Dary Matera (born 1955) is an America author and newspaper columnist who specializes in real-life casebooks. He is from Chandler, Arizona.

The son of a Voice of America foreign service officer, Matera grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, and Angeles City, Philippines. Matera attended junior high at the International School of Bangkok, and then transferred to Wagner High School on Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

After returning to America and graduating from the University of Miami in 1977, Matera worked as a reporter for The Miami News (1977–82). He covered the city beats—education, crime, politics and general assignment.

Matera became an independent author in 1986. His first mass market, non-fiction book, Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Random House/Villard) was an international best seller. It detailed the controversial story of Elvis Presley's lifelong relationship with a troubled Louisiana woman.

Subsequent books include:

''Get Me Ellis Rubin! -- The Life, Times and Cases of a Maverick Lawyer''. (St. Martin's Press, 1989). It was published in paperback by St. Martin's Press under the title For the Defense in June 1991.

''Quitting The Mob - How the Yuppie Don Left the Mafia and Lived to Tell His Story''. (HarperCollins, 1992)

''What's In It For Me? - How an Ex-Wise Guy Exposed the Greed, Jealously and Lust That Drive Arizona Politics''. (HarperCollins, 1992)

''Taming The Beast – Charles Manson’s Life Behind Bars''. (St. Martin's Press, 1998)

''Strike Midnight'' -- a novel (Vine Books, 1994).

''Angels of Emergency—Rescue Stories From America's Paramedics and EMTs''. (HarperCollins, July 1996).

''The Pena Files—Dramatic Cases From The World's Top PI''. (Regan Books {HarperCollins imprint} August 1996).

''Among Grizzlies'', (ghosted) (HarperCollins, Spring 1997).

''Childlight – How Children Reach Out to Their Parents From the Beyond''. (New Horizon Press, Spring, 2001).

''A Cry for Character – How a Group of Kids Cleaned Up Their Rowdy School and Provided the Antidote to Columbine''. (Prentice Hall/Penguin, Summer, 2001).

''The FBI's Most Wanted'', (William Morrow/HarperTorch, Fall, 2003).

''John Dillinger – The Life and Death of America’s First Celebrity Criminal''. (Carroll-Graf, Spring, 2004).

''Stolen Masterpiece Tracker – The Dangerous Life of the FBI’s Number 1 Art Sleuth'' (Barricade Books, 2006)

References

Listings at Biblio.com

Category:Writers from Arizona Category:People from Chandler, Arizona Category:1955 births Category:Living people

Coordinates	58°33′″N31°17′″N
name	Matera
official name	Comune di Matera
image shield	Matera-Stemma.png
coordinates display	title
region	Basilicata
province	Matera (MT)
frazioni	La Martella, Venusio, Picciano A, Picciano B
mayor party	Democratic Party
mayor	Salvatore Adduce
area total km2	387.4
population total	60310
population as of	June 2008
population demonym	Materani
elevation m	401
saint	Madonna della Bruna
day	July 2
postal code	75100
area code	0835
website
footnotes	}}

whs	The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera
state party
type	Cultural
criteria	iii, iv, v
id	670
region	Europe and North America
year	1993
session	17th
link	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/670 }}

Matera is a town and a province in the region of Basilicata, in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Matera. The town lies athwart a small canyon, which has been eroded in the course of years by a small stream, the Gravina.

History

thumb|left|150px|Stairways in Matera. The area of what is now Matera has been settled since the Palaeolithic. The city was allegedly founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, with the name of ''Matheola'' after the consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus. In AD 664 Matera was conquered by the Lombards and became part of the Duchy of Benevento. In the 7th and 8th centuries the nearby grottos were colonized by both Benedictine and Greek-Orthodox monastic institutions. The 9th and 10th centuries were characterized by the struggle between Saracens, Byzantines and the German emperors, including Louis II, who destroyed the city. After the settlement of the Normans in Apulia, Matera was ruled by William Iron-Arm from 1043. After a short communal phase and a series of pestilences and earthquakes, the city in the fifteenth century became an Aragonese possession, and was given in fief to the barons of the Tramontano family. In 1514, however, the population rebelled against the oppression and killed Count Giovanni Carlo Tramontano. In the seventeenth century Matera was handed over to the Orsini and then became part of the ''Terre d'Otranto di Puglia''. Later it was capital of Basilicata, a position it retained until 1806, when Joseph Bonaparte reassigned it to Potenza. In 1927 it became capital of the Matera province. On September 21, 1943, the Materani rose against the German occupation, the first Italian city to fight against the Wehrmacht.

Main sights

The Sassi (Ancient town)

Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera"). The Sassi originate from a prehistoric (troglodyte) settlement, and are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy. The Sassi are houses dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns, and the streets in some parts of the Sassi often are located on the rooftops of other houses. The ancient town grew in height on one slope of the ravine created by a river that is now a small stream. The ravine is known locally as "la Gravina". In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city. However, people continued to live in the Sassi, and according to the English Fodor's guide: Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses were, and in most areas still are, mostly unlivable. Current local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and has promoted the re-generation of the Sassi with the aid of the European Union, the government, UNESCO, and Hollywood. Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels.

Monasteries and churches

Matera preserves a large and diverse collection of buildings related to the Christian faith, including a large number of rupestrian churches carved from the soft volcanic rock of the region. These churches, which are also found in the neighboring region of Puglia, were listed in the 1998 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund.

Matera Cathedral (1268–1270) is an important monument, and has been dedicated to Santa Maria della Bruna since 1389. Built in an Apulian Romanesque architectural style, the church has a 52m tall bell tower, and next to the main gate is a statue of the Maria della Bruna, backed by those of Saints Peter and Paul. The main feature of the façade is the rose window, divided by sixteen small columns. The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles. The decoration is mainly from the 18th century Baroque restoration, but recently a Byzantine-style fourteenth-century fresco portraying the ''Last Judgment'' has been discovered.

Two other important churches in Matera, both dedicated to the Apostle Peter, are San Pietro Caveoso (in the ''Sasso Caveoso'') and San Pietro Barisano (in the ''Sasso Barisano''). San Pietro Barisano was recently restored in a project by the World Monuments Fund, funded by American Express. The main altar and the interior frescoes were cleaned, and missing pieces of moldings, reliefs, and other adornments were reconstructed from photographic archives or surrounding fragments.

There are many other churches and monasteries dating back throughout the history of the Christian church. Some are simple caves with a single altar and maybe a fresco, often located on the opposite side of the ravine. Some are complex cave networks with large underground chambers, thought to have been used for meditation by the rupestric and cenobitic monks.

Cisterns and water collection

Matera was built above a deep ravine called Gravina of Matera that divides the territory into two areas. Matera was built such that it is hidden, but made it difficult to provide a water supply to its inhabitants. Early dwellers invested tremendous energy in building cisterns and systems of water channels.

