From Peterson Media
A week after having bad luck, Shane Stewart returned to his winning ways, as he swept the WSS two-day event in Bunbury, scoring his first two series wins of the season, and propelling his Monster Energy/Milwaukee Tools/Monte Motorsports No.7 to second in series standings, with just one weekend of action left.
“I can’t say enough about my guys,” Stewart said. “They have busted their tails all season long, and it feels great to get them two victories this weekend.”
Though the team had a great weekend, it did not get off to a great start as they were off just a touch in qualifying, and timed in 13th fastest.
“We missed it a bit in qualifying, went to work, and got it pretty good for our upcoming heat,” he said.
Starting fifth in his heat, Stewart worked his Prosser Toyota/Lucas Oil Products/KRE powered machine to the third spot, transferring him into the feature event, where he would grid the field in the third position.
Jumping into the second spot when the green flag waived, Stewart hounded a red hot, Steven Lines, as he paced the star studded WSS field.
Mirroring Lines’ every move, Stewart kept his Factory Kahne Shocks/Kaeding Performance/Brown and Miller Racing Solutions machine in striking distance, as they entered lapped traffic.
Though it didn’t look like he had an answer for Lines, Stewart took advantage of a late caution that saw Lines’ left rear tire lose air pressure, and Stewart capitalized and went on to pick up the win.
“It’s rough to lose a race like that, and it’s not fun to win them like that, but we needed a win, and will definitely take this one,” he said on the podium.
Returning back to action on Saturday, the Miracle Recreation Equipment/Mahle Pistons/Cometic Gaskets backed team got off to a slow start in a very tough heat, as they scored a sixth place finish in their first heat from ninth, before winning the second heat.
Starting third in the Dash, Stewart was off a bit as he slipped back to sixth, and was forced to start the feature event in the third row.
When he hit the loud pedal, his Monster Energy machine was dialed in to near perfection as he quickly ripped through the front-runners, and found himself in second by the third lap, as he again found himself chasing down Steven Lines.
The battle for the lead on this night was much more intense as the two front runners exchanged sliders for the middle of the race, battling relentlessly for the top spot.
As Stewart got in front of Lines with just under 10-laps remaining, the caution lights flickered, negating Stewart’s pass for the point.
Under caution, Lines again had issues, and Stewart took command of the race, and eventually went on to hold off Robby Farr and pick up his second win in as many nights, and move into the second spot in series standings.
“I feel for Steven again tonight,” conceded Stewart. “But this time I really think we were too fast for anyone on that racetrack. The guys gave me a beautiful car tonight and I could put it anywhere and be fast. It’s so satisfying to repay the loyalty that my car owner Luch Monte has shown in me. The points situation should be real interesting now for the series too I’d guess.”
Shane and his Monte Motorsports team thank Monster Energy, Milwaukee, GearWrench, Prosser Toyota, KRE Engines, Lucas Oil Products, Factory Kahne Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Miracle Recreation Equipment, Mahle Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, OGIO, GoPro, and DC Shoes.