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RICHMOND, Va. -- The victory Tony Stewart and everyone else who has watched him during his rookie season knew was inevitable still left the driver tongue-tied.
"I wish I knew what to say," NASCAR's newly validated superstar said after winning the Exide 400 on Saturday night. "You plan all your life for this.
"This is the first time I'm speechless."
Hampered early by slower pit stops than the rest of the leaders, Stewart made up for them with a dominant car that took the suspense out of the outcome on a track where side-by-side racing is the norm and the finishes are usually thrilling.
|  | | Tony Stewart hugs his crew chief Greg Zipadelli in Victory Lane after winning the Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 Saturday night in Richmond, Va. |
His crew also rose to the occasion at the end, putting together a blistering stop with 95 laps to go that allowed him -- finally -- to leave the pits with the lead he brought in under one of the six cautions that slowed the race. And they did it even as Jeff
Gordon's vaunted Rainbow Warriors had a 16-second stop.
Stewart became only the sixth Winston Cup rookie to win in his
first year and only the second driver to gain his first career
victory on the three-quarter-mile Richmond International Raceway
oval. Kyle Petty was the first, 13 years ago.
"I love this Virginia race track, that's for sure," Stewart
said in Victory Lane. "We never changed a screw all night. All we
did was adjust air pressure."
Stewart's Joe Gibbs Pontiac teammate, Bobby Labonte, took
advantage of lapped traffic to close in on Stewart with about 20
laps to go, but the 1997 Indy Racing League champion used the
slower cars to his advantage to keep Labonte at bay.
"I was concerned about the lapped cars at the end, but I
appreciate all the guys' professionalism," Stewart said. "They
really let Bobby and me race."
Labonte finished second, 1.114 seconds behind, giving Pontiac
its first one-two finish since Rusty Wallace and Petty in 1993 at
North Wilkesboro.
"Best run I've ever had here," Labonte said. "We got right up
to him at the end of the race, but he was just too good when we
were clear of traffic."
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Winston Cup Standings
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1. Dale Jarrett
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Ford
|
3,858
|
|
2. Mark Martin
|
Ford
|
3,588
|
|
3. Bobby Labonte
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Pontiac
|
3,548
|
|
4. Tony Stewart
|
Pontiac
|
3,508
|
|
5. Jeff Burton
|
Ford
|
3,416
|
|
6. Jeff Gordon
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Chevrolet
|
3,399
|
|
7. Dale Earnhardt
|
Chevrolet
|
3,291
|
|
8. Rusty Wallace
|
Ford
|
3,003
|
|
9. Terry Labonte
|
Chevrolet
|
2,891
|
|
10. Mike Skinner
|
Chevrolet
|
2,850
|
Stewart did several donuts after clinching the victory, then
drove the wrong way around the track in the first victory lap of
his NASCAR career.
"This is one of the great nights. I'm so proud of Tony," Gibbs
said in Victory Lane. "I couldn't be happier. It was one of the
big thrills of my life."
Points leader Dale Jarrett bounced back from two off weeks that
cut his 314-point lead almost in half by finishing third, boosting
his lead over Mark Martin back to 270 points. Martin had engine
trouble with 35 laps left and finished 35th.
"It's nice to gain some points again," Jarrett said. "It
shows what kind of race team this is. They bounced back from the
last two weeks and they bounced back from the first half of a race
that wasn't that great and continued to battle."
Gordon, who ran in the top five for the first 305 laps, lost his
clutch right after losing the race out of the pits and went to the
garage shortly thereafter. He failed to finish for the sixth time
this season and wound up 40th.
Sterling Marlin was fourth, followed by Kenny Irwin and Dale Earnhardt.
Stewart led 333 laps, including the last 144. He averaged
104.006 mph and also moved into fourth place in the point
standings, passing Jeff Burton. The defending race champion
contended for most of the night, but faded late to finish 13th.
The race featured six cautions for 45 laps, ending with 89
green-flag laps.
Stewart became the 11th different winner in the last 11 Winston
Cup races on tracks shorter than a mile, a streak that started last
March at Bristol.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tony Stewart wins the Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 to become the first rookie to reach Victory Lane since Davey Allison in 1987.
avi: 1192 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jimmy Spencer slams into the wall in turn 4.
avi: 1126 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Tony Stewart says this is the mark he's been shooting at all year.
wav: 142 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bobby Labonte talks about losing to Tony Stewart at Richmond International Raceway.
wav: 98 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Points Leader Dale Jarrett says he'll have a better run next week.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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