by Mike Finnegan

(Archives/Bio)

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Posted on June 7, 2009

It was only a matter of time for Tony Stewart to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race in his own Stewart Hass Chevrolet. It took only 14 races to do this by winning the Pocono 500

Stewart had the added challenge of starting from the back of the pack after crashing his primary car in practice Saturday, going to a backup car to start the race. 

The win for Stewart would mark his 34th victory in 370 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts. The last time that a driver-owner was in victory lane would be Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.

Stewart has visited Victory Lane prior to today at Pocono as well as scoring his 15th top 10 finish at the "Tricky Triangle."

Stewart worked his way quickly through the field in the first 50 laps to move into the top 10. Stewart would bounce within the top 20 for the next 100 laps. The Office Depot driver would power his way into the lead for the last 40 of the race and jump way ahead of 2^nd place runner Carl Edwards at the 40 to go mark. 

The key point of the race came to fuel mileage for the leaders of the race at lap 157 (43 laps left in the race). The field ran under a brief light rain caution for 9 laps which allowed the crew chiefs to work the calculators to the limit. 

With about 12 to go Edwards would go into fuel conserve mode. A lap later, Stewart would do the same thing, as well as the rest of the top 5 leaders. When the conserve mode would start Stewart lead by 6 seconds. This would shrink down to 3.7 seconds at the Checkered Flag. 

Edwards led the most laps with 103, looking to be the second place finisher. Jimmy Johnson would ride on Edwards heels as he along with David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman in fuel conserve mode. The drivers would try to catch each other, not pushing the issue in fear the fuel would run out.

Coming out of turn three though, Edwards would see Stewart crossing the start finish line. Edwards would lead the race 6 times over the 200 laps ran on the track.

Jeff Gordon had a tough day at the track with an ill-handing car. Gordon led 9 laps of the event. He fell back in the positions mid-race to get the car dialed in in the closing laps. This allowed Gordon to move into the top 5 for his and the team's work on the car.

Jimmy Johnson would see front running clean air for 31 laps. Johnson's day would turn around though as he was coming into pit road during a green flag pit rotation, to have the caution come out, pit road close just before he crossed the commitment line. This placed the El Cajon, California driver in the back of the pack.

With the new rule of double file restarts, this not only placed Johnson at the end of the longest line, but the end of the field all-together.

Johnson would make a comeback in the last quarter of the race to salvage a 7th place finish.

PRE RACE CHATTER 

The big words for today are, Double File Restarts. This is Saturday night short track racing style for many of you, so you know what to expect. The drivers and teams today, it may be a bit different though. We will have a link for you to see how the restarts work. 

“We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: ‘double-file restarts – shootout style’ are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.” 

“I’m excited about it,” said two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. “The good thing is that when they drop the green, you’re going to be racing with the guys you’re racing for position instead of trying to clear lapped cars. 

“Since NASCAR has adapted the ‘free pass’, I think that’s something that now justifies being able to put those lapped cars to the back and let them race with each other, and let the guys who are racing on the lead lap do the same. I’m behind NASCAR 100% on this.” 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick said, “I think it’s great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it already is. This will not only benefit the lead lap cars, but also the cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds.” 

NASCAR recently used the “double-file” format for its non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the near future. Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had been lapped would start in a line next to them.

Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then restart next to the leader.  

Regardless of where the leader starts, drivers in odd number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race. 

The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” However, a new element beginning this week will be that the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race. 

Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.

Tony Stewart Brings Historic Point Lead To Pocono Raceway

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet) and his Stewart-Haas Racing team arrive at Pocono Raceway this Sunday with a history-making NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point lead. 

Stewart is the first owner-driver in the series to lead the series championship standings in 17 years. The last time an owner-driver led the series points was on November 15, 1992, when Alan Kulwicki won the series championship over Bill Elliott. 

“Everybody respected Alan because he was an owner-driver and what he was able to accomplish,” Stewart said. “It was a little bit before I was really a die-hard NASCAR guy.”  

Stewart was a 21-year-old focused on his USAC Sprint Car and Midget career when Kulwicki won the 1992 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. 

“You know, you go through a time and you’re able to go back and look at how the history of the sport has evolved and what milestones and moments shaped the sport to what it is,” Stewart said. “So it’s a pretty cool moment to have your organization mentioned with his organization.” 

Stewart is excited about the progress of his team, and teammate Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet). 

