Tony Stewart Going To A Back-Up Car

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice Swagger/Office Depot Impala SS was involved in a single car accident in turn three at Pocono Speedway.

Stewart, who was on his second lap while practicing for Sunday’s race, will have to start from the back of the pack after being given the pole because qualifying was rained out on Friday.

Stewart also had this to say while talking with reporters after his mishap. “I just…I screwed up. I got in too deep and got loose and couldn’t save it.”

Well if it’s any consolation to the Sprint cup point’s leader, last time he raced here he also came from the back to take the win.

So how confident is Stewart knowing that once again he will have to go a back up car? “I know we can do it. I tore up a really good race car today.”

Now as fans have you ever stopped to think exactly what type of cars they use as back-ups?

Are they race driven, or do they just sit in the back hauler waiting for their chance at fame?

What is the history behind them, if there is any?

To begin with, each chassis has its own serial number so that the teams know exactly when and where these chassis’s have been used.

All the information is stored in a computer so whenever they travel from track to track, they know exactly which cars they will take.

Well here is a little history lesson behind the back-up car that Stewart will be driving in Sundays race. Stewart will be driving chassis number 14-487.

This car is a carryover chassis from the former Haas CNC team, with a new front clip and body installed prior to the 2009 season.  

It debuted at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in March 2008 with Jeremy Mayfield at the wheel.  

He qualified 31^st and finished 32^nd.  Chassis No. 14-487’s next start came at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May, where Johnny Sauter drove it to a 37^th-place starting spot and a 33^rd-place finish.  

It ran again in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, with Sauter qualifying 37^th and finishing 37^th.  

The car was then tested at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., in October in preparation for Martinsville later that month.  

There, Tony Raines started 43^rd and finished 40^th.  Its last start of 2008 came in October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., where Raines finished 21^st after starting 43^rd.  

Tony Stewart tested Chassis No. 14-487 with its new clip and body on Jan. 14, 2009 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in preparation for its first start of 2009 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.  

There, it enjoyed a solid outing, qualifying sixth and finishing seventh.

It was fitted with a new nose and tested in the wind tunnel in preparation for its seventh career start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Stewart it qualified 18^th and delivered a strong third-place finish—Stewart’s best result in 17 career Sprint Cup starts at Darlington.  

Hopefully this information will give you the fan, a more thorough picture about the importance of each car that these teams have at their shops.