Hutchens one of Stewart’s winners

Bobby Hutchens didn't know what to expect from his new Stewart-Haas Racing team a year ago.

"We were just trying to get to the track and hoping we could win a race before the end of the year," Hutchens said Saturday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

The team's competition director joined the operation after two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart became a partner with Gene Haas in July 2008 season while wrapping up his career with Joe Gibbs Racing where he won Cup championships in 2002 and 2005.

Stewart attracted major sponsorships and delivered a championship attitude.

Even Stewart was surprised he won four times last year for the new team and was atop the standings for much of the year before finishing sixth in points. Teammate Ryan Newman, who Stewart hired to be his teammate, didn't win a race but qualified for the Chase for the Championship and finished ninth.

The success was unprecedented for a relatively new team but Hutchens, who worked with the late Dale Earnhardt at Childress Racing during the team's heyday, will accept nothing more than the same this year.

"We were so far behind at this point last year we were just barely getting cars done to get them to the track, Hutchens said.

"Now we have a stable of cars and some choices. There’s a lot more ease to us being together."

Stewart joined what was at best a mid-pack team. He brought with him a keen business sense and gift of surrounding himself with talented people.

“He’s given us all the tools we need,” Hutchens said of Stewart.

“He understands the dynamic of this business from both sides; the business side and racing side. He understands what it takes to make it work on racetracks and from the dollar side.”

Stewart’s talent and fan base helped to get Office Depot to leave Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing as his primary sponsor. The U.S. Army left another team to back Newman.

Old Spice followed him from Gibbs.

“It’s change to where corporate sponsors are beginning to stay with the driver instead of always staying with the owner,” Stewart said.

This weekend in the Cup race at Las Vegas, Stewart-Haas will introduce Ruiz Foods of Southern California as a new sponsor for Newman with its Tornados taquitos brand.

And that adds to Hutchens intent to do even better this season.

“You don’t want to let sponsors down or fans down. We set the bar high last year and we hope to be above that bar this year. I don’t see a sophomore jinx happening. Everyone is focused on being better.

“Getting Ryan a win is high on our priority list these first five or six races.”

That puts more pressure on the team after Newman failed to finish the first two races due to a multi-car accident at Daytona and a blown engine Sunday at Fontana, Calif.

But Stewart has never shied away from pressure and neither have any of those he has hired.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.