WATCH: Stewart's smoky burnout | Bird's-eye view of the last-lap pass
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- In a lightning-paced span of less than 24 hours, Mike Bugarewicz went from Sonoma Raceway's Victory Lane in the heart of California wine country to right back to work on the shop floor at Stewart-Haas Racing.
The first-year crew chief had just made the savvy pit call of a veteran, propelling Tony Stewart to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in more than three years and the brink of his first Chase playoffs appearance in almost four. Accordingly after such an intense day atop the No. 14 team's pit box and all the high-energy fanfare that followed, sleep did not come easy.
Movies replaced shut-eye on the plane ride back to North Carolina, and once Bugarewicz arrived at his home, he said he still didn't feel tired. So at 4 a.m. with a hoppy West Coast IPA by his side, he finally found a quiet moment to exhale.
Sonoma's celebratory drink of choice is typically served in a chalice; Bugarewicz's comes in a pint glass.
"I just needed a minute to myself to just reflect on the day and just enjoy a nice, cold beer," Bugarewicz said Monday from SHR's expansive stock-car headquarters. "I just sat and thought about everything that happened and how special it was for Tony and this whole organization…
"It's still kind of sinking in quite a bit, but seeing all the people here at the shop, how happy everybody is and all that, it's just a great feeling around the shop today."
Yeah it's 4am and just got home but I needed to sit alone for a bit and take all of today's event in... pic.twitter.com/DPdxHwb0xW
— Mike Bugarewicz (@BugaMike14) June 27, 2016
The first-year crew chief had just made the savvy pit call of a veteran, propelling Tony Stewart to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in more than three years and the brink of his first Chase playoffs appearance in almost four. Accordingly after such an intense day atop the No. 14 team's pit box and all the high-energy fanfare that followed, sleep did not come easy.
Movies replaced shut-eye on the plane ride back to North Carolina, and once Bugarewicz arrived at his home, he said he still didn't feel tired. So at 4 a.m. with a hoppy West Coast IPA by his side, he finally found a quiet moment to exhale.
Sonoma's celebratory drink of choice is typically served in a chalice; Bugarewicz's comes in a pint glass.
"I just needed a minute to myself to just reflect on the day and just enjoy a nice, cold beer," Bugarewicz said Monday from SHR's expansive stock-car headquarters. "I just sat and thought about everything that happened and how special it was for Tony and this whole organization…
"It's still kind of sinking in quite a bit, but seeing all the people here at the shop, how happy everybody is and all that, it's just a great feeling around the shop today."
Yeah it's 4am and just got home but I needed to sit alone for a bit and take all of today's event in... pic.twitter.com/DPdxHwb0xW
— Mike Bugarewicz (@BugaMike14) June 27, 2016
The joy was magnified by both the manner in which the owner/driver outdueled Denny Hamlin on the last lap and the protracted wait for his first checkered flag after an 84-race dry spell. That it also put Stewart one step closer to championship eligibility in his final Sprint Cup campaign made it that much more meaningful. Stewart now has the victory he needs; his next agenda item is to inch into the top 30 in driver points in the 10 regular-season races that remain.
Though the three-time champ's actions behind the wheel played a huge part in the Sonoma success, Bugarewicz's strategy play to give Stewart precious track position was similarly crucial. With NASCAR spotters searching to confirm reports of debris on the track, Bugarewicz called for Stewart to hit pit road ahead of the other frontrunners. When the yellow flag flew just one lap later, Stewart was out front and in control.
"I talked to him on the radio and said, well, our options here are either to ride it out and finish in the teens somewhere, and yeah, we'll gain some points on 30th (in the drivers' standings), but we all know at the end of the day we have to win to have an opportunity to compete in the Chase," Bugarewicz said. "So I said our other option is listen to radio and when we think a caution's going to come out, we'll hit pit road, we'll take the chance. If it works, yesterday's result could come, and if it doesn't work, well, we might finish 30th, but you know what, I don't think the losing 10 points versus gaining 10 points is really what we're looking for. We were shooting for wins."
In other words, no pressure. Taking late-race gambles weighs on even the most experienced crew chiefs. So is Bugarewicz, just 16 races into his first season atop a premier-series pit box, getting more comfortable with the weekly tension?
"It still makes you nervous because if it wouldn't have worked out, then I'd be kicking myself today, saying, 'well, that was dumb and we lost 10 points because of it,' " Bugarewicz said. "With the way the format is nowadays in NASCAR, and especially in our unique situation, winning is everything. People are taking the bigger risks and the bigger chances to try and get those wins because it does solidify your Chase hopes."
While Bugarewicz is less than halfway through his rookie season as a crew chief, he's spent even less time working directly with Stewart behind the wheel. The severe back injury that kept 'Smoke' out of the No. 14 Chevrolet's seat for the first eight races forced Bugarewicz to adjust, calling the shots for substitute drivers Brian Vickers (five races) and Ty Dillon (three races) in the interim.
