Tony Stewart

Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart's car was impounded yesterday because it didn't meet specifications, a punishment never before handed out by NASCAR. Stewart was forced to use his backup car at the opening practice for tomorrow's Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. He qualified 22d in the 43-car field, with Bobby Labonte on the pole. The Joe Gibbs Racing entry failed inspection because it didn't meet the exact specifications for "the area around the back of the car, back window to back deck," NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

DOVER, Del. - A month ago, Tony Stewart showed up at Atlanta Motor Speedway angry at the world. His Stewart-Haas Racing team was struggling to find a way to make the No. 14 Chevrolet competitive, and Stewart's patience was wearing thin. A berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup was on the line, but the 13-year veteran openly fretted that even if he made it into NASCAR's top 12, he'd more than likely be a pretender than a contender. Then something happened - and to this day Stewart can't or won't put his finger on exactly what changed his fortunes - to transform his Impala into the class of the field.

Drenched with soda and beer after claiming his second Nextel Cup championship in four seasons, Tony Stewart was asked to make a statement when he entered the media center late Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "Let's get this thing over with as quick as possible," he said with a devilish grin. "I've got a lot of beer to drink with my crew. " What, you were expecting NASCAR's bad boy-turned-choirboy to say he was headed to Disney World? Presumably, he left a wake-up call because the party was to continue yesterday with a flight to New York for television appearances, including a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman that is scheduled to air on Friday.

As the laps wound down in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Kyle Busch looked like a lock to pick up his fourth career Nextel Cup victory. Then Kevin Harvick stole the show - and the win - by willing his No. 29 Chevrolet to the front with less than two miles to go. But that wasn't the biggest shock of the night at Richmond International Raceway. When the race to determine the Chase for the Nextel Cup participants had ended, so had Tony Stewart's bid to repeat as champion.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tony Stewart says he'd be interested in signing Danica Patrick if she moves to NASCAR's top series. Stewart owns Stewart-Haas Racing and is looking for opportunties to grow the team from two to four cars. He's advised Patrick during her trial period in NASCAR. Moving full time from IndyCar is a possibility when her contract ends later this year. Stewart said yesterday that he's not had talks with Patrick, but that he would not field a Nationwide Series team for Patrick.

Price Chopper 400 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kan. When: Sunday, 1 p.m. TV/Radio: ESPN/WNPV (1440-AM), WDSD (94.7-FM) Race course: 1.5-mile oval Race distance: 400 miles/267 laps Forecast: Sunny, 60 degrees 2009 winner: Tony Stewart 2009 polesitter: Mark Martin, 175.758 mph Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth, 180.856 mph (Oct. 8, 2005) Track facts: Richard Childress Racing lost an appeal yesterday to overturn the 150-point penalty incurred by driver Clint Bowyer for violations cited after the New Hampshire race, the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

LOUDON, N.H. - Tony Stewart made it 2-for-2 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, pulling ahead when Clint Bowyer ran out of gas with two laps left to win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway yesterday. Stewart is on a roll when the season matters most, following last week's Chase opening victory at Chicagoland Speedway with another strong performance at New Hampshire. Both of his victories this season have come in the Chase and have propelled him to the top of the points standings.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - For almost a month, Tony Stewart tried to rattle Carl Edwards in the race to NASCAR's championship. Edwards tuned it all out, and on Saturday he did his talking on the track. Edwards won the pole for Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the Sprint Cup Series championship will be decided. Edwards goes into the race with a three-point lead over Stewart, who qualified 15th. One of the two will bring an official end to Jimmie Johnson's record five-year run. Nationwide.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Tony Stewart insisted he wasn't a title contender when NASCAR's championship race began. When it became clear he actually was a viable threat, he kicked it into another gear and vowed to go for broke in his pursuit of Carl Edwards. Did he ever. Stewart used a powerful and relentless drive - some might suggest the best in NASCAR history - yesterday in the season finale to seize his third NASCAR championship. He overcame a hole in the grill of his Chevrolet, a rain delay, used debatable fuel strategy and made 116 passes on the track to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With the Winston Cup finale Sunday at Atlanta, it's time to wrap up another successful NASCAR season. Presenting one of the few areas left in NASCAR that is unsponsored: Driver of the Year: Dale Jarrett. No contest. In winning his first Winston Cup title, he was so far ahead of the pack, the other drivers needed binoculars to see his car. Runners-up: Jeff Gordon (seven wins), Jeff Burton (six); Bobby Labonte (four wins, second in points). Owner of the Year: Robert Yates.