“I’m proud of our organization ... I’m proud of (Director of Competition) Bobby Hutchens, I’m proud of (crew chief) Darian Grubb, I’m proud of our teammate Ryan Newman, and (Newman’s crew chief) Tony Gibson and our entire organization,” Stewart said in sharing the credit for the team’s successful launch.

Newman arrives at Pocono fifth in series points riding five consecutive top-10 finishes and seven top 10s through the first 13 events of 2009. Newman also won the first pole for Stewart-Haas Racing for last month’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway where he finished second. 

Both drivers have enjoyed success at Pocono, both in 2003. Stewart won the spring Pocono 500, while Newman won the summer Pennsylvania 500 from the pole. Newman also won a Pocono pole in 2007, while Stewart won a pole at Pocono in 2000.

RAIN MEANS STARTING BY POINTS 

HEY YOU!! GET TO THE BACK!! 

Tony Stewart was going to the be on the pole for today’s race, but a Saturday practice means that he will start from the back. Robby Gordon will be going to the back as well. Gordon was in the Baja 500 which he won yesterday, so there was a backup driver for him until today. 

NOW, LET’S GET THIS SHOW GOING 

GREEN FLAG and we have trouble already as Denny Hamlin has no power, dropping like a rock to the back. His car is coasting into the tunnel turn, turn two. Hamlin did not even make it to turn one as the car died. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 2 as Hamlin’s car is dead in the short chute. The tow truck pushes him back to pit road. 

This will be the first look at the double file restart. No lucky dog. Stewart has moved from last place up to 34^th. Robby Gordon is up to 40^th. 

GREEN FLAG lap 5 as Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson lead the field back to racing. No passing until you pass the start finish line. The old way you could pass on the outside once the green flag came out. Lap 6 Jeff Gordon moves over to let Johnson take the lead. 

Lap 7 Johnson has led the most laps this season so far. Lap 8 shows that Jeff Gordon may not have the car the way he wants it as Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman starts to work on the inside. 

Lap 9 we see three wide between Gordon, Newman and Greg Biffle in the tunnel turn. Gordon slides back to 5^th. We hear that Hamlin may have a bad fuel pump. Stewart has moved up to 22^nd. 

Lap 12 Johnson leaves the field behind by 2 seconds. Lap 13 Hamlin’s team thought they had the issue fixed and came back onto the track. More trouble for Hamlin though as Hamlin is dead on the Long Pond Straight away, before turn two.  

YELLOW FLAG lap 13 as the same tow truck is back to push him to pit road. The field heads to pit road. The race back to the track is Johnson, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Biffle and Martin. Trouble for Kasey Kahne as the hood is up on his car in the pit box. 

The first re-organization of the double file begins, not too bad. Johnson starts on the outside. The leader has the choice of which line he starts on. 

GREEN FLAG lap 17 and no lapped drivers on the inside to deal with so it’s game on. Johnson holds the lead. Lap 18 it looks like four wide racing around 20^th in the area of Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray and Sam Hornish Jr. 

Lap 20 Stewart has moved up to 15^th. He is a man on a mission. Lap 21 movers on the track are Carl Edwards up to 4^th from his start of 11^th, Mark Martin from 12^th to 5^th, Earnhardt Jr. from 18^th to 12^th, Stewart now up to 13^th, David Ragan from 31^st to 14^th and Allmendinger from 30^th to 19^th. 

Lap 23 Hamlin is in the garage. Kahne remained on the lead lap, who runs 23^rd. Lap 24 Johnson is back up to a 2 second lead over 2^nd place Biffle and 3 seconds in front of 3^rd place Kenseth. 

Lap 25 the rest of your top 10 drivers are Edwards, Martin, Jeff Gordon, Burton, Kurt Busch, Newman and Kyle Busch. Lap 28 we hear that Kahne may have had a sticking throttle. Kahne has not reported it sticking since the pit stop. Lap 29 Stewart closes in on 11^th place David Reutimann. 

Lap 29 some of the drivers that have slid back in the pack is Jeff Gordon from his start of 2^nd back to 6^th, Newman from 5^th to 10^th, Kahne from 14^th to 20^th, Clint Bowyer from 16^th to 27^th. Joe Nemechek has taken his car to the garage. Hamlin is back on the race track. 

Lap 33 Johnson’s lead over the past ten laps has been shrinking as Biffle closes the gap to 1 second. 3^rd place Edwards is 2.5 seconds back. Lap 34 Dave Blaney and Patrick Carpentier are in the garage. Lap 36 Sterling Marlin falls a lap down. David Gilliland brings his car to the garage. 

