January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
On the job training
On the job training
"It's just kind of figuring it out," said Stewart, who is seventh in the points standings just six races into his first season in Stewart-Haas Racing's No. 14 Chevrolets. "I'm learning a new package, and we're all learning what each other wants. Every week when we make changes, we know how much it affects us ... (and) it makes it a little easier."
Some changes, though, come easier than others.
After working with crew chief Greg Zipadelli at Joe Gibbs Racing for a decade, and winning a pair of championships along the way, Stewart is now working with Darian Grubb. While Stewart has faith in Grubb's abilities, the level of trust and confidence he had with Zipadelli is not something that appears magically.
Stewart said after finishing third last week at Martinsville that what he and Grubb went through leading up to and during that race was a big step forward in that process.
"I think we changed like six or seven things before the race," Stewart said. "It's just having that confidence and knowing that from his input and his feel, my input and my feel, knowing how much we need to make those adjustments to be good.
"Then there were times during the race he was making changes that I questioned, but they were better and made the car work. He's really good. The thing is, he's very sure of himself. He's very sure of his decisions."
What Stewart is still working on, though, is the fact that as a driver he's sure of what he wants in his car as well. Knowing when to trust Grubb's views over the instincts Stewart might have behind the wheel can be a challenge.
"I have to remember that I am working with a different package in terms of the chassis and set-up," Stewart said. "I can sit there and question him, but he is on the pit box. He knows the car a lot better than I do."
Stewart said the solid start for his team, combined with back-to-back top-10 finishes for teammate Ryan Newman at Bristol and Martinsville, are gratifying but not totally surprising.
"When we looked at this deal with all of the resources we had available to us and the shop and all of the other variables, when you looked at it on paper you felt like it was supposed to work," Stewart said. "We've got two good drivers, two great crew chiefs and a lot of good people. A lot of the tools are in place.
"But still, you're going up against Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing - some pretty big, good teams. For a new group of guys like ours to have this success early, in a way we are surprised."
It's not just new people and a new shop to call home, of course. Stewart drove Toyotas with the Gibbs team last year, but even though that team used Chevrolets before that returning to the Chevy with the new team hasn't been all that simple. Since Stewart-Haas gets chassis and other support and shares information with Hendrick Motorsports, things are significantly different.
"Everywhere we've been this year has been a different feel than what I was used to last year at Gibbs," Stewart said. "So it's not so much trying to find what I'm used to. What they have at Hendrick has been successful for them. So it's taking the time to say it doesn't necessarily have to feel this way and trying to learn this and see how this works for me.
"Then you go by the stopwatch, and if it feels good and if the times stay good, then you learn a different feel. You don't get closed-minded. You have to be open-minded about the fact that just because it felt like a certain feel the previous time you were somewhere, it may not feel that way this time to be really fast."[[In-content Ad]]
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