Other sights

The ''Tramontano Castle'', begun in the early 16th century by Gian Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera, is probably the only other structure that is above ground of any great significance outside of the sassi. However, the construction remained unfinished after his assassination in the popular riot of 29 December 1514. It has three large towers, while twelve were probably included in the original design. During some restoration work in the main square of the town, workers came across what was believed to be the main footings of another castle tower. However, on further excavation large Roman cisterns were unearthed. Whole house structures were discovered where one can see how the people of that era lived. Found under the main square of the modern city was a large underground reservoir, complete with columns and a vaulted ceiling.

Culture

Because of the ancient and primitive scenery in and around the Sassi, it has been used by filmmakers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem. The following famous biblical period motion pictures were filmed in Matera:

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ''The Gospel According to St. Matthew'' (1964).

Bruce Beresford’s ''King David'' (1985).

Mel Gibson’s ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004).

Catherine Hardwicke’s ''The Nativity Story'' (2006).

Other famous movies filmed in the city include:

Alberto Lattuada's ''La Lupa'' (1953)

Giuseppe Tornatore's ''The Star Maker'' (1995)

''The Omen'' (2006)

A chapter on Matera describing the life of the people living there in the 1930s is in the book ''Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' ("Christ stopped at Eboli") by Carlo Levi. This book was also turned into a film.

People associated with Matera

Antonio Andrisani, film director

Luigi De Canio, football manager

Egidio Romualdo Duni, composer

Cosimo Fusco, actor

Giovanni di Matera, Benedictine monk and saint

Francesco Mancini, footballer

Gianvito Plasmati, footballer

Francesco Carmelo Salerno, politician

Franco Selvaggi, footballer

Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, nobleman

Francis Ford Coppola, Film director

Nicolas Coppola(Nick Cage), Actor

Sport

Football: Football Club Matera; Basketball: Olimpia Matera

See also

Matera Centrale railway station

Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Count of Matera

References

Other sources

External links

Video Sassi di Matera and Rupestral Churches Video Festa della Bruna

UNESCO site

Matera - The Festivity of the Madonna della Bruna

Museo Laboratorio della Civiltà Contadina

BBC News: Italian cave city goes hi-tech

The rock-hewn churches map of Matera

360 HD Virtual Tour of Matera

Category:Cities and towns in Basilicata Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy Category:Populated places established in the 3rd century BC

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Coordinates	58°33′″N31°17′″N
name	Anthony Wayne Stewart
birth date	May 20, 1971
birth place	Columbus, Indiana
cup car team	14 – Stewart Haas Racing
previous year	2010
prev cup pos	7th
best cup pos	1st – 2002, 2005
cup wins	39
cup top tens	247
cup poles	12
first cup race	1999 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
first cup win	1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 (Richmond)
last cup win	2010 Pepsi Max 400 (California)
first busch race	1996 Goody's Headache Powder 300 (Daytona)
first busch win	2005 Hershey's Take 5 300 (Daytona)
last busch win	2011 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona)
busch car team	4 – Kevin Harvick Inc.
prev busch year	2010
prev busch pos	93rd
best busch pos	21st – 1998
busch wins	10
busch top tens	39
busch poles	6
first truck race	1996 Cummins 200 (IRP)
first truck win	2002 Virginia Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)
last truck win	2003 Virginia Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)
best truck pos	61st – 2005
truck wins	2
truck top tens	5 |
Achievements	1995 USAC Triple Crown Champion 1997 IRL Champion 2002 / 2005 Nextel Cup Series Champion 2005 / 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Winner 2006 IROC XXX Champion NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV winner
Awards	1991 USAC Rookie of the Year 1996 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 1996 IRL Rookie of the Year 1999 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
updated	January 11, 2011 }}

nationality	American
birth date	May 20, 1971
birth place	Columbus, Indiana
retired	2001
last series	IndyCar Series
years active	1996–2001
starts	26
teams	Team Menard Tri-Star Racing Chip Ganassi Racing
wins	3
poles	8
best finish	1st
year	1997 }}

Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart (born May 20, 1971) is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars, as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."

Stewart currently owns and drives the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1/Burger King Chevrolet Impala in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing under crew chief Darian Grubb. From 1999 until 2008, he drove the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car, under crew chief Greg Zipadelli, with The Home Depot as the primary sponsor. His ten year tenure with the same team, sponsor, and crew chief is a NASCAR record. Stewart is also the only driver to win both the Winston Cup under the old points system, and the Nextel Cup under the chase playoff format, winning those championships in 2002 and 2005 respectively. As of the 2010 season, his 2005 Cup title marks the last time a driver other than Jimmie Johnson has won the points championship.

Early life

Tony Stewart was born in Columbus, Indiana on May 20, 1971, and attended Columbus North High School during his youth. He grew up racing go karts and was successful very early, winning a World Karting Association championship in 1987. He moved up to the United Midget Racing Association (UMRA)where he raced TQ (three quarter) midgets until 1991, when he again moved up this time to the United States Auto Club (USAC) series with help from one of his karting sponsors and friend Mark Dismore. Stewart was the USAC Rookie of the Year in 1991, fifth in 1993 after winning the Hut Hundred, and was the National Midget series champion in 1994.

In 1995, Stewart became the first driver to win USAC's version of the Triple Crown, earning championships in all three of USAC's major divisions, National Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown. The highlights of the year were winning the Hut Hundred and 4-Crown Nationals.

When he wasn't racing IndyCars, he raced stock cars. In 1996, Tony made his NASCAR Busch Series debut, driving for car owner Harry Rainer. In nine races, however, he had only a best finish of 16th place. He had more success in a one-time ride in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he finished 10th.

Tony was poised to improve his Indy Racing League (IRL) standing in 1997, but struggled with finishing at times. He failed to finish the first three races of a ten race schedule, but recovered to finish second at Phoenix. At that year's Indy 500, Stewart had a good enough car to win his first IRL race, leading 64 laps. However, he trailed off near the end of the race and settled for 5th. Tony finally got his first career win at Pikes Peak, where he led all but seven laps of a 200 lap race. He became the leading contender for the series' championship after a bad slump knocked points leader Davey Hamilton out of first place. Despite an average end to his season, finishing 7th, 14th, and 11th, and five DNFs, Stewart did just enough to beat Hamilton for the IRL title. He also raced in a few midget events, finishing thirteenth and eleventh in the 1997 and 1998 USAC national points, and winning the Copper Classic both years. Between his time in USAC and the IRL, Stewart earned the nickname of Smoke, first for slipping the right rear tire during dirt races, and for blowing his engine often during his '97 championship run.

As he had done the previous year, he raced a handful of Busch Series races. This time, he was racing for Joe Gibbs, NFL Hall of Fame head coach of the Washington Redskins who was having major success with driver Bobby Labonte in Winston Cup. When Stewart was able to finish races, he finished in the top 10, and had a 3rd place finish at Charlotte. Stewart so impressed Gibbs that he was signed to drive the majority of the Busch schedule in 1998 to go along with a full-time IRL schedule. The double duty did not affect his performance in either series. In the IRL, he won twice and finished 3rd in the championship. His season was something of a disappointment, especially as he finished last in the Indy 500 because of an engine failure.

