Stewart in hunt for 3rd straight Chase win
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Tony Stewart can start 3 for 3 in the Chase.
He's also aiming for his third career Cup championship.
Stewart is off to a fantastic start in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, with wins at Chicagoland Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He's only the second driver in the eight-year history of the Chase to go 2 for 2.
The odds are against him winning his third straight race. Dover International Speedway has been one of Stewart's worst tracks for years.
He says he's proven he can win, even with distractions swirling around him. But he refused to say what those distractions were other than his weekly obligations with the media.
Stewart is chasing history. He could become the first owner-driver to win the Cup since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
Johnson believes 6th championship in reach
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Go ahead. Count out Jimmie Johnson.
After all, he's had an atypical-Johnson season.
His wins have dried up, his spot in the Sprint Cup standings is worthy of a double-take, and a run of dominance that staked his claim as one of NASCAR's all-time great champions has vanished.
The V stands for vulnerable more than victories this season when it comes to the Number 48.
No championship run lasts forever, and one year it will be Johnson's time to surrender his five-year run atop the Cup standings.
Just don't be so sure it'll be this season.
Tony Stewart has stolen the spotlight and grabbed the points lead with wins in the first two Chase races. Brad Keselowski has gone from wild-card to championship contender. Kevin Harvick is always a threat.
Racing back to Kentucky after traffic nightmares
SPARTA, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Speedway gets its first chance to redeem itself this weekend from the traffic nightmare that ruined its inaugural Sprint Cup Series race.
Fans spent hours in non-moving traffic before the July 9 race.
Thousands never even made it into the speedway, midway between Louisville and Cincinnati.
Track owner Speedway Motorsports Inc. and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet pledged $11 million in improvements and some of the work has already been done. The track hosts NASCAR's Truck Series on Saturday night and the IndyCar Series on Sunday.
The crowds won't come close to the 107,000-plus that descended on the speedway in July, but track officials know this weekend is the first step toward proving it can overcome that debacle.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
