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Tony Stewart returned from a back injury in April and the three-time champion is in pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in his final season. Here’s a look at where the driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet stands in his pursuit after the season’s 15th of 26 regular-season races.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED
Stewart started Sunday’s race third — his best starting position since August 2015 at Watkins Glen International. “Smoke” sat inside the top five for the majority of the day except during the final laps, walking away with a seventh-place result — his second-best finish of 2016. This marks Stewart’s second top-10 result of the season.
The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner/wheelman’s strong day at the Irish Hills allowed him to move up a spot in the Sprint Cup Series driver standings to 35th.
WHAT HE NEEDS
Stewart received a waiver from NASCAR for Chase eligibility. The surest way into the Chase is by winning before the end of regular season (at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 10) and climb into the top 30 in the points standings. En route to his 2015 championship, Kyle Busch faced a similar path after missing the first 11 races with a leg injury. Currently, Stewart is 35th in the standings, 45 points behind Brian Scott for 30th place.
WHAT’S NEXT
“Smoke” heads to Sonoma Raceway (June 26 at 3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where he has two wins. In his 17 starts there, he also has five top fives, nine top-10 results and one pole award.
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