Tony Stewart celebrates at Chicagoland Credit: Autostock

Steady Stewart has sights on second title

As much as he was in the news in the weeks leading up to the Chase, 2004 was a very good year for Tony Stewart.

He won twice, at Chicagoland (amid controversy) and at Watkins Glen, and he was as steady as a Ridgid Tool workbench along the way.

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In un-Stewart-like fashion, he emerged from Daytona after a runner-up finish to Dale Earnhardt Jr. after leading the most laps, and he ended the first half of the season with five top-fives and eight top-10s.

In the second half, when he is traditionally the strongest, he started off with a victory at Chicagoland, fifths at New Hampshire and Indy, a victory at Watkins Glen and a ninth-place run at Michigan.

Of course, what would a Tony Stewart season be without some controversy? He drew the wrath of Rusty Wallace at Talladega after nudging Kurt Busch into a crash, took a little swing at rookie Brian Vickers following the race at Sonoma and was roundly criticized for dumping Kasey Kahne on his way to victory at Chicagoland.

Through it all, however, Stewart has maintained his composure and focused on what lies ahead.

The key moment in Stewart's season came at Watkins Glen, where he overcame a case of stomach flu to win the race.

Afterward, he remarked that the key to his 2002 title run was his victory on the 2.45-mile road course in upstate New York. Could history be repeating itself? For the season, he won twice, earned nine top-fives and 13 top-10s.

Daytona 500: Started the season off right, leading the most laps and losing out to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the closing laps. Lots of people have finished second to DEI cars on restrictor-plate tracks.

Subway 400 at Rockingham: One of those days at Rockingham, finishing 26th, four laps down.

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas: He was in the hunt all day, finally finishing third. Solid early-season performance so far.

Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta: Again he led the most laps, but wound up seventh at the finish. It was the third top-10 in four races for the Hoosier native.

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington: A 17th-place run made better by the fact that he led a lap.

Food City 500 at Bristol: Bristol is always a crapshoot, and Tony rolled sevens here, finishing 24th, two laps down.

Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas: A solid run for Stewart at Texas, finishing eighth.

Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville: The tiny paperclip oval took its toll, as Stewart finished 14th.

Aaron's 499 at Talladega: The first of his controversial finishes. Stewart dived underneath Kurt Busch into Turn 3 and triggered a crash that caught, among others, Rusty Wallace, who said he wanted to "wring his neck." Stewart limped home 22nd.

Auto Club 500 at California: Another so-so run, 16th, at a track where Stewart has been very good in the past.

Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond: Richmond is another track where Stewart has been good through the years, and he brought his Chevy home fourth to end the spate of sub-par finishes.

Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's: Solid but unspectacular, Stewart was ninth at the finish.

MBNA 400 at Dover: If Mark Martin had been a little less hooked-up at the end, it would have been Stewart's first victory of the season. Martin tracked him down late in the race and won, leaving Stewart second.

Pocono 500: Pocono can be hard on cars and drivers, and it was in this case for Stewart. He finished 27th, six laps down.

DHL 400 at Michigan: Last car on the lead lap in 24th spot was not what he was hoping for at Michigan.

Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma: Despite leading a lap, Stewart got into it with Brian Vickers, triggering a post-race fracas that drew the ire of NASCAR and Home Depot. He was 15th at the finish, and was ahead on the scorecard when the fight was called.

Pepsi 400 at Daytona: Whatever he and Greg Zipadelli did to figure out the superspeedway program, it worked. He was fifth, giving him an average finish at Daytona in 2004 of 3.5.

Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland: Despite leading 160 of the 267 laps, Stewart will be most remembered for allegedly dumping Kasey Kahne on a restart. The rookie had been strong too, and given his performance at Talladega earlier in the year, Stewart was pilloried for the incident. However, Stewart swore up and down that he didn't do it intentionally, and ultimately NASCAR termed it a racing incident. His was the best car all day, and he earned his 19th career victory.

Siemens 300 at New Hampshire: A typical run for Stewart at NHIS, steady and fast. He wound up fifth, continuing his top-five string at three straight.

Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono: Well, it couldn't last forever. A loose race car finally bit back, and Stewart spun out of the race over the Tunnel Turn. He was 35th.

Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis: At the place where Stewart, an Indiana native, most wants to win a race, he was close, finishing fifth to give him four top-fives in five races.

Sirius at the Glen: Perhaps his gutsiest performance ever, if you'll pardon the pun. Afflicted by stomach illness after 20 laps, he had Boris Said standing by to take over. He got through it, however, and by the time the end of the race rolled around, he was in the lead. He held off Ron Fellows over the final stint and pulled into Victory Lane and right back out for a ride to his motorhome for clean clothes and a shower. After that, he returned to celebrate.

GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan: Fords were too tough in the Irish Hills, and Stewart was too tight to do anything about it. He came home ninth, his sixth top-10 in seven races

Sharpie 500 at Bristol: At a track described as a "self-cleaning oven," Stewart was embroiled in several of the ping-pong-ball accidents in the late stages and staggered to 19th, his Chevy much the worse for wear.

California: Not much to say here, except the car was too tight all night long and he finished 18th. Of course, he's won three times at Richmond, too, so it could have been a test session of sorts.

Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond: He was 19th, one lap down, and having clinched at California, could afford to have a sub-par run. He'll begin the Chase fourth in the points.