Stewart won his own charity dirt-track race Wednesday, leading nearly the entire way.
Stewart grabbed the lead from Kevin Harvick on the first lap at Eldora Speedway and led the rest of the way in the 30-lap race.
Stewart made the most of it in the fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway.
Stewart, who won the second heat race and started third, took the lead on the first lap of the main event and led wire-to-wire despite seven cautions that dramatically slowed the event’s early pace.
I heard there was talk of a conspiracy,” joked Stewart, as his fellow drivers took note of the laps he made around in order to pack down the mud. “I can’t believe the accusations.”
“I thought I was going to die of ulcers, the weather had been so bad. The rain had stopped by the time I woke up. Adam Petty must have had a hand in this because everything that had been on the radar dissipated.”
After the victory, Stewart raised his arms to the cheers of the crowd and then climbed to the top on the chain-link fence that separated the fans from the track.
“This is a new car, a little different design than what we’ve had in the past,” Stewart said. “This thing was just easy to drive. It didn’t take skill on my part. The car was just that good. It made it easy.”
Gordon moved into second by the 20th lap, but couldn’t close.
“I told him for years I thought he would be great in a dirt car,” Stewart said. “I think he’s one of the most naturally talented drivers that races every week in the Sprint Cup series. I’m proud of it (Gordon’s performance) because it makes me look like a genius.”
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