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USG Sheetrock 400 - Chicagoland Speedway
Stewart is The Man in Chicagoland
Tony Stewart was back where he wanted to be late Sunday afternoon -- in the starter's stand at Chicagoland Speedway.
For the first time this season, Stewart won a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race.
A capacity crowd of more than 100,000 spectators cheered Stewart home first after a flurry of late-race caution flags kept bunching the field for restarts.
The former NASCAR champion held off a furious run by another former champ, Matt Kenseth, with less than 15 laps remaining in the 267-lap, 400-mile USG Sheetrock event.
Trailing Stewart, who has led races, had numerous good finishes but hadn't won until Sunday, and Kenseth were Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer.
Bowyer's 10th-place finish was particularly impressive after he overcame a pit road speeding penalty that sent him to the rear of the pack shortly after the halfway point.
Stewart has encountered various forms of bad racing luck this season, although being in contention for a win almost every race. He was a contender all afternoon Sunday running with the leaders and leading throughout the day before his pit crew got him back on the track first after one of the final caution periods. He never looked back.
When it was over, he did his signature climb up the fence to the starter's stand, much to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 19th after being a contender most of the race. His power steering failed near the end, which dropped him out of the frontrunners.
Jimmie Johnson's day ended prematurely when he cut right-rear tire while leading causing him to make contact with the SAFER barrier.
Casey Mears Wins Chicagoland Pole Position
Casey Mears won the Bud Pole for the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway with a lap of 29.580 seconds, at an average speed of 182.556 mph, to capture his third pole position in 163 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. His most recent Bud Pole was in August 2004 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mears’ other Bud Pole, his career-first, came the previous week at Pocono.
This is Mears’ first pole and third top-10 start of the 2007 season as well as his first pole and third top-10 start in five NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Chicagoland. He also had one Busch Pole and two top-10 starts in three NASCAR Busch Series races here.
Martin Truex Jr. qualified second, posting his career-best starting position with his eighth top-10 start of 2007. Truex posted a lap of 29.593 seconds, at an average speed of 182.476 mph, to mark his first top-10 start in two races at Chicago. Truex had one top-10 start in his three Chicago races in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Ryan Newman will roll off from the third starting position. Newman posted his fourth top-10 start in six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Chicago. He started from the pole in both of his starts in the Busch Series.
Mark Martin (fourth) posted his sixth top-10 start in his 14 races this season. It is his best ever start in
seven Chicago races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth) scored his best starting position in seven Chicago races and his second top-10
start. He started ninth in his previous best Chicago start and had started 25th in each of the last three
races here.
Dave Blaney (15th) was the fastest of the drivers required to make the field on time.
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