In the two months since Stewart's April return at Richmond, Bugarewicz said the communication has improved, with the 34-year-old engineer trying to keep Stewart loose and reminding him to have fun. Though the farewell season now has its defining highlight to date, Bugarewicz said he hopes to add an equally compelling postseason chapter to the story.
"We keep meshing better and better every week and I think if it keeps progressing like it has and we can still show that every week that we can contend, we can lead laps, we can run up front, in the top 10, top five and so forth, then absolutely we can be a contender," Bugarewicz said. "Heck, we've really only had eight races together now, me and him working together and the rest of the team. We've got a lot of time yet to prepare for the Chase and there's still going to be a lot of that prep work going on."
Bugarewicz said the focus wouldn't necessarily change over the regular season's home stretch, indicating that the No. 14 team will still aggressively pursue victories when the chances arise, but with a measured approach to minimize any subpar results in the points standings.
Stewart sits 32nd in the driver standings, just nine points behind Brian Scott and the 30th-place threshold he needs to cross. That quest continues this weekend at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM), a race Stewart has won four times in his career.
Though Bugarewicz was already back to business Monday, his spirits were lifted by watching a jubilant Stewart's long-awaited celebration, a festive memory to carry through one special sleepless night and beyond.
"It was a genuine happiness that I haven't seen on his face in a long, long time," Bugarewicz said. "I've seen a drive in him that, it's what we all remember and we see in the highlight films and remember Tony as. I mean, that guy just wanted it yesterday and just seeing that sheer happiness in his face is definitely going to stick with me."
Though the three-time champ's actions behind the wheel played a huge part in the Sonoma success, Bugarewicz's strategy play to give Stewart precious track position was similarly crucial. With NASCAR spotters searching to confirm reports of debris on the track, Bugarewicz called for Stewart to hit pit road ahead of the other frontrunners. When the yellow flag flew just one lap later, Stewart was out front and in control.
"I talked to him on the radio and said, well, our options here are either to ride it out and finish in the teens somewhere, and yeah, we'll gain some points on 30th (in the drivers' standings), but we all know at the end of the day we have to win to have an opportunity to compete in the Chase," Bugarewicz said. "So I said our other option is listen to radio and when we think a caution's going to come out, we'll hit pit road, we'll take the chance. If it works, yesterday's result could come, and if it doesn't work, well, we might finish 30th, but you know what, I don't think the losing 10 points versus gaining 10 points is really what we're looking for. We were shooting for wins."
In other words, no pressure. Taking late-race gambles weighs on even the most experienced crew chiefs. So is Bugarewicz, just 16 races into his first season atop a premier-series pit box, getting more comfortable with the weekly tension?
"It still makes you nervous because if it wouldn't have worked out, then I'd be kicking myself today, saying, 'well, that was dumb and we lost 10 points because of it,' " Bugarewicz said. "With the way the format is nowadays in NASCAR, and especially in our unique situation, winning is everything. People are taking the bigger risks and the bigger chances to try and get those wins because it does solidify your Chase hopes."
While Bugarewicz is less than halfway through his rookie season as a crew chief, he's spent even less time working directly with Stewart behind the wheel. The severe back injury that kept 'Smoke' out of the No. 14 Chevrolet's seat for the first eight races forced Bugarewicz to adjust, calling the shots for substitute drivers Brian Vickers (five races) and Ty Dillon (three races) in the interim.
In the two months since Stewart's April return at Richmond, Bugarewicz said the communication has improved, with the 34-year-old engineer trying to keep Stewart loose and reminding him to have fun. Though the farewell season now has its defining highlight to date, Bugarewicz said he hopes to add an equally compelling postseason chapter to the story.
"We keep meshing better and better every week and I think if it keeps progressing like it has and we can still show that every week that we can contend, we can lead laps, we can run up front, in the top 10, top five and so forth, then absolutely we can be a contender," Bugarewicz said. "Heck, we've really only had eight races together now, me and him working together and the rest of the team. We've got a lot of time yet to prepare for the Chase and there's still going to be a lot of that prep work going on."
Bugarewicz said the focus wouldn't necessarily change over the regular season's home stretch, indicating that the No. 14 team will still aggressively pursue victories when the chances arise, but with a measured approach to minimize any subpar results in the points standings.
Stewart sits 32nd in the driver standings, just nine points behind Brian Scott and the 30th-place threshold he needs to cross. That quest continues this weekend at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM), a race Stewart has won four times in his career.
Though Bugarewicz was already back to business Monday, his spirits were lifted by watching a jubilant Stewart's long-awaited celebration, a festive memory to carry through one special sleepless night and beyond.
"It was a genuine happiness that I haven't seen on his face in a long, long time," Bugarewicz said. "I've seen a drive in him that, it's what we all remember and we see in the highlight films and remember Tony as. I mean, that guy just wanted it yesterday and just seeing that sheer happiness in his face is definitely going to stick with me."
