When the weather gets hot, so does Tony Stewart
It's the middle of summer and in NASCAR that usually means one thing: Tony Stewart is heating up along with the weather.
Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, finished a solid fifth in Monday's rain-delayed Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. For the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and driver, it was his third top five in the last four races.
In his last seven races, Stewart has one victory, four top-five and five top-10 finishes, with only one finish worse than 11th.
And with one victory in hand and a whopping 72-point lead over 31st-place driver Chris Buescher, the upset winner at Pocono, Stewart is a lock to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time since 2012.
Considering that he missed the first eight races of the season with a broken back, Stewart is exactly where he needs to be in this, his final season as a full-time driver.
Monday's race at Pocono was an odd affair, as weather and pit strategy played a prominent part in the outcome. Ultimately, the race was shortened to 138 laps from the scheduled 160-lap distance because of heavy fog that enveloped the three-turn, 2.5-mile track.
At times, Stewart ran up front and at other times he was in the middle of the field, depending on where drivers were on fuel strategy. And that was alright with him.
"We were kind of a like a yo-yo today," Stewart said. "I was pretty happy to see the race end. I hate it for the fans who came back to see us race on Monday, but for just us, we'll take a fifth-place finish and be happy with it."
By his own admission, Stewart wasn't sure how things would have turned out had the race gone the full distance.
As it turned out, Stewart got the finish he needed on a day when a lot of drivers struggled and the weather wasn't very cooperative. All in all, it made for a positive day.
"I don't know what would have happened if we started again," Stewart said. "We could have gained a few positions, but we probably could have lost some as well."