On the Busch side, he finished in the top-five five times in 22 starts. He came extremely close to winning his first Busch Series race at Rockingham, but was beaten on a last lap pass by Matt Kenseth. Stewart finished a solid 2nd place in 2 (of 31) starts, ahead of six drivers with more starts, and had an average finish that was comparable to some of the series' top 10 finishers. Gibbs had enough confidence in Tony that he was moved into Cup for the 1999 season. With that move, Stewart ended his three year career as a full time IRL driver.

IndyCar

! Year

! Team

! 1

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WDW

PHX

bgcolor="#CFEAFF"

TXS

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Chip Ganassi Racing>Target Chip Ganassi

PHX

HMS

ATL

bgcolor="#CFEAFF"

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Indy 500 results

! Year	! Chassis	! Engine	! Start	! Finish	! Team
			1st	24th
		Oldsmobile	2nd	5th
	Dallara	Oldsmobile	4th	33rd
	Dallara	Oldsmobile	24th	9th
		Oldsmobile	7th	6th

NASCAR Cup years

1999 season

Stewart started his Winston Cup career in 1999 with a bang, as he qualified his #20 Home Depot Pontiac in second place in his first Cup race, the Daytona 500. He showed courage in one of the Gatorade Twin 125 races, when involved in a great battle with Dale Earnhardt for the win. The Intimidator came out on top, but Stewart had nonetheless impressed quite a few people with his performance. In the 500 itself, Stewart ran near the front until problems with the car relegated him to a 28th place finish.

Stewart spent most of his rookie season wowing people, as his car was often in the top 5. He won a pair of pole positions at short tracks, and set a series record for victories by a rookie with three, Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead. (Stewart's record would hold until 2002, when Jimmie Johnson duplicated the feat by winning three times; Carl Edwards won four times in his first full Cup season but was not regarded as a rookie by NASCAR standards.) He finished his first year an unprecedented 4th in points, the highest points finish by a rookie in the modern era (which held until 2006 when his then-teammate Denny Hamlin finished 3rd), and only bested by James Hylton, who finished 2nd as a first-timer in 1966. Not surprisingly, he ran away with the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award.

Stewart also attempted to race on Memorial Day weekend, as he competed in both the Indy 500 during the day and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., at night. He finished in the top 10 at both races; ninth in the 1999 Indy 500 and fourth at Lowe's Motor Speedway. However, he only completed of the scheduled 1,100. 1999 Wins Richmond Phoenix Homestead

2000 season

Stewart showed no signs of a sophomore slump in Winston Cup in 2000, winning six races at Martinsville, New Hampshire, Michigan, Homestead and 2 at Dover. However, he "slipped" to sixth place in the standings because of a handful of DNFs and an increase in the number of competitive drivers, among them his teammate Labonte, who won the Cup championship. Tony also began to get some bad press for his on-track incidents. The best known of these came at Watkins Glen, when he and Jeff Gordon tangled and crashed. Stewart made his displeasure toward Gordon known in an obscenity-laden tirade. Stewart won the Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car event at Irwindale, California, which he called, “one of his greatest wins ever." 2000 Wins Martinsville, New Hampshire, Michigan, Homestead, and 2 at Dover

2001 season

Stewart's 2001 season got off to a frightening start, as he was involved in a spectacular crash in the Daytona 500 where his car violently flipped over several times toward the middle of the race that also had the final-lap crash that killed Dale Earnhardt. He walked away unscathed, recovered to win three more races at Richmond, Infineon and Bristol, and, as he'd done before, ran near the front most of the season. Statistically, he had a worse season than 2000, but he was the runner-up to Gordon for the Cup championship.

For the second time he ran "The Double" on Memorial Day Weekend, in spite of a 17 minute rain delay at Indianapolis. He finished 6th in the Indianapolis 500 and 3rd in the Coca-Cola 600, running all of the two races.

The 2001 season was not without controversy, however. Jeff Gordon pulled a "bump and run" on Stewart to gain a better finishing position in a race in Bristol, and it resulted in Stewart retaliating in a post-race incident by spinning Gordon out on pit road. Stewart was fined and placed on probation by NASCAR. He got into further trouble at Daytona, when he confronted a Winston Cup official after ignoring a black flag. At the same race, he also got into an incident with a reporter, kicking away a tape recorder. He confronted the same NASCAR official at the race in Talladega after refusing to wear a mandated head-and-neck restraint. Stewart was not allowed to practice until wearing one and only managed to practice after his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli intervened. His fines and probation periods resulting from these incidents have earned Stewart a reputation of having a hot-temper, and he became NASCAR's "bad boy". 2001 Wins Richmond Infineon Bristol

2002 season

Tony started 2002 even more inauspiciously than in the previous season, as his Daytona 500 lasted just two laps due to a blown engine. He went on to win twice early in the season at Atlanta and Richmond but was only seventh in the points standings at the halfway point of the season. The second half of his season was plagued by an altercation with a photographer after the Brickyard 400. NASCAR put Stewart on probation for the rest of the season. He went on to win the very next week at Watkins Glen, and went on a hot streak in the final races, finishing consistently in the top five. At the end of the year, Stewart held off a charging Mark Martin to win his first Winston Cup championship. 2002 Wins Atlanta Richmond Watkins Glen

2003 season

As defending champion, Stewart managed to have a relatively incident-free 2003. Driving a Chevrolet instead of his previous Pontiac (Gibbs switched manufacturers), Stewart actually had his worst Cup season (until the 2006 season), but it was still good enough for seventh in the points. He only won twice that season at Pocono and Charlotte but led more laps than he had the previous year and was highly competitive in the final races of the year. 2003 Wins Pocono Charlotte

2004 season

The 2004 season was highlighted by first victory coming at Chicagoland as well as his second victory at Watkins Glen. Stewart qualified fourth for the first ever Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. However an incident at the first race of The Chase at Loudon dashed hopes of a second series title.

In November, Stewart became the owner of one of the most legendary short tracks in America, Eldora Speedway. Located in New Weston, Ohio, Eldora is a half-mile dirt track known to many as "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954." Stewart began racing there in 1991 and continues racing in special events alongside other Nextel Cup drivers and dirt track legends.

In 2004, Stewart teamed with Englishman Andy Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a Boss Motorsports Chevrolet to take fourth in the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race. The result does not show the trio's performance, however: They had dominated the race until the last two hours, when the suspension cracked. With 15 minutes left in the race, and with Stewart at the wheel, one of the rear wheels came off, finally ending their run. In addition to placing fourth overall, the trio placed third in the Daytona Prototype class.

