The greatness of Tony Stewart
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Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart went from all-time great to legend, capturing his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in grand fashion a number that places him among a short list of historic NASCAR figures. With a victory in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Stewart became the seventh champion to win the season finale in his championship season. He out-dueled runner-up Carl Edwards in a finale befitting a championship showdown, tying Edwards in points but winning the championship on a tiebreaker. Stewart's five wins bested Edwards' one, clinching the title for Stewart.
Stewart won his first championship in 2002 and second in 2005. The Indiana native now joins David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough all NASCAR Hall of Fame members or inductees as three-time champions. Nine drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history have won three or more championships.
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" Tony Stewart Won his third Cup Series championship in 464 starts. He won the 2002 and 2005 Cup championships.
" Tony Stewart is the only driver to win a Cup championship in the pre-chase format (2002) and the Chase format (2005,2011).
" Tony Stewart has been in the Chase's seven of eight seasons, all but 2006 when he missed the Chase by 16 points.
" Tony Stewart is the ninth driver to win three or more championships in the 63 Cup Series seasons.
" Tony Stewart is the first driver to enter the Chase winless in the regular season to win the championship.
" This is the first time 1-2 in points have been tied at the end of the season.
" Tony Stewart made his first Cup start at Daytona in Feb. 1999 and has started every race since.
" Tony Stewart has at least one Cup victory in each of his 13 seasons -- the longest active streak.
" Tony Stewart is the eighth driver to win Cup Series championships for more than one organization and the first since Terry Labonte in 1996.
" Tony Stewart is the first owner/driver to win a championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
" Tony Stewart is the seventh driver to win the championship and the season finale.
" This is the first-time the champion and second in points finished 1-2 in the season finale.
" Tony Stewart's nine top-fives are the fewest top-five finishes by a champion since Bill Rexford had five in the 1950 season with only 17 starts.
" This is the 28th Cup Series title for a Chevrolet driver including the past seven.
" Tony Stewart is 40 years old (May 20, 1971) from Columbus Ind. He is the oldest champion in the Chase era.
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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away." Frank Coztansa wrote:
I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.