Tony Stewart on Sunday endured his first finish outside the top-10 since June 12 at Pocono. Credit: Autostock

Stewart's top-10 run ends with 18th at Monster Mile

DOVER, Del. -- The streak is over.

A chink finally appeared in Tony Stewart's armor Sunday -- his 18th-place finish at Dover was the worst of his career at The Monster Mile - and he fell to fifth in the points.

Inside the Chase Point standings after Dover No. Driver Pts. Behind 1. J. Johnson 5,362 -- 2. R. Wallace 5,355 -7 3. R. Newman 5,350 -12 4. M. Martin 5,341 -21 5. T. Stewart 5,339 -23 6. G. Biffle 5,339 -23 7. J. Mayfield 5,281 -81 8. C. Edwards 5,259 -103 9. M. Kenseth 5,238 -124 10. Ku. Busch 5,192 -170 • Official results, click here • Official standings, click here Final lapsKurt Busch struggles and a green-white-checker finish Flat MattChase driver Kenseth has two separate tire issues MBNA RacePoints 400Get all the highlights from The Monster Mile Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Stewart used to be the man to beat at Dover, but he struggled all weekend. What was frustrating was that no one on the team could figure it out.

"No one saw this coming for sure," said Stewart, who entered Dover with 13 consecutive top-10 finishes. "[The car] drove a lot better than that [Saturday]. Don't know why it was so bad [Sunday]."

Stewart, who finished two laps down, lost the points lead for the first time in seven weeks. He was 15th here in June.

The day was beset with problems for the No. 20 Chevrolet. Stewart qualified just 31st and quickly struggled to stay on the lead lap due to a tight racecar.

With a dominant Kurt Busch mowing down the field, Stewart quickly found himself a lap down. He got back on the lead lap via the Lucky Dog, but a broken jack on a subsequent pit stop helped worsen the day.

Stewart also lost a lap when the caution flew on Lap 368, which trapped Stewart on pit road.

"It wasn't the day we were looking for by any means," Stewart said. "This was one place we didn't go very good in the spring and we ran worse this time. Not much we can do about it now."

Still, Stewart is a mere 23 points behind points leader Jimmie Johnson as the series hits Talladega next week. Stewart has been arguably the best restrictor-plate driver in the Nextel Cup Series this season, with a win at Daytona in July and a runner-up at Talladega in April.

"The way we ran at Daytona it gives us a lot to look forward to," Stewart said. "But it's no guarantee you'll run good again. At the same time, it gives us a head start."