Lap 37 Biffle works on the inside of Johnson. Both cars look way loose, which keeps Johnson in the lead. This allows Edwards to catch the two leaders. Lap 38 Biffle and Johnson continue to fight each other which allows Edwards to catch Biffle on the outside. Lap 39 score Edwards with the lead. The battle puts Edwards in front, followed by Biffle and Johnson. 

Lap 40 we are getting close to pit stops. Marlin falls to two laps down. The rest of the lap down drivers we spoke of are in the garage. Hamlin is back on the track 22 laps down. Lap 41 Blaney is back on track. Lap 44 Johnson is way, way loose in the turns. Johnson is almost sideways out of turn three. 

Lap 45 the first to hit pit road is Burton for four tires and fuel. The next takers are the top four leaders. Dexter Bean almost crashes on his way into pit road. We almost see the entire field come into pit road. Mark Martin leads a lap. Lap 47 Bean will serve a penalty for the stop as he hit the pit cone at the entrance of pit road. Michael Waltrip spins out on the entry to pit road, as there is not cone, and continues on, no yellow. Nemechek is back in the race. Gilliand’s race is done for the day with an engine issue. 

Lap 48 after this round of stops is completed, Edwards is the leader once again.  

Lap 50 your top 20 drivers are Edwards, Biffle, Johnson, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Martin, Burton, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Stewart, Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr., Newman, Ambrose, Kahne, Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears and Harvick. 

Lap 54 Carpentier is out of the race with a vibration issue. Waltrip falls a lap down. Lap 55 Edwards leads Biffle by 1.5 seconds. Lap 56 Stewart is running in the top 10. Nemechek heads back to the garage. Kurt Busch passes his brother to take 8^th place. 

Lap 58 when we had the last caution, Kahne was in the back of the pack on the restart. Since then Kahne has moved up to 17^th. Lap 59 at the moment, most of the field is spread out running on cruise control. 

Lap 62 Earnhardt battles with Harvick for 18^th. Lap 64 Edwards leads Biffle by 2.1 seconds. Harvick takes the position. Lap 65 David Stremme takes 25^th from Bobby Labonte. We hear team talk of pit stops in about 15 laps. 

Lap 68 Burton battles with Kurt Busch for 7^th place. Busch takes the position. Lap 70 battle for 21^st between Bowyer and Hornish Jr. Bowyer hangs onto the position. Lap 71 we see that John Andretti, Regan Smith and Juan Pablo Montoya have dropped down a lap. Scott Speed, Joey Logano and Robby Gordon would be the next three who would go a lap down. We hear 7 to 10 laps from stops. 

Lap 73 Speed made a stop which had put him a lap down. Lap 75 Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Truex Jr. with a few others are in for stops. Lap 76 we see about 12 more drivers coming into pit. Lap 77 we see another big chunk of drivers head into pit road along with Edwards. Stewart leads a lap. 

Lap 78 as Stewart is the last driver who will pit this time will leave Edwards as the leader followed by Biffle, Johnson, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Burton, Martin and Kyle Busch who are the top ten. 

Lap 79 we hear Newman may have some kind of issue with his engine. With Newman’s understanding of engineering he has been telling the team about how the engine sounds. This helps the crew chief. 

Lap 84 Edwards leads Biffle by 1.1 seconds. 3^rd place Johnson is 2 seconds behind, 4^th place Kenseth is 5.5 seconds behind, 5^th place Jeff Gordon is 7.9 seconds, 6^th place Kurt Busch is 13.4 seconds, 7^th place Burton is 14.6 seconds down, 8^th place Martin is 14.8, 9^th place Stewart is 17.7 seconds down with 10^th place Kyle Busch is 20.6 seconds behind. 

Lap 88 the next drivers who look to be added to the lap down list will be David Ragan, Elliott Sadler, Labonte and McMurray. Lap 89 we hear that Edwards team did not get all the fuel in his car. He will have to come in 7 laps early. 

Lap 91 Newman is falling back slowly in the field. Earnhardt Jr. takes 18^th from him. Lap 92 Newman falls behind Bowyer who takes 19^th from him. Lap 92 Hamlin is on Newman’s bumper and helps him by pushing him on the front stretch to keep moving. 

Lap 98 Edwards continues to lead at the moment by 2.1 seconds over Biffle and the field. Lap 100 (Halfway) your top 20 drivers are Edwards, Biffle, Johnson, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Burton, Martin, Stewart, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Reutimann, Allmendinger, Kahne, Truex Jr., Vickers, Ambrose, Harvick, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr. and Reed Sorenson.  