2005 season

2005 was one of Stewart's most successful years in the Nextel Cup. He won five races, at Infineon, Daytona, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen and the Allstate 400 at his hometown track, a race that Stewart said he would give up his championship to win, and took with it the No. 1 seed heading into NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup 10-race playoff.

On August 16 Stewart was fined $5,000 for hitting the car of Brian Vickers, after the completion of the Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. Stewart was driving a Busch series car owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated at the time. Stewart also was placed on probation until December 31.

Following his second win of the season, Stewart began climbing the fence separating the fans from the race track after each victory, borrowing IndyCar Series driver Hélio Castroneves' trademark move. After winning the 2009 All-Star race Tony was quoted as saying "I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences," and recently purchased $17,000 worth of exercise equipment to remedy the problem. It also led to sponsor Home Depot cashing in on Stewart's success with some promotions reminiscent of Stewart's Eldora Speedway drivers. After his second full climb of the fence in Loudon, N.H., they ran a discount on ladders and fencing at the stores with a campaign named, "Hey Tony, we've got ladders," where anyone who presented the advertisement in national newspapers in their stores earned the discount. After his victory in Indianapolis, Home Depot presented fans who presented the advertisement of his Allstate 400 win with a discount on purchasing bricks. He mentioned in a press release from his sponsor, "I plan to keep winning races and helping to drive down the cost of home improvement for The Home Depot customers."

On November 20, Stewart won his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, joining Jeff Gordon as the only active, full-time drivers at the time to have won multiple championships. Jimmie Johnson afterward did so from 2006–2010. He also is one of the youngest drivers to win multiple championships and the only driver to have won championships under both the Chase and non-Chase formats. During the 2005 season, Stewart won a total of $13,578,168, including $6,173,633 for winning the championship, the largest season total in NASCAR history. Stewart also went through training to become a deputy sheriff in Alabama.

2006 season

Stewart's 2006 season was very much up and down. He had competitive cars and scored early wins at Daytona and Martinsville. However he also had strings of bad luck. He also suffered a shoulder injury due to two heavy crashes in both the Busch and Cup races at Charlotte during the Memorial Day Weekend races (Stewart's Busch car hit the Turn 4 wall so hard it even knocked the rear end off the car). During the Dover race, he was substituted by Ricky Rudd, and in later weeks had to drive in pain.

Additionally he has once again been involved in several on track controversies.

Following a rough Bud Shootout on February 12, Stewart expressed concern to the media about the possibility of aggressive driving resulting in the serious injury or death of a driver. It came during a week in which the racing world remembered the fifth anniversary of the death of legend Dale Earnhardt, who died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Just a few days after Stewart's comments to the media, during the 48th running of the Daytona 500, he was involved in a number of incidents with Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, who he chased halfway across the track to run into the grass. "He has no room to complain," Stewart said of his brush with Kenseth. "He started it, and I finished it".

On May 20 during NASCAR's All Star Race, Stewart and Kenseth wrecked again. Each driver claimed it was the other one's fault with Stewart saying, "if (Kenseth) thinks it's my fault and I (caused the wreck) he's screwed up in his head." Following the wreck, several media outlets proclaimed the new Stewart-Kenseth rivalry as must-see TV. The so-called rivalry was short-lived as Kenseth and Stewart participated as friends in a joint promotional tour for DeWalt and The Home Depot; Kenseth also appeared in September at Stewart's Eldora Speedway in the NEXTEL PRELUDE with NASCAR drivers, as well as the ARCA Truck Series event there.

On July 23, Stewart once again was at the center of a media storm. On lap 31 of the Pennsylvania 500, Stewart was accidentally squeezed against the wall by fellow driver Clint Bowyer. Stewart responded by waving his hand in anger, then purposely hitting Bowyer's car. This contact sent Bowyer spinning down the front stretch where he collided with Carl Edwards. Stewart was promptly held one lap by NASCAR for rough driving. He did however pass leader Ryan Newman to get back on the lead lap and eventually rallied to finish 7th and get back in the top 10 in the point standings. After initially refusing to take responsibility for the incident he apologized the next day.

Tony Stewart missed the cut to qualify for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup by 16 points. He finished poorly at Richmond after wrecking his primary car in practice, and was displaced in the top ten by Kasey Kahne. As a result, he finished the 2006 season 11th in points, his worst thus far in his career, as he had completed each of his seven previous seasons in the top ten in points. Commenting on not being in the 2006 Chase, he says: “It lets us have the ability to take chances and try things ... that we've been wanting to try but just haven't had the luxury to do it. If we were in the Chase we wouldn't have that ability”. Stewart won three races in the 2006 Chase (Kansas, Atlanta, and Texas).

The season wasn't totally unkind to Stewart, however. He was a participant in the 30th season of IROC and won 2 of the 4 races (Texas, and the Daytona road course) on his way to capturing the series championship. He won a million dollars for the effort, but made an offer to return his prize money if IROC would hold one of its events at his Eldora Speedway. This offer was not entertained as IROC folded in 2007. In addition, Stewart's three wins in the Chase races gave him five total for the season, tying him with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick for second most in Nextel Cup behind Kasey Kahne's six.

2007 Season

His 2007 racing season started out with Stewart winning his second Chili Bowl Nationals midget car feature. Tony started off the Daytona Speedweeks with a win in the 2007 Budweiser Shootout. It was his third win in the race. He also won his qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

On lap 152 of the Daytona 500, the rear of Stewart's car slid up the track, and when he tried to cut down the track, he smacked the front of Kurt Busch's car knocking both of them out of the race. Tony and the Busch brothers (Kurt and Kyle) were the three leaders for the majority of the race.

On March 22, 2007, it was released that Stewart would be on the cover of the official NASCAR video game published by Electronic Arts, "NASCAR 08". This would be the third time this honor was given to Stewart (2001, 2004, 2008).

In his first Car of Tomorrow race with the Impala SS, Stewart was dominant at Bristol, leading 257 of 504 laps (green-white-checker finish), before he experienced a fuel pump problem. At the third Car of Tomorrow race at Phoenix, Stewart lead a race high 154 laps, but a late race caution moved Stewart to second, where he finished behind Jeff Gordon. In the following week, Stewart implied the cautions were "bogus" and that NASCAR is rigged like professional wrestling.

On June 4, 2007, Stewart and Kurt Busch had an incident on pit road in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover. Busch passed Stewart on the inside. Busch then slid up, which caused contact, sending him into the wall, knocking out Busch, but with Stewart staying in the race. Under the caution, Stewart was on pit road in his pit box when Kurt Busch pulled alongside to express his feelings over the incident. One of Stewart's crewmen had to jump out of the way of Kurt's car to avoid being hit.

At the All-Star Challenge at Charlotte, he finished 5th behind Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Burton. At the Coca-Cola 600, Stewart finished sixth, after having to come in to pit for fuel.

