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Nextel Cup Series | Busch Series | Craftsman Truck Series
Dickies 500
Texas Motor Speedway | November 05, 2006 | 335 laps | 503 miles | 2:30 p.m. | NBC
Race 34 of 36
Previous Race
Right on target
Tony Stewart did a burnout at the start/finish line after climbing the fence at Texas. Credit: Autostock
Right on target

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- While the tense battles of NASCAR's Chase for the championship rage on, Tony Stewart is driving in a world of his own.

It just so happens that Stewart's world is way out in front of all the drama.

Having fun and driving for wins -- not a championship -- Stewart overpowered the field Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, and he made this one look almost too easy:

"Smoke" led 278 of 339 laps, including the five extra laps because of a late caution, and often was so far ahead that he appeared to be all by himself on the track.

Most of the action was well behind him, where Jimmie Johnson quietly grabbed away the point lead from Matt Kenseth by 17 points with a second-place finish. Stewart easily raced away to his second straight victory and third in the eight Chase races run so far this year.

"I thought we had the perfect car all day," Stewart said. "It was just an unbelievable day. I've been racing for 27 years and I can count on my hands the number of times I've had a car like that."

Sunday's race tightened up the championship, with Johnson, Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., rookie Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick separated by just 105 points with two races remaining. All of them finished among the top 12 on Sunday.   More

Car Driver Speed
25 Brian Vickers196.235
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Dickies 500
Fin.No.Driver
120Tony Stewart
248Jimmie Johnson
329Kevin Harvick
45Kyle Busch
507Clint Bowyer
68Dale Earnhardt Jr.
742Casey Mears
82Kurt Busch
924Jeff Gordon
1011Denny Hamlin
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After: Dickies 500
RankDriverBehind
1. +1Jimmie JohnsonLeader
2. -1Matt Kenseth-17
3. +1Dale Earnhardt Jr.-78
4. -1Denny Hamlin-80
5. +1Kevin Harvick-105
6. +1Jeff Gordon-157
7. -2Jeff Burton-184
8. +2Kyle Busch-233
9. -1Mark Martin-253
10. -1Kasey Kahne-290
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Archived Features
By the Numbers: Texas
Around the Track: Texas
Conversation: A.J. Allmendinger
Track Smack: Texas
Archived Headlines
•  Sickness, wall can't keep Junior out of Chase hunt
•  Harvick, Riggs' crewman have run-in after wreck
•  Stewart wins, Johnson takes Chase lead at TMS
•  Burton's title hopes dimmed by tire failure
•  Roush Racing names new GM of Cup program
•  Lap-by-Lap: Texas
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