Jimmie Johnson (48) has the inside track on overtaking Tony Stewart for the Nextel Cup championship. But will he? Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Stewart mantra constant heading to Homestead

Four drivers have mathematical chance at Cup championship

Joe Gibbs Racing is closing in on its third Cup title in the past six seasons as 2002 champion Tony Stewart heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 52-point lead over Jimmie Johnson. Carl Edwards (-87) and Greg Biffle (-102) also still are mathematically in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

For Stewart, the venue has changed during the past two-plus months, but the bottom line has remained the same.

TONY STEWART •   Driver Page •   2005 Statistics •   Superstore: Stewart gear COKE TRACK ACCESS Interactive race highlights and instant win game Inside the Numbers Recent Cup champions Year Driver Team 2004 Kurt Busch Roush 2003 Matt Kenseth Roush 2002 Tony Stewart Gibbs 2001 Jeff Gordon Hendrick 2000 Bobby Labonte Gibbs 1999 Dale Jarrett Yates 1998 Jeff Gordon Hendrick 1997 Jeff Gordon Hendrick 1996 Terry Labonte Hendrick 1995 Jeff Gordon Hendrick

"I sound like a broken record," Stewart said, "but this week is not going to be any different from any other week. We're in the same position we were in before the Chase started, and it's really going to boil down to something as simple as going out and doing the same things the same way we did to get ourselves in the lead.

"We're not watching where everybody else is. The best thing for us to do is just sit there and do what got us here in the first place. We'll do what we need to do on our car. We don't have to make something happen. Everybody else has to make something happen. It's best for us just to do what got us here. I hate for it to sound that simple, but that's honestly how it has to be right now."

Stewart's consistency has been the hallmark for the No. 20 Chevrolet's season. His average finish is sixth -- with five victories -- in the past 21 races, which include 19 top-10 finishes. He also has earned 150 bonus points this season, 50 in the Chase while leading a playoffs-high 599 laps.

"I can promise you, I want this championship worse than the rest of the drivers do," Stewart said. "A lot of them have not won a championship yet, so people are going to ask how come I want it more.

"The one we won in 2002 kind of had an asterisk with the team. It was just not a clean year. We had a lot of turmoil and trouble amongst ourselves internally. I created a lot of turmoil with things that happened on and off the track.

"This is one I want to win for [crew chief] Greg Zipadelli more than the rest of the competition can possibly imagine," he said. "It doesn't mean we're going to win it, but if they're going to win it, they're going to have to take it from me."

To date, Stewart's titles include the:

• 2002 Winston Cup Series
• 1997 IRL IndyCar Series
• 1995 USAC "Triple Crown" -- Midget, Sprint and Silver
• 1994 USAC Midget
• 1987 World Karting Association
• 1980 Columbus (Ind.) Fairgrounds' 4-cycle rookie junior class
• 1983 International Karting Federation

In the Chase, Stewart has five top-five finishes, tied with Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth for the most among Chase drivers, and seven top-10s, tied with Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards for tops among Chasers.

Inside the Numbers Stewart has led the most laps in 11 races this year Race Track No. 1 Daytona 107 6 Martinsville 247 15 Michigan 97 16 Sonoma 39 17 Daytona 151 19 New Hampshire 232 21 Indianapolis 44 22 Watkins Glen 83 27 New Hampshire 173 29 Talladega 65 32 Martinsville 283

At Homestead, Stewart has led 332 of 1,606 laps (20.7 percent), and doesn't have a DNF in six starts. He has two wins, three top-fives and four top-10s at HMS, and his worst finish is 19th (2001) with an average finish of eighth.

"We've been through this deal once before," Stewart said. "We kind of know what to expect. We're not controlling the whole Chase, but we are controlling the side of it that we can -- and that's with our car. That's what made it so easy for us.

"You look at the other teams and they're all focusing on what we're doing. We like that. We want them to do that. That lets us focus on what we're doing and not on what they're doing.

"The experience of going through it before gave us the opportunity to learn how to focus on what we're doing and not worry about everybody else."

As for the in-race scenarios, feel free to clip and save ...

To clinch the Nextel Cup, Stewart must:

• finish ninth (and not lead a lap) to eliminate Jimmie Johnson
• finish 20th (and not lead a lap) to eliminate Carl Edwards
• finish 24th (and not lead a lap) to eliminate Greg Biffle

That's the cut-and-dried version.

Stewart also can clinch if he:

• leads a lap and finishes 10th to beat Johnson; 21st to beat Edwards; and 26th to beat Biffle.

