Tony Stewart gave back 59 points to Mark Martin on Sunday. Credit: Autostock
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
November 4, 2002
10:46 AM EST (1546 GMT)
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Come Monday morning, some folks will glance at the rundown from Sunday's Pop Secret 400, see Tony Stewart's 14th-place finish and assume he cruised around for 400 miles, content to bring the car home in one piece and take yet another step towards his first career championship.
Those folks will be incorrect.
Stewart drove as if possessed over the final 90 laps, surging from outside the top 30 and into the top 15.
At one point Sunday, Stewart was as low as 35th in the running order, but after multiple adjustments and six pit stops, Joe Gibbs Racing gave him a piece he could do something with. With 100 laps to go, Stewart entered the track in 24th position. He came home 14th.
"I'm proud of the team and I'm proud of Tony. He did what he had to do," said crew chief Greg Zipadelli. "Most of the day, he kept his head and did a great job."
 | Pop Secret 400 |  | Johnny Benson passes Mark Martin and holds on for his first WC win.
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|  | Tony Stewart has some choice words for his car at The Rock.
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After the race, however, Stewart lost his head a bit, saying in a taped interview that the car was "a piece of (expletive)" and "the worst I've ever driven in my life." Luckily for Stewart, the expletive was edited out and NASCAR plans no disciplinary action.\
Points lead takes hit
With two races remaining in the 2002 campaign, Stewart leads Mark Martin by 87 points. Martin finished second to race winner Johnny Benson Sunday at The Rock, enabling him to make up 59 points on Stewart.
Martin's car failed post-race inspection --- NASCAR inspectors discovered a left-front spring that was just short of the required length. Any penalty -- if any will be distributed -- will be handled Monday.
If Stewart manages to finish eighth or better in the final two events, he'll clinch the title no matter what any other driver does.
"From where we were to where we ended up was a great improvement," Zipadelli said. "It was just a matter of getting the right adjustments for what he was feeling or what he needed.
"It's just too bad it took us 300 laps to get it. But I guess that's better than not getting it."
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