Tony Stewart seemed to be in a slump. After holding the lead for much of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Stewart collapsed backward into ninth place, a position from which he seemed unable to escape. Until, that is, the Price Chopper 400, the third event of the Chase held this weekend at the Kansas Speedway. Perhaps Stewart’s win signals his chance to claw his way back to the top. Stewart entered Kansas with a low profile. He began the race from fifth place on the grid and, initially, his prospects did not look good. Meanwhile, Mark Martin, comfortable in pole position and secure as leader of the 12 drivers’ standings, was marking the route in the first lap when the first of several accidents of the race occurred: a slight spin from Joey Logano caused the appearance of yellow flags during the second lap. Soon after, Martin was firm in first place, overcoming a second, more severe, accident in which multiple cars collided and several drivers, including David Ragan, Michael Waltrip, and Bobby Lavonte, were sent to the pit area due to heavy vehicle damage. Afterwards, the action proceeded with relative calm. On the 11th lap, Martin’s teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., accelerated deeply to seal the top position. Meanwhile, behind Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya struggled toward the top, approaching the race’s leaders. Earnhardt, driving a Chevrolet Impala, didn’t enjoy first place for very long. He was penalized one lap due to an incident during an obligatory visit to the pits under a green flag. His penalty gave an opportunity for Greg Biffle to take advantage of first; Biffle quickly exited the pits, gaining 11 places. Approaching Biffle was Johnson, who battled for first. Finally, in lap 102, Johnson took his #48 Chevrolet to the top position. A few laps later, the second regulatory notice was given to enter the pits area to refuel. Upon the restart of the challenge, Biffle again occupied first, a rather short-lived placement as Johnson came up from behind and snatched it away. The race was interrupted yet again in lap 147, when an accident detained the entire event. Upon the restart, both Johnson and Montoya descended several placed while Biffle regained the command. The driver of the #16 Ford was then able to create a considerable distance from his closest pursuers †but then another interruption. A spill of liquids from Earnhardt Jr.’s car forced Biffle to stop. Stewart received advice from his team to take advantage of the moment. The #14 pilot situated himself in first after exiting the garage, leaving behind his teammates Johnson and Kasey Khane along with everyone else in his bid for first. He managed to cross the finish line ahead of both Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon, who came in second and third, respectively. The win brings Stewart to a total of 5,484 points and pushes him up to fourth place in the overall table of the twelve drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
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