I feel like we are back where we belong,” said Stewart, who after two races in this year’s Chase finds himself only two points behind leader Jeff Gordon. “I think we had three or four bad weeks in a row last season that took us out of it. Our performance after the Chase started showed where we belonged.”
Stewart only missed the Chase by 16 points, doing his best to rebound from the dismal summer stretch of the season but eventually coming up short of making the playoffs.
“We just missed it. There wasn’t anything wrong with the system,” Stewart said. “We knew what it took to get in and we just missed it. If we made the Chase, we win the championship. This team should never miss the Chase.” Pete Pistone, CBSSports.com
Tony Stewart got into quite the little fracas at Kansas Speedway on Nextel Cup weekend last year.
Not with fans, media or another driver. Not this time.
Stewart’s spat was with crew chief, strategist and race-day psychologist Greg Zipadelli.
Zipadelli wound up prevailing in their disagreement — and as a result, Stewart wound up winning the race. Barely. JIM PEDLEY, The Kansas City Star
Winning titles under the Chase format is as much about making the most of bad races as it is about running up front, and that’s what elevates Stewart to the top spot after Dover. For most of Sunday’s race, the No. 20 Chevrolet was out to lunch; but Stewart steered the car away from trouble and used a series of late-race wrecks to position himself toward a ninth-place finish, one lap off the pace. Heading to Kansas—where Stewart is the defending champ—don’t be surprised to see him take over the top spot in the standings; Sunday’s finish left him second in points, just two off the lead. Tom Bowles, SportsIllustrated
| 
|