Smith wants to create new Talladega Cup memories (cont'd)

For the ultimate optimist, the half-full theory was put to a stern test in the immediate aftermath of last fall's Talladega disappointment.

"That one was tough. I would say for about four or five days, the glass was pretty empty after that," Smith admitted.

"It wasn't a matter of being mad or anything like that. It was just disappointment. Because here you are thinking, 'Man, I just won my first race.' There were so many parallels that were cool about that. It was the last race Dale [Earnhardt] won. Obviously we knew the situation where DEI was struggling to secure sponsors for this year. Would that have gotten any sponsors or saved anything like that? I don't know. Would it have changed anything? You never know.

"But with that being said, this place means a lot to that company anyway -- and then for me personally, I grew up a huge Davey Allison fan. He won his first race here as a rookie. And I'm close to that family, so coming down here is special for me anyway. If I could have pulled that off, that would have been really cool."

Life has changed for Stewart since then as well. Stewart no longer drives a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, having left JGR at the end of last season to form his own Chevrolet-backed team at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Yet the pair of drivers will be forever intertwined in history for providing one of the most controversial, most memorable finishes at a track that frequently provides exciting ones. Stewart said the way Smith handled himself in the aftermath greatly impressed him.

"I saw him shortly after when we both participated in a charity event," Stewart said. "Through this whole thing, I think Regan has been awesome. The bad thing for him is it's going to get put back in his face this weekend, which is unfortunate."

Smith didn't seem to mind too much. What he really wants, though, is a chance to get back on the track Sunday to create some new memories at the Talladega track.

"Personally, I've let it go," said Smith, who had to qualify for this Sunday's event on speed and did so Saturday, running a top lap of 187.897 miles per hour that placed him sixth on the starting grid. "I don't go back and look at it on tape. I will say there probably have not been but a couple of days since then that haven't gone by -- and I must have been in a drunken stupor on those -- when I haven't thought about it at least. It's definitely something I've thought about a lot since it happened.

"The main thing for me is getting back on the race track. I can't wait to get out there Sunday."

When he does, he will be looking for a different result this time. He is by far a long shot to win or even be in position to challenge for the win again at the end, but he still holds out hope in his half-full glass.

"The last image I have of this place was what happened on the front straightaway. Well, I want to get that out of my mind. I want to have another fresh image that I can think about when I go home at night," Smith said.

"We've got a really good speedway program. ... I feel like we're going to have a strong race car. You never know. Maybe Sunday I could get some sweet redemption and really put it out of my mind."