New car. New crown. New Tony Stewart? Stewart, who made as much news last year for his outbursts as he did for winning his first Winston Cup championship, hopes to have a more smooth 2003 in his new Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Jeff D'Alessio, who covers NASCAR for Florida Today, caught up with the self-described "simple boy from Indiana" recently to talk about repeating, bachelor life, Jeff Gordon and more.

Question: How was your offseason?

Answer: What offseason? You mean I get an offseason this year? Awesome. Where do I get to go?

Q: Did you at least treat yourself to anything special with all your winnings?

A: No. The amount I get out of the championship doesn't come close to $4.3 million. I get a small chunk of that by the time I get my portion of it and Uncle Sam takes 50 percent of that away. ... But at the same time, you never know what the life span of a race driver's going to be. ... I can have an injury tomorrow during a test that can keep me from driving a racecar the rest of my life. I guess I try to be somewhat smart and try to put money away for retirement.

Q: Do you shop at Home Depot (his primary sponsor)?

A: Religiously.

Q: What was your last purchase there?

A: A propane torch, some I-hooks. It was right before the holidays. I got a fireplace screen, a fireplace rack. A - I don't know what you call it - a poker set is what I call it. You know, the stoker and all that stuff. And I bought some ceramic electric heaters, also.

Q: What's been the coolest thing to happen to you since you won the Winston Cup championship?

A: Well, I got to meet the president, yeah. That's probably about it, really. We really haven't done much. We went through the media week in New York, and the whole week was fun up there. We got to meet with one of the police departments in New York City. Met one of the fire departments. Got to ring the bell at the Stock Exchange. All that was pretty cool, but it was a work week. Q: Are you thinking about two in a row yet?

A: It's definitely a goal again. But I don't feel like there's any pressure this year. I don't feel like there's any pressure to win a championship. Some people say, "Well, there's more pressure this year because there's pressure to repeat." Well, I mean, I think it's enough pressure just to win one of them. The gratification of winning one championship is enough to take the pressure off, in my mind.

Q: As far as public perception goes, are you misunderstood at all?

A: You know, that's part of it I've put behind me. I don't even worry about being misunderstood ... That's one of those things that's out of my control. I'm a fierce competitor, I definitely don't take losing well - I'm definitely not a good loser - and that's developed a perception around me that's carried over to my personal life. People think that's the way I am away from a racetrack.

Q: Who's the most eligible bachelor in Winston Cup - you or Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

A: I would say Junior is, for sure.

Q: What gives him the edge?

A: He's got the cologne sponsorship. I don't have a cologne sponsorship yet. I've got the Old Spice, I've got a deodorant sponsorship. Maybe if I get a cologne sponsorship, I'll be a little closer to Junior on that one. It's a pretty small group, if you look at it. Most of the guys have steady girlfriends and this and that. Pretty much Junior and I are the diehard no-girlfriend deal.

Q: You like that lifestyle?

A: Nah, it's just hard to find a girl that can adapt to our lifestyle. Traveling all the time. We hardly ever have time for the girls.

Q: One last thing: Is there really a feud between you and Jeff Gordon?

A: Total opposite. We get along really good. We have a pretty good time when we have a chance to hang out. It's one of those things that the media created on a week that there was nothing to report. They had to make up something.

2003's top five drivers

The Fort Worth-Star Telegram ranks Winston Cup's top drivers for the upcoming season:

1. Tony Stewart. He has translated his background in dirt-track and open-wheel racing into a "seat of the pants" feel with a 3,400-pound stock car. He and crew chief Greg Zipadelli are racers to the core.

2. Jeff Gordon. Four championships and 61 victories attest to his ability to take the great equipment provided by Hendrick Motorsports and max it out. He has won races at 20 Cup tracks. At 31, he's still young and aggressive enough to try the setups that made protege Jimmie Johnson a rookie star in 2002.

3. Matt Kenseth. He's not on a rock-star par with fellow 2000 Cup rookie Dale Earnhardt Jr. Instead, Kenseth's intensity is reminiscent of mentor Mark Martin. Kenseth signed a long-term deal with Roush Racing last week, ending speculation of free agency at season's end. He and crew chief Robbie Reiser rate on a par with Stewart and Zipadelli.

4. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch (tie). Newman, last year's Rookie of the Year, has taken all he learned while earning a degree in vehicle structural engineering from Purdue and rocketed to the forefront of Winston Cup. Busch is old-school fearless and brash. Actually, he's a borderline punk. But he ended 2002 with three victories in the final five races en route to a third-place points finish.