Tony Stewart may have been one of those guys the media feared but tonight, he handled his runner up finish to veteran Mark Martin with class and style.

“The last three weeks have been amazing- its been so much fun. We’ve been in contention,” Stewart said after the race during a media interview. “There’s no shame in losing to a guy like Mark Martin tonight. I mean, I don’t think there is anybody that’s not a Mark Martin fan.”

Kind of makes you wonder though if there is shame in losing to anyone else? Tony goes on to say:

“It was an awesome night for our organization and an awesome night for Mark and I’m really happy for him.”

Stewart seems to have matured a lot, especially when it comes to dealing with the media. He gracefully handled things tonight which probably earned him a lot more respect from fans. Either way it is easy to see that not only has Tony grown and matured but he holds only the highest respect for Mark Martin.