Believe it or not, there are more than 10 teams racing in the Nextel Cup series.
With all of the attention that is focused on the Chase for the Cup and the 10 drivers trying to win the championship, sometimes it?s easy to forget that there are plenty of competitive teams outside the top 10 capable of winning.
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Tony Stewart reminded everyone of that fact Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Having to start the race behind all 10 of the drivers in the Chase since qualifying was rained out, Stewart worked his way by all of the championship competitors, making just the right adjustments throughout the race to easily hold off Jimmy Johnson for his fourth win of the season.
After narrowly missing the Chase, Stewart has been strong since NASCAR?s version of the playoffs have begun, scoring two wins and four top-fives in the last seven races. Stewart credits his recent success to the fact that he and his team do not have to deal with the extra pressure of winning a championship.
“We?re strictly just trying to win races, where I?m sure Matt Kenseth and [Dale Earnhardt] Junior and those guys were worried about where those other nine guys in the Chase were,” Stewart said.
If it seems like Stewart has come to terms with the fact that he will not be able to defend his Nextel Cup Championship, he has ? at least outwardly. No driver wants to be out of the Chase, but Stewart is using the opportunity to take more risks, and so far they have paid off.
“If we were in the Chase, we wouldn?t have been able to do what we did at Kansas,” Stewart said, referring to his win a few weeks ago where he gambled on fuel mileage and literally coasted across the finish line. “The nice thing is, you don?t have to worry about points.”
Stewart has more to race for than just wins, though. He is currently 11th in the points, and if he can finish the season there, it will earn him a spot on stage at theNextel Cup awards ceremony and a $1 million bonus for being the top driver outside of the Chase.
Without having to worry about the Chase, Stewart?s biggest concern this weekend was how to get his trophies home. He started the weekend by winning the IROC Series championship, and Sunday?s Cup series trophy was a 280-pound life-sized replica of a Grizzly Bear, which must be broken down into pieces twice before finally making its way to a new home Stewart is having built.
“It?s a lot of work,” Stewart said of moving the trophy twice. “I?d much rather have a lot of work, though, carrying something that cool around. That?s a cool trophy.”
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR by listening to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39 p.m. on 93.1 WPOC. You can e-mail Steve at [email protected].
