauses in the action, fans gathered close to the gate to take pictures of Stewart’s vehicle. “Look over here one time Smoke,” one man said. “Let me get this picture of you.” Fans also stopped by the Tony Stewart racing truck to pickup memorabilia such as T shirts, buttons and posters. Adoring fans gathered around his trailer after his race waiting to catch a glimpse of the star. “He’s my hero and a legend,” said John Horn of Cleveland. “I just want to shake his hand.”
Stewart declined to be interviewed following his race.
In other action Friday, Brad Bowden opened his USCS Sprint Speedweek with a win over the talented 33-car field entered at Greenville Speedway. Wayne Johnson, Derek Hagar, Sammy Swindell and Terry Gray completed the top five.
