On the final restart with five laps remaining and Kyle Busch holding the lead, many might have thought, 'well this race is over.' But never count out the drive of a racer who has yet to win his first victory of the year, let alone still seeking his first All-Star win. Plus the added factor of the one-race payoff.
While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series non-points All-Star race has changed formats over the years, the race still has many waiting for the final laps to see who will take it to the limit. For the 2009 edition it was Tony Stewart that stole the show. "Oh, it's awesome. I've got to thank our fans. Man, when I got out over there in 2 the response from this crowd was awesome. They've been behind us all year. This is for two people and one group of people: That's Gene Haas and Joe Custer and then for all these fans," smiled Stewart. "We couldn't do it without Rick Hendrick and his engine and chassis department."
Now his own team Cup owner, Stewart has taken risks many times, on and off the racing surface. Tonight he went low to follow Matt Kenseth around Kyle Busch on the restart. Kenseth had his Roush Fenway Racing Ford on the high side of the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway quad oval. "I can't believe he gave me the bottom. I just cannot believe he gave me the bottom. But I'll take it. Matt is a guy you can trust. We got to second there, got by the No. 18 and I thought all right, we have a shot at this thing," said Stewart. Stewart and Kenseth were close enough to trade paint but the two showed respect. When Stewart edged his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet's nose ahead of the Ford, Kenseth replied back as they went side-by-side before Kenseth played Stewart's hand and went down to the low line. That did not work for long and with two laps to go, it was the red Chevy out in front coming out of turn two. Points versus a one-race paycheck of $1,022,975, is nothing when you have already shown that your new team has been up-front with consistent finishes and not just from Stewart, but also his teammate Ryan Newman.
It proved that the team's first points Cup victory cannot be that far away. Stewart became the second owner/driver to win the event. The first was Geoffrey Bodine in 1994.