On July 15, 2007, Stewart led a race high 108 laps and recorded his 30th career NEXTEL Cup win at the USG Sheetrock 400 at Joliet.

On July 29, 2007, after leading a race high 66 of 160 laps, Stewart won the "Allstate 400 at the Brickyard" race at Indianapolis, just 45 minutes from where he grew up. During the victory lane interview, Stewart was penalized 25 points and fined $25,000 for violating NASCAR's policy on the use of obscene language during interviews during the race.

On August 12, 2007, he won the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen after Jeff Gordon spun his car around after wheel hopping in turn 1 with two laps to go.

2008 Season

Stewart began the 2008 season starting 6th for the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and was only able to come up with a 3rd place finish after being passed on the last lap by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

On lap 109 of the UAW-Dodge 400, Stewart cut a tire and slammed into the turn 3 wall. Stewart came out of the car under his own power, but was helped to the ambulance where he was taken to the infield care center. Stewart had complained about a sore foot from a wreck which occurred the day before in the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas. Stewart was later announced okay and ripped on Goodyear for not bringing quality tires. The next week at the Kobalt Tools 500, Stewart commented that "Goodyear doesn't give a fuck about tire quality."

With 3 laps to go in the 2008 Coca-Cola 600, Stewart cut a tire and saved it from contact with the wall. However, Stewart had to give up the lead to future race winner Kasey Kahne in order to take pits.

In the Best Buy 400 Stewart was involved in another crash with Elliott Sadler in which Sadler was turned by David Gilliland and Sadler's no. 19 collected Stewart and 11 other cars including Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Stewart said, "I take 100 percent responsibility – it's my fault for being anywhere close to Elliott. If I'm within half a lap of him, I expect that to happen. It's my fault – I'm the one that hit him. When I hit him it caused all the guys behind us to wreck, so it's my fault."

On July 5, during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Tony began feeling ill and turned the car over to former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate J. J. Yeley, who finished 20th after getting involved in two wrecks in the last 5 laps. Stewart earned his first & only win of the season in the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega on October 5. On the final lap Stewart was passed by Regan Smith. NASCAR declared that Smith had made an illegal pass and awarded the victory to Stewart.

2009 Season – Split from JGR and Debut of Stewart-Haas Racing

On July 8, 2008, it was reported that Stewart was released from the last year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, primarily because JGR had switched from Chevrolet to Toyota. Stewart was vocal about his loyalty to Chevrolet (which sponsors his USAC Midget, Sprint Car, and Silver Crown teams), and would move to Haas CNC Racing to drive a Haas Chevrolet, with sponsorship from Office Depot (relocating from the #99 Roush Fenway team) and Old Spice. Stewart took half ownership of the team which was re-named Stewart-Haas Racing, and Stewart became the highest paid NASCAR driver. Stewart's car at Haas has the number 14 as homage to his hero A.J. Foyt. To date, he is the most successful driver for Joe Gibbs Racing with 33 wins and two championships (2002 and 2005).

On August 15, 2008, fellow Indiana native Ryan Newman signed a multi-year contract to drive the second car for Stewart-Haas Racing, originally to be designated #4 but changed to his USAC #39, with sponsorship from the U.S. Army (relocating from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing).

As the most recent series champion not among the Top 35 in owners' points, Stewart was first in line for past champions' provisionals for the first five races of 2009. He completed those races without needing to use the provisional, ending up well inside the Top 10 in points. Stewart won his first race as a driver/owner in the non-championship NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV, winning more than $1,000,000, his first win in the event in 10 attempts. He followed that victory with his first points race win as a driver/owner at Pocono in the Pocono 500 on June 7, 2009, the first owner-driver in the Cup series to win a race since Ricky Rudd in 1998. Stewart also won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona after a controversial finish involving a wreck with Kyle Busch, his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart's season overall was his best showing since his rookie year, with another win coming at Watkins Glen International.

Stewart qualified for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup as he finished the first 26 races as points leader. He fell to second in points following reseeding when Mark Martin, who won more races than Stewart, moved ahead of him. On October 5, 2009, Stewart won the Price Chopper 400 and moved to fourth in the standings, ending the season in sixth place.

2010 season

On 16 April 2010 Stewart won qualifying in NASCAR’s top series for the first time in five years, turning a lap of 191.327 mph at Texas Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart started his 400th Sprint Cup race from the pole. The last time that Stewart won the pole was 155 races ago at Martinsville Speedway in October 2005. On May 9 it was reported that Stewart will lose Old Spice as a sponsor after 11 years with him.

Tony won the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 5, 2010.

On October 10, Tony won the Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway by pulling away from Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer on the final restart.

On October 12, Mobil 1 announced a sponsorship deal with Stewart-Haas Racing to sponsor Stewart's car, starting in 2011. It will be the primary sponsor for 11 races, while Office Depot will be the primary sponsor for the rest of the season. Mobil 1 will also sponsor Tony in the Budweiser Shootout and the All-Star Race.

2011- present

In 2011 Stewart returns in the #14 Office Depot chevrolet. Stewart won the pole for the Daytona 500 which was won by rookie Trevor Bayne. Following a crash intentionally caused by Stewart on Brian Vickers at Infineon Raceway in June 2011, Brian Vickers intentionally wrecked Stewart as payback. In a interview Stewart was asked about the crashes. Stewart said "I probably had it coming because I dumped him first and he dumped me back, but I dumped him because he was blocking." Both were fined $50,000 and put on probation.

Other Racing Series

Non-NASCAR appearances

He frequently makes appearances on dirt tracks, appearing regularly at an ARCA race on dirt and at many prominent midget car events, USAC's Turkey Night Grand Prix, and the indoor Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Along with Matt Kenseth, He has a appeared at Madison International Speedway, a non-NASCAR half-mile track located in Wisconsin on highway 138 between the cities of Oregon, WI and Stoughton, WI.

Tony also races on rare occasions in the World of Outlaws Series and on July 27, 2011, Stewart won his first ever World of Outlaws race at Ohsweken Speedway

"Smoke" nickname

Tony Stewart told NASCAR.com of his nickname: "I wasn't very good about not slipping the right-rear tire, initially. So it started as 'Smoker,' then it got shortened to 'Smoke.' Then when I got in the Indy Racing League it was 'Smoke' because one of the guys on the crew who was my roommate, and knew the nickname, carried it over to the IndyCar team. But then when I started blowing engines, 'Smoke' really stuck. I've had it ever since."

During his NASCAR career, Tony Stewart once was told by #20 team owner Joe Gibbs that he could no longer compete in races outside of his Sprint Cup obligations. Stewart worked around this by entering a USAC National Midget race under the pseudonym "Smokey Jones" with the crowd at the track none the wiser. After winning the feature, "Smokey Jones" got out of his car and revealed himself to the crowd as Tony Stewart. He also once entered himself in a race, driving the infamous "Munchkin" midget chassis, as "Mikey Fedorcak Jr." after buying the Munchkin from Mike Fedorcak during a card game. In 2010 he raced several Modified races under the name Smoke Johnson.

