Data shows it's Stewart, then everyone else, at Indy

Zero wins in 19 races isn't the worst start Tony Stewart has ever had -- but it's close.

In his rookie year of 1999, Stewart waited until race No. 25 to capture his first win. Every season since then -- except for this one -- Stewart won prior to race No. 20.

His overall drought has reached 33 races, which is third-longest among full-time drivers with at least 10 career victories (Kevin Harvick, 54 races; Bobby Labonte, 163 races). Plus, his statistics through 19 races show a dip from recent years.

But Stewart has an angle working for him: the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is this Sunday. He's been near-dominant in the last three Indianapolis Motor Speedway events. With wins in two of the past three Brickyard events, and a 67 percent top-10 mark overall at Indy (six of nine), Stewart will likely have a solid shot at the elusive 2008 victory.

Below are his Indy race statistics since his first Brickyard win in 2005:

Clearly, Stewart's two wins shine by any statistical comparison. But, his eighth-place finish in 2006 featured two interesting statistical nuggets. In the final 16 laps, Stewart improved seven positions -- vaulting from 15th to eighth (a 24-point swing). The race was an eventful one for Stewart. He started 32nd, moved his way into the top 10, but then an unscheduled pit stop dropped him back to 35th. Stewart had a race-high 79 Green Flag Passes that day.

Stewart, whose Indianapolis Driver Rating of 121.4 is tops in the series, also owns a number of Indy race-best stats since the inception of Loop Data in 2005: