Stewart & Newman talk teamwork, tires

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Brickyard 400 is almost two weeks away and the top drivers in the series want fans to know that tire problems have been fixed. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman were at the Speedway Wednesday talking about the tires and their team.

The two Indiana natives act like buddies. Take this exchange at Wednesday’s news conference:

Stewart: I don't use words that have more than about five letters in them.

Newman: You used 'emphatic' earlier and I was really impressed.

Stewart: I wasn't even sure it fit.

Stewart and Newman definitely fit as teammates. Stewart is also Newman's boss as owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart has been pretty successful. The owner-driver is leading in the points standings and has already won two races this season.

"It has come much quicker than any of us I think would have dreamed. But we're very pleased with it, very excited about it," said Stewart.

Now Stewart's sights are on the Brickyard 400. He's has already won the race twice as a driver and winning as an owner would be a dream come true -- even if it's his teammate in victory circle.

"If Ryan won the race, I would have the same feeling of gratification. Just being a part of it and being able to help Ryan realize his dream. I think it would mean just as much," said Stewart.

Two weeks ago, defending 400 champion Jeff Gordon was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and promised fans that the tire issues are resolved. Stewart and Newman are making the same promise.

"I'm one of those guys that is very critical of Goodyear when things go wrong. But when they do things right, I'm the first guy to praise them for it and I'm really proud of the effort that they put in to make sure that what happened last year doesn't happen this year," said Stewart.

Newman said, "The race is going to be good. The tires are going to be good. The bottom line is: let us try and redeem ourselves."

For two Hoosiers, giving their home state fans a great show is all they want to do.