• leads the most laps and finishes 11th to beat Johnson; 23rd to beat Edwards; and 29th to beat Biffle.

	Inside the Numbers Jimmie Johnson at Homestead Year Start Finish 2001 30 25 2002 16 8 2003 10 3 2004 39 2 Averages 23.8 9.5

To clinch, Johnson must:

• win and Stewart finish 11th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,548 points to 6,545.

• win, lead the most laps and Stewart finish 10th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,553 points to 6,549.

If Carl Edwards wins, Johnson still can claim the title if he:

• finishes fourth and Stewart finishes 19th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,523 points to 6,521.

• finishes fifth, leads a lap and Stewart finishes 19th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,523 points to 6,521.

• finishes eighth, leads the most laps and Stewart finishes 22nd or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,515 points to 6,512.

If Greg Biffle wins, Johnson still can celebrate if he:

• finishes eighth and Stewart finishes 25th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,505 points to 6,503.

• finishes ninth, leads a lap and Stewart finishes 25th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,506 points to 6,503.

CUP PREVIEW It was the Drive for Five in '05 for Jeff Gordon. It was supposed to be a 36-race quest for his fifth Cup championship. Instead, the season finale Sunday at Homestead will be a drive for five -- as in his fifth win of an otherwise disappointing year.  •   Complete story, click here

• finishes ninth, leads the most laps and Stewart finishes 26th or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Johnson wins over Stewart 6,501 points to 6,500.

"Last year I learned a lot of lessons," Johnson said. "One was that you do all you can. I made some mistakes last year in the car -- letting the pressure get to me too early I crashed a car at Kansas -- trying to make something of a bad day. If I would have just finished that race in 20th position where I was running at the time, I would have easily made up the eight points and it would have been a different championship.

"So even though it is a 10-race format at the end, there is an element of survival there. I want to do my best job possible and get everything I can out of the car every lap, but not make any mistakes.

"Still this year, I've made some mistakes I regret, but it's part of racing. When you're out there laying it all on the line, sometimes you step over it and other times you're on this side of it. It's been good and very uneventful for us. So everything is good. Our team confidence is high and everything is rolling."

To clinch, Edwards must:

• win and Stewart has to finish 22nd or worse (and does not lead a lap) and Johnson has to finish sixth or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Edwards and Johnson would tie with 6,513 points -- and Edwards would win the tiebreaker with five wins to Johnson's four. Stewart would finish with 6,512 points.

• win, lead the most laps and Stewart has to finish 21st or worse (and does not lead a lap) and Johnson has to finish fifth or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Inside the Chase Standings entering Homestead Rank Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 6,415 -- 2. J. Johnson 6,363 -52 3. C. Edwards 6,328 -87 4. G. Biffle 6,313 -102 5. M. Martin 6,253 -162 6. R. Newman 6,208 -207 7. M. Kenseth 6,187 -228 8. R. Wallace 6,016 -399 9. Ku. Busch 5,974 -441 10. J. Mayfield 5,939 -476 • Cup Standings, click here Back Seat DriversMarty Smith answers e-mails on SPEED's BSD FedEx PreviewNBC/TNT's Marty Snider previews the action in Miami Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Edwards and Johnson would tie with 6,518 points -- and Edwards would own the tiebreaker with five wins to Johnson's four. Stewart would finish with 6,515 points.

"We didn't have the run we needed last week to make a dent in the points so now we are on the outside looking in," Edwards said. "I think we are still eligible but both Tony and Jimmie would have to have a really bad day to give us a shot.

"We are going to approach this week just like we have the last three. We probably have an average finish of something like second or third, so if we can go and run that way at Homestead we might still have a shot."

To clinch, Biffle must:

• win, Stewart finish 27th or worse (and does not lead a lap), Johnson finish 10th or worse (and does not lead a lap) and Edwards finish second or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Biffle wins over Stewart 6,598 points to 6,597.

• win, lead the most laps and Stewart finish 25th or worse (and does not lead a lap), Johnson finish ninth or worse (and does not lead a lap).

Biffle and Stewart would tie with 6,503 points -- and Biffle would own the tiebreaker with six wins to Stewart's five.

"We're taking the same car to Homestead that we won with there last year," Biffle said. "We also won with it earlier this year at Michigan, so we feel pretty good about our chances.

"We had the dominant car [at Phoenix] but just didn't get the win in the end, so we're ready to go to Homestead and compete for the win again. I think we're a little too far back to be in the mix for the championship but if we go down there and win the race, then that's all we can do."