By Ryan - Posted on July 15, 2009

It was just last July that Tony Stewart made NASCAR News with the big announcement at the Chicagoland Speedway. He was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and instead of being just a driver in the Sprint Cup Series, he would become an owner and driver for the fledgling Stewart-Haas Racing organization.

His future was uncertain, even Stewart himself admits that. He said he was scared at the time, not knowing what was going to happen in this huge career leap. When the announcement was made, there were still holes in the team. They had yet to hire a crew chief or competition director. Stewart himself is amazed at the smooth transition the team has made in the past year, thanks largely in part to the fact that Gene Haas had already set the ground work for the new team. Haas was smart enough to hand Stewart the keys and then climb into the passenger seat.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the level of success that the team has accomplished. Not only has the transition gone remarkably smoothly, the team is doing exceptionally well in the points standing, all things considered. No one expected the team to be doing as well as it is currently, not even Stewart or fellow driver Ryan Newman.  The team is in position to be among the 12 cars in the Chase, a feat that no one could have possibly dreamed of. The team has everything it takes to create a legacy in NASCAR.

Stewart earned his second points win of the season at Daytona recently, in addition to winning  a cool million by taking the All Star Race in Charlotte. Stewart is leading the pack in the point standings, with his teammate Newman holding 7th.

With all the other remarkable accomplishments of this fledgling team, they could just end up taking the Chase. We’ll just have to wait and see. It certainly seems like it could be a great year for the Stewart-Haas team.