Tony Stewart finished 43rd on Sunday due to a blown engine. Credit: Autostock

Stewart exits car smiling despite last-place finish

Defending Cup champion says he is elated with start to season

FONTANA, Calif. -- If Sunday was any indication, Tony Stewart is going to be very difficult in the championship hunt this season.

Matt Kenseth celebrates in Victory Lane. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Auto Club 500 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. M. Kenseth Ford 2. J. Johnson Chevy 3. C. Edwards Ford 4. K. Kahne Dodge 5. J. Burton Chevy 6. J. McMurray Ford 7. C. Mears Dodge 8. J.J. Yeley Chevy 9. M. Martin Ford 10. Ky. Busch Chevy • Complete results, click here Victory LaneMatt Kenseth celebrates his California victory Top finishersJohnson, Kahne, Edwards talk about their day Final lapsKenseth holds off the field in a green-white-checkered finish TaggedContact with J.J. Yeley sends Kurt Busch spinning Green flagTroubles for Stewart, Gordon follow them to California Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Stewart's Chevrolet was the class of the field over long runs in the Auto Club 500, and not even a blown engine on Lap 215 could dampen his spirits.

He finished 43rd, but Stewart was all smiles as he chatted with his team in the garage at California Speedway. He said he was merely happy not to repeat last year's miserable performance at Fontana, when he finished a very frustrating 17th.

"It is not the way you want to end the day but I am just excited," Stewart said. "To run as well as we ran [Sunday] and the way we fought back, I am just excited.

"Last year when we were here at this time, we were in bad shape. We had a lot of work to do."

Stewart won the title in 2005 largely because crew chief Greg Zipadelli figured out a midseason fix for the team's intermediate-track woes. Stewart said his car Sunday was as good as any he drove last season.

"We are right on top of our game again," he said.

Stewart suffered a pair of problems in the race, but each time he drove back to the front anyway. He had a slow pit stop on Lap 90, and he later lost a lap due to a cut tire.

The finish knocked Stewart from fifth to 22nd in the standings, but he has a history of slow starts in the Nextel Cup Series.

"I am as excited as I would have if we had won the race," he said. "That is how we won a championship. We don't normally run this strong early in the year."

The blown engine capped a tumultuous pair of weeks for Stewart, who was the subject of intense criticism during Speedweeks at Daytona. Stewart then finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 but found controversy when he clashed with Matt Kenseth late in the event.

Ironically, Kenseth went on to win at California. It was equally as ironic to see that Stewart's two-week-old scowl had disappeared despite the disappointment Sunday.

Stewart had been combative in dealing with the Daytona mayhem leading up to the race at California, but he subliminally joked about it on Sunday when he described his blown engine.

"I tried to redeem myself from last week [by trying] to keep from oiling the track down," he said.