NASCAR star likes NDakota dirt

[June 23, 2010]  WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart likes racing on his days off -- but only on dirt tracks.

Stewart is scheduled to drive Wednesday at the Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo to help promote the three-eighths-mile dirt track. The speedway is being run this summer by Danny Schatz, whose son, Donny, races for Stewart on the World Of Outlaws circuit and is a four-time champion there.

Stewart, who competes in about a dozen dirt track races each year, said racing in places like West Fargo brings him back to his roots.

"When I get a day off, I want to go dirt racing," Stewart said. "It's something obviously I'm very passionate about."

Stewart said events like the one in West Fargo are relaxing because he doesn't have to worry about appearances and news conferences. He joked that he won't be afraid to bump fenders in Wednesday's race, though "it's a lot more fun to beat guys without controversy than it is to have to rough a guy up to win a race."

Stewart, 39, is known for racing just about anything with four wheels. He estimates that he has raced in about 40 states, though this is his first trip to North Dakota.

"I haven't forgotten where I came from," said Stewart, who calls Columbus, Ind., his home.

[Associated Press]

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