Tony Stewart was a mile and a half away from the checkered flag on Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he keyed his microphone for the last time Ford 400Tony Stewart celebrates winning races and championships on the road to victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I am this," he said.
He was right - as planned for the week.
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Stewart has certified a month's worth bragging, outdueling Carl Edwards to win the closest race to win the title in the history of NASCAR.
Winner - Stewart fifth of 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup - left tied with Edwards, who finished second Sunday in the top of the standings with 2403 points.
Stewart, 40, won his third NASCAR championship by having the most wins.
"We have said all week, so we'll just win the race and not have to worry about what he did," the native of Columbus, Ind., said. "If this is not the one of the greatest battles in the history of the championship, I do not know what it is."
Beyond giving a thrilling NASCAR Game 7 of the final CEO Brian France style in mind when he created the persecution before the 2004 season, the title was important for several reasons Stewart, who has become:
• The first champion to win the final of the season in 13 years (and seventh).
• The first driver-owner to win a title in the NASCAR Alan Kulwicki leader since 1992.
• The bookends to Jimmie Johnson's unprecedented five consecutive championships (Stewart was the last before Johnson to win a title in 2005).
• The first winners of the Chase era to win five races in the title race.
Stewart (whose first title was in 2002) also joined Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Lee Petty and David Pearson as a champion in three stages. All are in the Hall of Fame NASCAR.
He did it with perhaps a clutch performance rarely seen in 63 years of NASCAR history. Stewart roared back twice (118 cars go 400 miles) after a fall outside the top 30 twice in the first 40 laps.
"I feel as if the state of Florida, passed the half," said Stewart. "I would definitely say this is one of the biggest races of my life.
"I lost all action in the world that we could win a race or winning five races."
AJ Foyt, which Stewart called one of his heroes, was called after the race and said in a statement, "Tony ran the best race of his life."
Stewart said: "If you want to hear it, it brings tears to the eyes."
His crew chief, Darian Grubb, made a bold call to ditch that stretched tank No. 14 Stewart's Chevrolet to the end, but he left his final race order catbird seat.
"Darian Grubb, you're on ... man, "Stewart radioed his crew. "You did it, bud."
Said Grubb, who revealed that after the race which was spoken by Stewart-Haas Racing last month that it would not return until next season for Stewart team leader. "Just do not give up and kept fighting We realized that they were true champions."
When asked about the post-race press conference on the position Grubb, Stewart said: "I know what his position is the last night, and I plan to get him drunk."
Edwards, who led a race-high 119 laps after starting from pole, had no answer for what Stewart has done in the field.
"Tonight is about Tony Stewart," said Edwards, who finished Chase-record average of 4.9. "These guys lived up to beat us fair and square. Tony and Darian was able to do a good job with their strategy. That's all I had."
Overcoming adversity
The turning point of the race was when Stewart took the lead during the cycle of green-flag lap of 201 His Impala was the gas when it came to pit road on lap 212 yours, but the strategy has meant that it could end without stopping again.
After a gentle rain fell for three laps later, Edwards forced to oppose it again. On the final restart with 37 laps remaining, Stewart finished third and Edwards fifth. Brad Keselowski passed Stewart a lap later and was never challenged as the race finished in green.
He had not yet won a lot of setbacks, beginning immediately after the green flag. When the caution flag flew for the first time in lap 14, due to rain, the team Stewart has discovered a big hole in the grille of the car left.
"It feels like (garbage) after his coup (a top), after that," he radioed to his team.
Two stops to repair the damage, Stewart back in the 40 and 17 seats in the 14 rounds, when another long stop and he fell to the thirty-fix. "Okay, they really going to feel worse after we came back twice and kicked their (butt)," he said.
They were the last shots Stewart delivered in a week full of talking trash. In the title contenders at the press conference on Thursday in Miami Beach, Edwards seemed a bit 'nervous about boasting of Stewart, who confidently predicted to win the title ("if the backup is not presumptuous").
Edwards has not played most of Stewart, the choice for your performance speak for itself. It seemed to work on Saturday, winning the pole position and paced the final practice session.
This is not over the sniper Stewart, who insisted the media shamelessly begins Edwards's name engraved on the trophy, but after Stewart described 15.
"It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight," said Stewart of the mind games played with his rival. "It's a fun guy to pick up. It is an easy target."
In the end, Stewart saved his speech.
"I am totally mentally tried to beat the kid until this week, I felt I had to throw everything in my arsenal for this opportunity, it is too nice to fight, it was like to attack a child ... You had kind of bad. ... It's going to win a championship and be in our position. I enjoyed the battle we had. "
For a period of rain that the red flag the race for 1 hour, 14 minutes on lap 267 109, the nerve had not disappeared as he told a reporter: "We're fixing to keep providing this care, we have better account for (Edwards), the rest of the day. "
Despite all the attacks, there were no hard feelings when the fight was over. Among the first to congratulate Stewart was Edwards who offered a firm handshake.
"It 'a good guy, and we gave him a rough time this week. ... It shows how a boy who is fashionable," said Stewart.
Said Edwards, who finished second in points for the second time in his career: "If I can win the thing, I told my wife I'm going to be the best loser in NASCAR We never had so difficult to win next year and the year after that if we are in this position once again these guys better be careful ... "
Fighting back
At various times during the season, would have seemed unlikely or Edwards or Stewart to win the championship.
Edwards led the investment, after 21 of the first 35 races, but he spent the first six months of the season is uncertain about his future with Roush Fenway Racing, and his uncertain status was a distraction (Jeff Gordon Edwards said, who was courted by Joe Gibbs Racing, it would be no chance of winning the championship that the lame duck-drivers). Edwards was re-elected Enter a team with a long-term contract in August.
Although he had only one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March), Edwards led the district top-10s (26). He really crossed the Stewart (6.3 average finish), most of the nine top-10 fighters and 11.
"We raised our level of service and rose to the occasion," says Edwards. "I really do not think we could have done much better in the Chase."
This does not seem much comfort to his crew chief, Bob Osborne, who radioed the pilot: "I'm really, really, really sorry" on the back of refrigeration.
Edwards responded, "Bob, you're the best crew chief here, I'm proud of you Keep your head up ..."
He and Osborne might be able to find solace in the recovery of this season by the team that won the title.
After graduating from the ninth Michigan International Speedway Aug. 21 Stewart said his team does not deserve to run the league and would be wasting your place by Chase. When asked about his favorite pre-Chase title, at a press conference in Chicago, listed seven names, but did not belong to yourself.
But he opened the 10-run victory of the title race Chicagoland Speedway four days later, then reeled off wins in New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway (where he was a victory for Johnson, late in his travels from the outside lane) and Texas Motor Speedway. "If you want to leave (Martinsville), doing something important," Stewart said: "It seems to me that Chase was a turning point for us."
Yet, still trailed by three points entering the Edwards farm, where he became the first driver to come back and win the NASCAR championship winner of the modern era (to be held in 1975).
"It was a difficult summer and fall hard," said Stewart. "You must believe in something."
As soon as the rain begain its celebration began on Sunday night league, said that his faith was "the man upstairs (take) the rain away long enough that the work done."
"I do not care how long it rains," said Stewart. "I walk all night
