Look out ... Stewart handed another frustrating finish

In the dazed haze of another hour live on NASCAR.COM, there isn't too much that will make me move faster than molasses in January. Basically at that point I'm cashed, but following the Coca-Cola 600 something caught my eye. I leapt toward the TV console at our studio and throttled up the volume. Tony Stewart was on and he looked ticked off -- always great theater. If you haven't heard yet, here is a thumbnail sketch of the exchange between a reporter and the driver of the 20 car.

Reporter: "What did you think of the wild finish out there?"

Tony: (Shaking his head) "It wasn't that wild to me."

Beau Estes co-hosts the Jack Daniel's Post-Race Show with Nikki Alexander. It can be seen following every Nextel Cup race live on NASCAR.COM.

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Reporter: In the end it all came down to fuel...

Tony: (Shaking his head a smidge more vigorously this time) "Look, I'm just a driver. I just drive. I don't calculate fuel." (Tony then storms off like a child sent to his room.)

Why do I bring all this up? Some people may say he's a real jerk, but I really like Stewart. I may not always agree with what he has to say, but he's the E.F. Hutton of NASCAR. When Tony talks -- people listen.

Now by all rights, this reporter has a legitimate beef with Tony. Her questions were not out of left field or rude, so in truth, you had to think something else was bothering Tony and I don't think we need Dr. Phil to figure out what it was.

Simply put, Stewart is about winning. This is a guy that is always in the debate for the mythical title of "most talented driver." The fact he missed the Chase last year and now sits somewhat comfortably in sixth heading into June was of little consolation in Charlotte late Sunday night. The point after the Coca-Cola 600 was he'd come up just short once again in a race he had right in the fiery palms of his driving gloves.

This season he must feel like he's living out his own personal version of the movie Groundhog Day. Consider this: Tony can legitimately claim "best car" status at four and perhaps five races this season and yet he hasn't had even a sniff of Victory Lane.

In Daytona he led 35 of the first 152 laps before being crashed out by (stop me if you've heard this before) Kurt Busch. Atlanta saw him as the class of the field for 121 laps before finishing second. At Bristol "the tiger" led more than half of the race -- 257 of the 500 laps -- until a fuel pump malfunction pushed him all the way to a 35th-place finish. Then there was the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix where a slimmer Subway shilling "Smoke" set the pace for 132 laps before settling for second. (Continued)