Career IRL statistics

Races 3/3 10/10 11/11 1/10 1/13 26

Year	|	Wins	Poles	Top 5	Top 10	DNF	Finish	Start	Winnings	Season Rank	Team(s)
1996	|	0	1	1	0	2	12.3	4.0	$349,303	8th	Team Menard
1997	|	1	4	4	6	5	8.8	3.4	$1,090,450	1st	Team Menard
1998	|	2	3	5	6	4	11.1	4.5	$1,002,850	3rd	Team Menard
1999	|	0	0	0	1	0	9.0	24.0	$186,670	33rd	Tri-Star Racing
2001	|	0	0	0	1	0	6.0	7.0	$218,850	39th	Chip Ganassi Racing
colspan="11" style="background:grey; height:5px;"
Totals	|	3	8	10	15	11	10.1	4.8	$2,848,123

Career NASCAR statistics

Races 34/34 34/34 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 36/36 19/19 447

Year	|	Wins	Poles	Top 5	Top 10	DNF	Avg. Finish	Avg. Start	Winnings	Season Rank	Team(s)
1999	|	3	2	12	21	1	10.3	12.6	$2,613,976	4th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2000	|	6	2	12	23	5	12.4	16.7	$3,175,270	6th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2001	|	3	0	15	22	4	12.6	17.0	$3,543,043	2nd	Joe Gibbs Racing
2002	|	3	2	15	21	6	12.6	13.2	$4,695,154	1st	Joe Gibbs Racing
2003	|	2	1	12	18	5	14.6	13.9	$5,227,503	7th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2004	|	2	0	10	19	2	12.9	15.3	$6,221,710	6th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2005	|	5	3	17	25	1	9.9	12.0	$6,987,535	1st	Joe Gibbs Racing
2006	|	5	0	15	19	4	13.8	16.7	$7,285,281	11th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2007	|	3	0	11	23	4	13.1	17.6	$6,396,751	6th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2008	|	1	0	10	16	3	14.9	17.1	$6,066,407	9th	Joe Gibbs Racing
2009	|	4	0	15	23	1	12.3	10.4	$6,828,250	6th	Stewart-Haas Racing
2010	|	2	2	9	17	1	13.9	13.2	$5,664,250	7th	Stewart-Haas Racing
2011	|	0	0	2	7	1	14.7	17.5	$3,085,090	11th	Stewart-Haas Racing	colspan="11" style="background:grey; height:5px;"
Totals	|	39	12	155	254	38	12.8	15.0	$67,790,223

Data as of Saturday, July 30, 2011

Racecar owner

Stewart is the owner of various open-wheel short track racing cars, most of them being sponsored by Chevrolet since 2007.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (2009)

In the end of 2008 Tony was given a 50% stake in Haas CNC Racing which became Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Haas CNC Racing, previously fielded the #66 and #70 cars now fields the numbers 14 and 39 as Stewart-Haas Racing. This decision involved parting ways with long-time crew chief Greg Zipadelli, sponsor The Home Depot, car number 20, and owner Joe Gibbs, with all of which he had spent 10 years. He drives the #14 Chevrolet Impala owned by Gene and Margaret Haas. He is the owner of the #39 Impala, which is driven by Ryan Newman.

Daytona Speedweeks

In the Budweiser Shootout Tony Stewart finished 3rd. Teammate Ryan Newman wrecked three times, the last one taking out the #14 with him. Ryan Newman's car for the Daytona 500 was one of Stewart's backup cars, but they painted it to match the #39 Army scheme. Both Stewart and Newman were forced into backup cars, therefore moving them from their original starting positions in the 500, to the rear. Stewart and Newman finished 8th and 36th respectively.

United States Auto Club

Stewart has won USAC car owner titles in the Silver Crown division in 2002 and 2003 with J. J. Yeley, and in 2004 with Dave Steele. He also collected owner titles in USAC's National Sprint Car Series with Yeley in 2003 and Jay Drake in 2004. He also won an owner title in the USAC National Sprint Car Series in 2007 and 2009 with Levi Jones of Olney, IL

Stewart's USAC midget and sprint cars carry #20 and #21, while his Silver Crown car carries #22.

Other entities

Stewart owns a dirt late model Chevrolet Impala that carries #14 which he races frequently. Stewart has also won a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Championship as an owner with Donny Schatz in 2008. The team is now a 2 car operation with Schatz and Steve Kinser. He is also the owner of Custom Works, a company that manufactures radio controlled oval track cars, and has had a degree of success as a r/c racer himself.

Stewart is also the driving force behind the Sprint Sponsored "Prelude to the Dream" which features drivers from various sports driving late model dirt cars at Eldora Speedway. Since 2005 the "Dream" has showcased a who's who in NASCAR and NHRA, featuring such drivers as Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Pedregon and others. The inaugural race was won by Kenny Wallace, followed by Carl Edwards in 2006. As of late the race has been nicknamed "The Smoke Show" due to Stewart winning back to back to back since 2007. The events have raised over 4 million dollars for various NASCAR and driver charities including The Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Racetrack owner

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart purchased Eldora Speedway speedway located near Rossburg, Ohio in late 2004 from Earl Baltes. Tony Stewart is currently a co-owner of Paducah International Raceway near Paducah, Kentucky. He also co-owns Macon Speedway in Macon, Illinois along with Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Bob Sargent.

Tony Stewart Foundation

Founded in 2003 by Tony Stewart, the principal purposes of the Tony Stewart Foundation are to raise and donate funds to help care for chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and to support other charitable organizations in the protection of various animal species. The Tony Stewart Foundation will raise and donate funds to charitable interests, specifically those that support the aforementioned groups.

TV & radio

Stewart hosted a two-hour weekly radio show, titled ''Tony Stewart Live'', broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio. Stewart co-hosted the show with Matt Yocum, and takes listener calls. The show ran through 2007–2008.

In 2007, Stewart appeared in commercials for Subway with their spokesman, Jared Fogle. Tony Stewart worked at McDonald's while attending Columbus North High School. Former coworkers said he was a great worker — when he showed up.

Appeared with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the music video for 3 Doors Down's song "The Road I'm On".

Appeared in a 2008 Toyota commercial where the cars of Toyota Sprint Cup drivers, including Stewart's, are driven by kids with remote controls. When his kid driver spins his car out of control, he crawls out, yelling to his crew chief, "Zippy, run for your life!" Stewart then throws his helmet at his car, a homage to his habit of throwing helmets and other racing gear in anger.

Stewart appears in commercials as a member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family of drivers and a Coca-Cola vending machine with Tony Stewart's picture on it sits in Columbus North High School to this day.

In 2010, Stewart appeared in the commercial for the Burger King Steak House XT, which he endorsed. This video entered the Top 10 of the Ad Age / Visible Measures Top Viral Ad Chart on Aug. 12, 2010.

