Tony Stewart will have his worst career finish in the standings this season. Credit: Autostock

Stewart left chasing 11th instead of defending title

Two-time Cup champion odd man out after poor Richmond finish

RICHMOND, Va. -- When the music stopped on Saturday night, the man left outside the circle was defending Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart.

Stewart finished 18th, losing out to Kasey Kahne by a scant 16 points when the checkered flag flew on the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Missing the Chase means that Stewart is guaranteed his worst career finish in the Nextel Cup standings -- he had a streak of seven consecutive seasons of finishing inside the top 10.

Tony Stewart's weekend began with a wrecked primary car and ended by missing the Chase. Credit: Autostock

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kevin Harvick Chevy 2. Kyle Busch Chevy 3. Kasey Kahne Dodge 4. Dave Blaney Dodge 5. Mark Martin Ford 6. Greg Biffle Ford 7. Ken Schrader Ford 8. Matt Kenseth Ford 9. Jeff Burton Chevy 10. Scott Riggs Dodge • Complete results, click here Victory LaneKevin Harvick secures Chase berth with Richmond win Race Rewind - RichmondWatch a condensed version of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400! Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"We just never could get it to turn in the center of the corner," Stewart said as he made the long walk from pit road to the garage area. "All we did was make it loose on the exit. It's been an up-and-down year and the day we needed to be on, we just couldn't get on."

Missing the Chase also means that Stewart will not become the first back-to-back champion since Jeff Gordon turned the trick in 1997-98.

"That just proves how tough this series is and how tough it is just to make this Chase," Stewart said. "It's a big letdown, obviously, but at the same time there's 10 guys that earned their way in."

Stewart started 40th, the result of a crash during practice on Friday which caused his team to pull out a backup car. The car that Stewart crashed was a new-generation chassis, and much of the new stuff could not be transferred to the backup.

For the first half of the race, Stewart alternated being in the Chase and then back out as the field ebbed and flowed around him. He went a lap down on Lap 307, and from there it was an uphill battle.

Stewart said the backup car wasn't the reason he missed the Chase.

"That wasn't what kept us out of the Chase," he said. "There were 25 nights and 25 weeks before this one that counted, too. We had a blown engine at California early in the year, we got crashed at Loudon leading the race. There were a lot of things leading up to it. It was a little bit of 26 straight weeks."

Stewart didn't mention hard crashes at Lowe's Motor Speedway, one of which broke his right shoulder blade, and a crash with Jeff Green during the first Michigan race.

"It's [missing the Chase] not for lack of effort," he said. "Zippy [crew chief Greg Zipadelli] and all the guys on The Home Depot team worked their butts off and I did everything I could do behind the steering wheel. It wasn't one night that got us in this situation; it took us 26 nights to get here. We did the best we could, we just came up short.

Chase for the Nextel Cup Standings Pos. Driver Behind 1. Matt Kenseth Leader 2. Jimmie Johnson -5 3. Kevin Harvick -10 4. Kyle Busch -15 5. Denny Hamlin -20 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -25 7. Mark Martin -30 8. Jeff Burton -35 9. Jeff Gordon -40 10. Kasey Kahne -45 • Complete standings, click here SUPERSTORE •   Get Chase merchandise now! Missing the cutTony Stewart on missing the Chase after his day at Richmond Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"I'm still proud of this Home Depot team. They've done a great job."

Stewart was as high up in the points as eighth once he got going, but it all came down to falling off the lead lap.

His car was loose, then tight, and finally a throttle pedal issue crept in during the middle stages of the race. The throttle worked just fine, but he had to pick it up with his toe to get it off the floor.

The result was that Stewart could never get close to having a good-handling racecar, and the lack of caution periods over the final segment of the race meant he had no chance at a free pass.

Now that he's officially out of the Chase, it means Stewart can cut loose and go after trophies.

"We have to go as hard as we can the next 10 races," he said. "We have nothing to lose the next 10 weeks and we can go back to doing what we definitely like doing, which is trying to win races."

That's what it's all about now, he said.

"I don't really care about finishing 11th," Stewart said of NASCAR's bonus for the 11th-place finisher in the standings. "I don't care if I finish 11th or 20th in the points now. It's about how many wins we're going to get these next 10 weeks."

Winning has always been Stewart's focus. But since he can't collect his third crown, he did wish the 10 Chasers good luck.

"The thing about this format now, the 10 guys that made it can't afford one bad race, because you get yourself in a hole you can't get dug out of," he said. "It's going to be an awesome Chase. There're 10 awesome guys in there. I just have to wish them good luck."