RICHMOND, Va. - Not even a post-race meeting with NASCAR officials helped Carl Edwards understand why he was given a penalty at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night. "We had to just agree to disagree and that's the way it is," Edwards said. In contrast, Tony Stewart knew exactly why he lost. "We did everything we could to throw it away [and] it got taken away," said Stewart, who finsihed third. "I'm pretty ticked off about it. " Both drivers were less than pleased when they left Richmond, where late drama added to Kyle Busch's winning the spring race for the fourth consecutive year.

FONTANA, Calif. - Tony Stewart got his second NASCAR victory of the season Sunday when rain shortened the race at Auto Club Speedway to 129 laps. The defending Sprint Cup champion has won seven of the last 15 races in a remarkable stretch of dominance, including Las Vegas last month. Stewart passed Kyle Busch on the 85th lap, and led when the looming rain clouds finally halted a race run entirely on green flags to that point. Busch finished second, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. added to his strong start to the season in third.

LAS VEGAS - Defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart made a bold move to take the lead on a late restart and held off Jimmie Johnson for a redemptive win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway yesterday. Frustrated by a pit mishap at Las Vegas a year ago, Stewart dipped below the two leaders from the second row to take the lead with about 30 laps left in the 400-mile race. He pulled away from Johnson on three more restarts over the final 17 laps for his first win on the 1.5-mile tri-oval in the desert.

Kobalt Tools 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. TV/Radio: Fox/WNPV (1440-AM) Race course: 1.5-mile oval Race distance: 267 laps/400 miles Race forecast: Partly cloudy, mid-70s Last year's winner: Carl Edwards Last year's pole: Matt Kenseth, 188.88 mph (track qualifying record) Track facts: Drivers Regan Smith and Paul Menard, Smith's wife, Megan, and a friend of the Smiths escaped injuries in a car accident yesterday when they hit a patch of ice on a road outside Denver . . . In winning last year's race, Carl Edwards led twice for 69 laps.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Two races. Two surprise winners. James Buescher became the second first-time winner in as many days at Daytona International Speedway when he dodged several cars while driving through a last-lap wreck to win Saturday's Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide series season opener. Friday night, John King, making his first start at Daytona, won the Truck series season opener - his first win in NASCAR's three top series. Buescher, with the help of good timing and some smart moves in the final quarter-lap, added his first national series win Saturday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It's the elusive Holy Grail of stock-car racing, the last piece of business that will validate the greatness of a three-time NASCAR Cup champion: A Daytona 500 victory. To be clear, Tony Stewart doesn't need Daytona for a ticket into NASCAR's Hall of Fame. But it's one of those bucket-list deals. Like the late Dale Earnhardt, Stewart has mostly spun in circles here trying to win the Great American Race - he is winless in 13 starts. Overall, his record is fairly impressive: six top 10s, a second-place finish in 2004 ,and a third-place run in 2008.

Attention was lavished on Danica Patrick at Daytona Motor Speedway, even though she has never won a race in a series that doesn't have Jimmie Johnson as the defending champion - and some new rules. Did somebody sprinkle some IndyCar in NASCAR? To predict the story lines that will come out of the Daytona 500, the debut of another Sprint Cup season on Sunday, is an exercise in folly. Any NASCAR follower with a sense of history recognized the Wood Brothers iconic No. 21 car, but none figured on Trevor Bayne, who turned 21 last Sunday, making it relevant again.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The pack is back. And so is the Big One. Kyle Busch edged Tony Stewart in a thrilling finish to the first race of 2012, using a sling-shot pass Saturday night on the last lap of the exhibition Budweiser Shootout to beat the defending NASCAR champion to the checkered flag. It gave Busch a victory in a wild race that included two incredible saves by the eventual winner to stay in contention in the 75-lap sprint around Daytona International Speedway. "I don't know how many times I spun out, but I didn't spin out, you know?"

The Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers is the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, chosen by members of the Associated Press, after he turned in an MVP performance in the Packers' Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in February and then went on to lead his team on a long unbeaten run this season. Rodgers received 112 votes out of the 212 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished second with 50 votes, followed by tennis standout Novak Djokovic (21)

Tony Stewart made a decision to fire crew chief Darian Grubb , and winning the NASCAR championship didn't change his mind. Grubb was officially replaced Monday, eight days after guiding Stewart to the Sprint Cup title. Steve Addington , who quit as Kurt Busch 's crew chief last week, takes over immediately - and begins work as Stewart and Grubb head to Las Vegas to begin the championship celebration. "I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a race car," said Stewart, who worked with Addington from 2005 through 2008 during his time at Joe Gibbs Racing.