Stewart Sizzles In Summertime

As the temperatures heat up, so does Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet).

Not only does Stewart top the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, he has two wins under his belt and is moving in on Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) and Mark Martin’s (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) series-best three wins thus far. Seems like a good time to be heading to a track where he has excelled.

“It’s a place I like,” Stewart said of Chicagoland Speedway, site of Sunday’s LifeLock.com 400. “This place is really getting racy as far as finally being able to move around and change lines and run anywhere from the bottom to the top. It’s a fun track because of that.”

Stewart is tied with Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Pennzoil/Shell Chevrolet) for most wins at the track with two each. His wins came in 2004 and 2007, while Harvick won back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.

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With a series-high Driver Rating of 105.0 over the next eight events, the highest percentage of laps in the top 15 (75.3) and top average running position (10.3), Stewart seeks to improve his potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup seeding.

“I don’t watch the stats very much,” he said. “You just take it week to week. Technology in this sport changes so fast. What was good the last time you were here doesn’t mean it’s going to be good the second time around. So you constantly have to work. You’ve got to keep pushing the envelope.”

Even though he leads the Race to the Chase – the 10-race stretch prior to the Chase – it’s key for Stewart to gain another 10 bonus points (Chase drivers are seeded according to the number of wins they accrue during the season’s first 26 races.)