Stewart-Haas tandem surpassing former team

By needing only 10 races to have both of his cars in the top 10 in the Sprint Cup Series standings, Tony Stewart appears capable of handling the rigors of co-owning -- while driving for -- his own team.

What Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman have accomplished might be the story of this young season. Stewart sits third in the points; Newman is 10th. Already, the new Stewart-Haas Racing organization has far surpassed anything its predecessor, Haas CNC Racing, accomplished.

Below is a statistical breakdown of the team's two incarnations since the inception of NASCAR's Loop Data statistics in 2005:

From 2005-08, Haas CNC Racing had 209 starts. During those races it totaled one top-five, 10 top-10s, a Driver Rating of 55.6, an Average Running Position of 26.9, 54 laps led and 309 Fastest Laps Run.

Stewart-Haas Racing, in only 20 starts this season, has surpassed all those numbers except one: Fastest Laps Run. SHR has run 140 fastest laps, but are on pace to eclipse Haas CNC's 309 by race No. 22.

Still, Stewart-Haas Racing is looking for its first win, a goal that should come sooner than later. Stewart has scored top-fives in four of the past five races, and Newman has top-fives in the past two.

Statistically speaking, Newman likely will have a better chance at visiting Darlington's Victory Lane than Stewart will. The South Carolina track is one of Newman's best. On the other hand, it's one of Stewart's worst: