By: Tom Werme
Foxsportscarolinas.com
September 9, 2010
It's the lifestyles of the rich and sweaty featuring Tony Stewart and his champagne/sweat-soaked towel from victory lane in Atlanta.
When Tony Stewart ended his 31-race winless streak September 5th by beating Carl Edwards to the finish line by a little more than a second, he had a long overdue celebration in victory lane. Stewart hoisted the trophy with his Old Spice/Home Depot logo towel draped over his shoulder.
Now that towel can be yours.
The famous towel is being auctioned off online, with bids accepted until Tuesday, September 14th.
The towel is autographed by Stewart and is unwashed. You can bet there's a hint of Old Spice Deodorant on the towel as well, because after 500 miles behind the wheel, you want to smell good when you raise the torphy and your arms over your head.
Victory never smelled so good.
The proceeds from the online auction will be donated to the Tony Stewart Foundation, which raises funds primarily distributed to three specific groups: chronically ill children, dirvers injured in motorsports activities and those dedicated to the protection of various animal species.
To date, the foundation has awarded almost $4M to assist charitable initiatives for more than 130 organizations throughout the United States. Every time Tony wins this year a towel from victory lane will be auctioned off.
There's no question NASCAR fans will step up and bid for a chance to own a towel that combines the best of the sport, because you can't pop the champagne without the perspiration.
This week Stewart returns to the site where he garnered his first career Sprint Cup victory on Sept. 11, 1999, at Richmond International Raceway.
In that race, he led 333 of the 400 laps (83.2 percecnt) in a dominating win. He became the first driver to win a race as a Sprint Cup rookie since the late Davey Allison on May 3, 1987 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Stewart has already locked up a spot in the 'chase', but returing to Richmond is always special for him.
"It is my favorite track," he said. "It's not one of them, it's the favorite track of mind on the circuit. I've just always thought it's the prefect-sized track for a cup race.
"There are a lot of times during the race when you have the flexibility to move around on the racetrack and try to find a spot your car likes better than somewhere else. A lot of times on a short track you don't have the flexibility. You're more narrowed down with what groove you're going to be in."
If Stewart finds the right groove and takes the checkered flag, he'll have his towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead and champagne from his eyes, with a NASCAR championship in his sights.