Appeared as host in the 2003 production of NASCAR Images Adrenaline Vol 1

Video games

Stewart has been included in Electronic Arts' ''NASCAR'' sim racing series from 2000–present.

Electronic Arts announced Stewart to appear in person for the first time on the cover of NASCAR Thunder 2004 in late 2003, however he is not new to the concept having his Home Depot Winston Cup car appear on NASCAR 2001's cover. Stewart also appears on the cover of NASCAR 08.

Races won

Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup (39 career wins, 2 championships and a Sprint All-Star Race)

2010 (2 wins) Emory Healthcare 500 (Atlanta), Pepsi Max 400 (Fontana)

2009 (4 wins) Pocono 500 (Pocono), Coke Zero 400 (Daytona), Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (Watkins Glen), Price Chopper 400 (Kansas)

2008 (1 win) AMP Energy 500 (Talladega)

2007 (3 wins) USG Sheetrock 400 (Joliet), Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Indianapolis), Centurion Boats at the Glen (Watkins Glen)

2006 (5 wins) DirecTV 500 (Martinsville), Pepsi 400 (Daytona), Banquet 400 (Kansas), Bass Pro Shops 500 (Atlanta), Dickies 500 (Texas)

2005 (5 wins) Dodge/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma), Pepsi 400 (Daytona), New England 300 (Loudon), Allstate 400 at The Brickyard (Indianapolis), Sirius at The Glen (Watkins Glen), Nextel Cup Championship

2004 (2 wins) Tropicana 400 (Joliet), Sirius at The Glen (Watkins Glen)

2003 (2 wins) Pocono 500 (Pocono), UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte)

2002 (3 wins) MBNA America 500 (Atlanta), Chevy American Revolution 400 (Richmond), Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen (Watkins Glen), Winston Cup Championship

2001 (3 wins) Pontiac Excitement 400 (Richmond), Dodge/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma), Sharpie 500 (Bristol)

2000 (6 wins) MBNA Platinum 400 (Dover), Kmart 400 (Michigan), thatlook.com 300 (Loudon), MBNA.com 400 (Dover), NAPA AutoCare 500 (Martinsville), Pennzoil 400 presented by Discount Auto Parts (Homestead)

1999 (3 wins) Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 (Richmond), Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500 (Phoenix), Pennzoil 400 presented by Kmart (Homestead)

Busch/Nationwide Series (10 career wins)

2011 (1 win) DRIVE4COPD 300- Daytona

2010 (1 win) DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona)

2009 (1 win ) Camping World 300 (Daytona)

2008 (5 wins ) Camping World 300 (Daytona) Stater Brothers 300 (Fontana), Aaron's 312 (Talladega), Diamond Hill Plywood 200 (Darlington), Camping World RV Sales 200 (New Hampshire)

2006 (1 win ) Hershey's Kissables 300 (Daytona)

2005 (1 win ) Hershey's Take 5 300 (Daytona)

Craftsman/Camping World Truck Series (2 career wins)

2003 (1 win ) Virginia Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)

2002 (1 win ) Richmond Is For Lovers 200 (Richmond)

International Race of Champions (4 career wins plus championship)

2006 Crown Royal IROC XXX (2 wins) Race 2 (Texas), Race 3 (Daytona Road Course), Crown Royal IROC XXX Championship

2002 True Value IROC XXVI (1 win ) Race 1 (Daytona)

2001 True Value IROC XXV (1 win ) Race 3 (Michigan)

IRL IndyCar Series (3 career wins plus championship)

1998 (2 wins) Indy 200 (Walt Disney World Speedway), New England 200 (Loudon)

1997 (1 win) Samsonite 200 (Pikes Peak), Indy Racing League Championship

References

External links

Official Website

Official Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart Foundation

Tony Stewart Foundation Video

Old Spice's Tony Stewart Blog

Biography

NASCAR.com: Tony Stewart

Coca-Cola Racing Family's Tony Stewart profile

ESPN Bio Page

Tony Stewart's stats from all series at racing-reference.info

Category:1971 births Category:American Christians Category:American racecar drivers Category:Brickyard 400 winners Category:Grand-Am drivers Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers Category:Indy 500 pole-sitters Category:Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Category:International Race of Champions drivers Category:Indy Racing League drivers Category:Indy Racing League owners Category:Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Category:Living people Category:NASCAR Cup Series champions Category:NASCAR drivers Category:NASCAR owners Category:NASCAR Rookies of the Year Category:People from Columbus, Indiana Category:The Home Depot people Category:World of Outlaws drivers

de:Tony Stewart eo:Tony Stewart fr:Tony Stewart id:Tony Stewart it:Tony Stewart (pilota) hu:Tony Stewart nl:Tony Stewart ja:トニー・スチュワート no:Tony Stewart pt:Tony Stewart simple:Tony Stewart sv:Tony Stewart tl:Tony Stewart

Peter Boyles (born 1943) is a popular and controversial radio host in Denver, Colorado. Boyles can be heard on his morning drive-time talk show on 630 KHOW in Denver and on khow.com. His strong political opinions do not fit the usual radio talk show liberal or conservative stereotypes. For instance, although he advocates meaningful enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, he is also an ardent supporter of labor unions and gay rights.

Boyles is also an avid motorcyclist, and for a year hosted ''USA Biker Nation'' a syndicated weekly radio talk show on motorcycle topics. He frequently promotes charity benefit rides, such as one for the widow and children of slain police officer Donnie Young.

Talk-show topics

Boyles got national attention in 1997 by his investigation and nearly constant talk about the death of JonBenét Ramsey. In August 2006 he received intense criticism for his belief that John Mark Karr was not involved in the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Boyles was vindicated when "the most expensive DNA test in Colorado history" exonerated Karr. These and other topics frequently make their way into satirical song parodies by Boyles and his partner Don Wrege of ''MediaWhore Productions''.

Boyles has been critical of the Denver police in the past, especially in the shooting death of Ismael Mena where he tried to prove a theory that the Denver SWAT team covered up the shooting. He also criticized the police in the shooting death of Paul Childs.

In recent years, Boyles' favorite talk-show topic has been illegal immigration, which he strongly opposes. He is highly critical of lack of enforcement of immigration laws at the federal, state, and local levels, and what he considers tacit government encouragement of illegal immigration.

Boyles is highly critical of former Denver district attorney Bill Ritter's practice of allowing illegal immigrants who are also accused drug dealers, such as Walter Noel Ramo, to avoid deportation by pleading guilty to the lesser charge of "agricultural trespass." Boyles supported the legal defense of Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Senior Special Agent Cory Voorhis, who was prosecuted, but found not guilty, for retrieving Ramo's criminal record sheet from the NCIC database and sharing it with the staff of sitting Congressman Bob Beauprez. Boyles asked why the Denver District Attorney employee who allegedly accessed the same information, and shared it with the Ritter campaign, was not also prosecuted.