So far we have seen 10 lead changes among 7 leaders along with 2 cautions for 5 laps. Lap 101 Edwards brings his car to pit road. Biffle is the new leader. No lap lose for Edwards either. Lap 103 Burton is in along with Speed. This may start the cycle early. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 104 as Johnson is on pit road at the same time. Johnson remains on the lead lap for the moment. There may be an issue with the stop as Johnson may have not crossed the line when pit road was closed. Johnson may have to go to the back of the field. Labonte may be the lucky dog. NASCAR informs Johnson he will have to go to the back of the field. 

This is the first caution that the lap down drivers will have to go to the back and see how the lead cars sort out the front positions. The race out of pit road is Biffle, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Stewart and Martin. Edwards is the leader with making his stop a lap earlier. Burton will be second with the same issue of having completed his stop before the caution. 

The report from Newman’s crew is a possible bad spark plug wire. Johnson comes back to pit road for new tires and extra fuel who will start in the back. 

GREEN FLAG lap 109 as Edwards and Burton get the show going again. A smooth start except for Burton who looks like he is struggling on restarts. With the new rules, there are “Wave Around” drivers, who cannot pit until the green flag comes out. So we see Montoya, Logano, Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon come onto pit road. 

Lap 112 Martin and Allmendinger pass Burton for 5^th and 6^th. It looks like David Stremme hit the outside turn two wall after clipping the left front of Earnhardt Jr.’s car. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 113 for the debris from Stremme’s car. Sadler is the lucky dog. About half the field comes onto pit road. 

GREEN FLAG lap 118 with Edwards and Kenseth lead the double file restart back up to speed. 3^rd place Biffle is split by Stewart on the outside and Martin on the inside. By turn three Kenseth takes the lead. 

Lap 119 into lap 120 we see three and four wide racing as the battles are for positions and not lead lap versus lap down drivers. Lap 120 Vickers passes Allmendinger for 6^th place. Lap 121 we see three wide between Allmendinger, Bowery and Ambrose for 8^th, 9^th and 10^th. 

Lap 122 Biffle takes back 3^rd from Stewart. Edwards takes the lead again. Lap 124 Bowyer and Johnson fight each other for 9^th. Johnson takes it. In front of them Allmendinger tires for 7^th, but Reutimann will hold him off. 

Lap 125 your top ten drivers are Edwards, Kenseth, Stewart, Biffle, Martin, Vickers, Reutimann, Allmendinger, Johnson and Bowyer. Lap 126 and it looks like Newman works his way up through the pack up to 16^th. Lap 127 we see Harvick, Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Montoya, Sorenson and Earnhardt Jr. race each other for 20^th through 27^th. 

Lap 128 we are hearing some talk of possible rain that could be headed for the track. The major part of the storm is north of the track, but some small pieces could hit the track. We see the dark clouds in the area of turn two and three. Turn one looks ok. 

Lap 130 Kurt Busch has issues where he may have lost the belts from his car. The team tells him to shut the car down. They will have to change the water pump. Lap 131 Edwards leads the field bi 2.1 seconds. 3^rd place Kenseth is 3.7 seconds back. 

Lap 133 Stewart has moved up to 2^nd place. The movers since the start of the race are – Edwards from 11^th to the lead, Stewart from last to 2^nd, Allmendinger 30^th to 9^th, Hornish Jr. from 26^th to 11^th. 

Lap 135 Jeff Gordon is in for a pit stop. Edwards should be in, in the next lap or two. Lap 137 Burton is in. Lap 138 Edwards is on pit road, followed by Stewart, Johnson, Reutimann, Hornish Jr. and six to eight others. 

Lap 139 Kenseth, Biffle, Martin, Vickers, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt Jr. and many others are in. A drag race out of pit road between Kahne and Kyle Busch. Waltrip spins out again in the entrance to pit road who continues on. Lap 140 McMurray leads a lap. The clouds cover most of the track now. Lap 141 Sadler leads a lap. Lap 142 the talk of rain starts in turn two as well as some debris in the middle of the turn. Lap 143 Sadler is in which leaves Mears to lead a lap. Edwards passes Mears to take the lead. 

Lap 144 Edwards leads Stewart by 2.8 seconds and 3^rd place Kenseth by 5.7 seconds. Some of the drivers who have fallen in the back of the field since the start of the race are Kyle Busch from 6^th back to 15^th, Newman 5^th to 16^th, Jeff Gordon 2^nd to 18^th, Montoya 15^th to 23^rd, Kurt Busch 4^th to 37^th along with Hamlin 7^th to 38^th. 

