Promise evaporates amid criticism for Tony Stewart

In this frustrating season, Sunday's Brickyard 400 started with promise for Tony Stewart.

It ended with an all-too-familiar look.

"Words don't even explain it," said Stewart's crew chief, Chad Johnston.

Stewart couldn't, or wouldn't, bypassing reporters without a word en route to his trailer immediately after the race. He looked straight ahead, expressionless, as he walked.

His No. 14 Chevrolet looked sharp early. After running the fastest lap in qualifying on Saturday, Stewart started fourth. He was running second behind teammate Kevin Harvick midway through the race and appeared to be in good position for at least his second top-10 finish of the season.

RACE RESULTS: Brickyard 400

Instead, Stewart dropped all the way to 28th. What happened? Johnston, in his second season as Stewart's crew chief, blamed the nine restarts.

"Just the restarts," Johnston said. "We struggled on restarts, whether we were on tires, not on tires, two tires, no tires. We just struggled on restarts."

Johnston took some criticism on social media and, indirectly, from NBC commentators Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte for Stewart's race strategy. There was reason for concern even early in the race as Stewart was overheard telling his crew that the car was "evil in traffic."

That complaint has been ongoing for Stewart, who has struggled with the NASCAR's aerodynamic changes this season.

"(The car) goes from driving decent to being crazy loose in traffic," Johnston said. "That's what (Stewart) was referring to."

All was not lost for Stewart's team, Stewart-Haas Racing, as Harvick finished third and Kurt Busch rallied for eighth. But it was another dagger for Stewart's Sprint Cup Series season. He came into the day 26th in points and owning just a single top-10 finish.

It all sort of runs together at this point.

"(The Brickyard) just adds to the frustration," Johnston said.

Stewart, the 44-year-old Columbus native, won the Brickyard 400 in 2005 and '07. His first victory at IMS marked the first by a Hoosier-born driver since Wilbur Shaw won the Indy 500 in 1940.

After that race in 2005, fans chanted his name an hour after it was over. "You dream about something so long it starts to consume you," Stewart said at the time. "It's definitely the greatest day of my life."

Ten years later, nobody chanted Stewart's name on his silent walk.

"All in all, the car had a lot of speed in it," Johnston said. "With not being able to pass, it makes it really hard to lose spots on the restarts."

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.