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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Stewart Storms To Pocono 500 Victory
Tony Stewart won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup points race of the year when he claimed Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted June 07, 2009   Long Pond, PA
Tony Stewart celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

All year long, Tony Stewart has been surprisingly strong as owner/driver of the new Stewart-Haas Racing team. Stewart came into the Pocono 500 as the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader and he put exclamation point on his sensational season with his first points-race victory of 2009.

Stewart, who had the advantageous first pit stall position, came in second in his SHR Chevrolet Impala SS, but won the race off pit road on the final full-service stop of the day on Lap 159 in the 200-lap race at the 2.5-mile, three-turn Pocono Raceway.

That allowed the two-time Sprint Cup champion to defeat the dominant Ford Fusion of Carl Edwards, who led more than half the race. As a result, Stewart became the first Sprint Cup owner-driver to win a points race since Ricky Rudd triumphed at Martinsville in 1998.

And Stewart continued to show that he will be one of, if not the, drivers to beat in this season’s championship race. His victory was especially impressive given that it was accomplished in a backup car that had finished 26th in its only other outing this season.

Finishing behind Stewart were Edwards, David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman.

The race began with drama literally at the drop of the green flag.

Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which was the fastest car in Saturday’s final “Happy Hour” practice, slowed at the start of the race and stalled on the second lap, bringing out a caution and setting up the first double-wide restart of NASCAR’s new policy. After Hamlin’s crew replaced the fuel pump, he went back out again and it stalled once again to bring out yellow No. 2.

The first round of pit stops began on Lap 15 with the second caution, with Jimmie Johnson leading Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards. Four laps later, Tony Stewart was all the way up to 15th, after starting at the back of the field.


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