Former congressman Tom Tancredo is a frequent guest on the Peter Boyles show. Bill Ritter no longer makes appearances on the show.

Boyles is a supporter of same-sex marriage. He was first to break the story of Reverend Ted Haggard's sexual affair with a male prostitute.

In February 2009, Boyles sparked controversy in Colorado for repeatedly referring to Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver as "Vagina DeGette" / "Vagina DeJet" while on air.

In December of 2010 he voiced support for Terry Lakin, a court-martialed ex-Army officer who refused legal deployment orders on the grounds that Lakin didn't believe President Barack Obama was a US citizen. Since that point, Boyles has been increasingly supportive of the "Birthers" on the air.

References

Peter Boyles has West Nile

Boyles asserted Sen. Clinton says "nothing" about illegal immigration

External links

630 Khow Peter Boyles Webpage

Official biography

Boyles' monthly column for the ''Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle''

Category:Living people Category:1943 births Category:American anti–illegal immigration activists Category:American talk radio hosts Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:People from Denver, Colorado Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Radio personalities from Denver, Colorado

Don Bolles (July 10, 1928 – June 13, 1976) was an American investigative reporter whose murder in a bombing is linked to the Mafia.

Biography

Bolles grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and pursued a newspaper career, in the footsteps of his father (chief of the Associated Press bureau in New Jersey) and grandfather. He graduated from Beloit College with a degree in government, where he was editor of the campus newspaper, and received a President's Award for personal achievement. After a stint in the U.S. Army in the Korean War assigned to an anti-aircraft unit, he joined the Associated Press as a sports editor and rewriter in New York, New Jersey and Kentucky.

In 1962 he was hired by the ''Arizona Republic'' newspaper, published at the time by Eugene C. Pulliam, where he quickly found a spot on the investigative beat and gained a reputation for dogged reporting of influence peddling, bribery, and land swindles. Former colleagues say he seemed to grow disillusioned about his job in late 1975 and early 1976, and that he had requested to be taken off the investigative beat, moving to coverage of Phoenix City Hall and then the state Legislature.

Two marriages produced five children, four from the first and one from the second.

Bolles was the brother of Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the best-selling job-hunting book, ''What Color Is Your Parachute?'' He shares a grandfather, Stephen Bolles, with humanist theoretician Edmund Blair Bolles. His daughter, Frances Bolles Haynes, has co-authored four books on job hunting.

Death

On June 2, 1976, Bolles left behind a short note in his office typewriter explaining he would meet with an informant, then go to a luncheon meeting, and be back about 1:30 p.m. He was responsible for covering a routine hearing at the State Capitol, and planned to attend a movie with second wife Rosalie Kasse that night in celebration of their eighth wedding anniversary. The source promised information on a land deal involving top state politicians and possibly the mob. A wait of several minutes in the lobby of the Hotel Clarendon (now known as the Clarendon Hotel) was concluded with a call for Bolles himself to the front desk, where the conversation lasted no more than two minutes. Bolles then exited the hotel, his car in the adjacent parking lot just south of the hotel on Fourth Avenue.

Apparently, Bolles started the car, even moving a few feet, before a remote detonated bomb consisting of six sticks of dynamite taped to the underside of the car beneath the driver's seat was detonated, the impact shattering his lower body, opening the driver's door, and leaving him mortally wounded while half outside the vehicle. Both legs and one arm were amputated over a ten day stay in St. Joseph's Hospital; the eleventh day was the reporter's last. However, his last words after being found in the parking lot the day of the bombing were: ''"They finally got me. The Mafia. Emprise. Find John (Harvey Adamson)."''

The exact motive for the crime remains a mystery, but many speculate the Mafia holds responsibility, as a large concentration of Bolles' work involved organized crime, even going as far as to run a story naming over 200 known mafia members operating in the state of Arizona. Some suspected that Kemper Marley, a man who made millions in the liquor distribution business in Arizona in a partnership with Cindy McCain's father and fraternal uncle, was behind the Bolles murder, but Phoenix police could find no evidence linking him with the crime, and he continued conducting business in Arizona until meeting his own death, cancer-related, on June 25, 1990 in La Jolla, California.

The incident sparked an investigation in the months that followed, known as the Arizona Project, with Robert W. Greene assuming the head and drawing nearly 40 reporters and editors from 23 newspapers including ''The Milwaukee Journal'' and ''Newsday''.

John Harvey Adamson pleaded guilty in 1977 to second-degree murder for building and planting the bomb that killed Bolles. Adamson accused Phoenix contractor Max Dunlap, an associate of Kemper Marley, of ordering the hit, and Chandler plumber James Robison of triggering the bomb. Adamson testified against Dunlap and Robison, who were convicted of first-degree murder in the same year, but whose convictions were overturned in 1978. When Adamson refused to testify again, Adamson was charged and convicted of first-degree murder in 1980 and sentenced to death, which was overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court. In 1989, Robison was re-charged, and re-tried and acquitted in 1993, but pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting an act of criminal violence against Adamson. In 1990, Dunlap was re-charged when Adamson agreed to testify again, and was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Max Dunlap died in an Arizona prison on July 21, 2009.

Among the last words that Bolles mentioned was Emprise. Emprise (later called Sportsystems and now called Delaware North Companies) was a privately-owned company that operated various dog and horse racing tracks and is a major food vendor for sports arenas. In 1972, the House Select Committee on Crime held hearings concerning Emprise’s connections with organized crime figures. Around this time, Emprise and six individuals were convicted of concealing ownership of the Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a result of the conviction, Emprise's dog racing operations in Arizona were placed under the legal authority of a trustee appointed by the Arizona State Racing Commission. Bolles was investigating Emprise at the time of his death. However, no connection between Emprise and his death was discovered.

Newseum

The new $400 million Newseum features Bolles' 1976 Datsun 710, which had sat 28 years in a Phoenix Police impound lot, as the centerpiece of a gallery devoted solely to the slain journalist.

Awards

Conscience-in-Media Award, from the American Society of Journalists and Authors

Arizona Press Club Newsman of the Year in 1974.

References

External links

The Don Bolles Case 25 Years On

Bolles: Cautious man, dedicated journalist - Arizona Republic profile

Special Report: Don Bolles

The Arizona Project

The Death in Arizona of the Kemper Marley Machine - "Kemper Marley, a wealthy Phoenix rancher and liquor wholesaler, was Dunlap's mentor and was rumored for years to have been the person who actually ordered the hit on Don Bolles".

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special01/0528bolles-newseum.html

Category:1928 births Category:1976 deaths Category:1976 murders in the United States Category:Deaths by car bomb in the United States Category:Assassinated American journalists Category:Beloit College alumni Category:Conscience in Media Award recipients Category:American investigative journalists Category:Journalists killed in the United States Category:People murdered by organized crime Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People murdered in Arizona Category:Associated Press reporters