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Sunday, May 26, 2002

Compiled by Chris Dolack

NASCAR Winston Cup star Tony Stewart is eighth in points with two victories this season. He answered questions Tuesday during a conference call:

Q: As an Indiana native who has competed in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day -- twice -- are you going to miss not racing at the Brickyard this year?

A: Sure.

Q: What was the most physically demanding part of running the two races?

A: The most fatiguing part is dealing with the media for 21 straight days. The driving part really wasn't that bad. We had a trainer and everything I ate was monitored by him. The physical side of it was pretty good. It was more mental than anything, having to sit there and deal with all the questions for 21 straight days. That was probably the most agonizing part of it in all reality.

Q: How do you handle a 600-mile race?

A: It's really no different than any other race. The only difference is that it's an extra 100 miles. To be honest, it's not that much longer of a distance physically to worry about running. It's probably more of a challenge for the engine builders this year than anybody.

Q: Having raced against both Earnhardts, can you compare their driving styles?

A: They're very similar. They're both aggressive. They both race you clean, but they're both going to race you hard.