Lap 150 (50 to go) the teams are talking about small rain cells hitting the track soon. Your top 20 drivers are – Edwards, Stewart, Kenseth, Biffle, Martin, Johnson, Vickers, Reutimann, Bowyer, Kahne, Burton, Allmendinger, Ambrose, Newman, Hornish Jr., Kyle Busch, Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Harvick and McMurray. 

Lap 153 the drivers are spread out on the track. The closest battle is Montoya on Earnhardt Jr.’s tail for 22^nd. Lap 155 Bowyer closes in on Reutimann for 8^th and takes it. Reutimann closes in on Vickers for 7^th. Lap 156 more talk of rain coming. Edwards leads Stewart by 3.4 seconds, 3^rd place Kenseth 7.7 seconds and 4^th place Biffle by 10 seconds. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 157 (43 to go) for debris in turn three. Waltrip should be the lucky dog. The teams cannot make it to the end of the race from here. We hear the rain will not kill the race if it does hit. 

The drivers head to pit road. The race back is Stewart, Edwards, Biffle, Kenseth and Martin. Some rain starts on the back of the track. The field paces around while we see if the rain will stop or keep going. 

GREEN FLAG lap 165 (35 to go) as Stewart and Edwards lead the field into turn one. We see a couple of three and four wide in the middle of the pack. 34 to go as Kahne has moved up to 4^th place. 33 to go Edwards all over Stewart for the lead. Speed and Labonte come in again to top off. 

32 to go Reutimann is on the inside of Newman for 10^th place. Newman holds him off. 31 to go Martin is a bit off pace as Newman, Reutimann, Truex Jr. pass him as he slips back to 12^th. 

30 to go as Edwards runs just behind Stewart, not letting go of the lead. They in turn lead the field by 2 seconds. 27 to go Stewart has pulled away from Edwards by 1 second. 26 to go Reutimann, Newman and Truex Jr. battle for 8^th, 9^th and 10^th. 

25 to go with your top 10 drivers who are Stewart, Edwards, Kahne, Johnson, Bowyer, Kenseth, Biffle, Newman, Reutimann and Truex Jr. 24 to go Mears passes Harvick for 23^rd. 

24 to go Ambrose battles with Vickers for 14^th. Ambrose takes the position. 23 to go Montoya closes in on Logano for 16^th place. Behind them Hornish Jr. challenges McMurray for 20^th. 

20 to go as Stewart runs 1.2 seconds in front of Edwards, 3.1 seconds in front of 3^rd place Kahne, 4.9 seconds in front of 4^th place Johnson and 5.3 seconds in front of 5^th place Bowyer. 

19 to go as we see a few drivers in for tires and fuel. 17 to go Harvick is in for fuel.  

15 to go Biffle and Martin are in to pit along with Kyle Busch and Truex Jr. 

14 to go Bowyer is in. 13 to go as Stewart leads Edwards by 2.2 seconds. Kenseth is in for a stop along with Logano and Earnhardt Jr. 

12 to go with 20 drivers on the lead lap and Earnhardt Jr. the lucky dog at the moment. 

10 to go as Edwards goes into fuel conserve mode, dropping to 6.4 seconds back behind Stewart. Kahne is in to pit. 

8 to go as Earnhardt Jr. will get his lap back as Stewart drops into fuel conserve mode. Edwards is 6 seconds behind Stewart. 

7 to go and the fuel game is on. 5.7 seconds separation between the two. This will be interesting to see who makes it. 

6 to go 5.3 seconds separation. Johnson closes in on Edwards. 

5 to go as it’s 5 seconds. Johnson, Reutimann, Newman and Jeff Gordon are in fuel conserve mode. 

4 to go as we see the drivers lift between the start finish line and turn one. The drivers coast before the turns, through the turns and on the exit of the turns. 

3 to go 4.3 seconds from Stewart to Edwards. Johnson, Reutimann, Newman and Jeff Gordon hold position. 

2 to go and 4.2 seconds from Stewart to Edwards. 

WHITE FLAG and you have to hit the gas sometime. Stewart does to keep 2.4 seconds in front. The battle is Edwards and Johnson. Out of turn three with a 2 second lead, Stewart heads to his first official checkered flag. 

CHECKERED FLAG for Stewart. At the line, scoring shows Edwards 2nd, Reutimann 3rd, Jeff Gordon 4th, Ryan Newman 5th, Ambrose 6th, Johnson 7th, Montoya 8th, Burton 9th and Hornish Jr. 10th. 

Kahne got in trouble out of turn three spinning out.