Race Report.(Competition)(Tony Stewart wins at Pocono Raceway)

The question was never "if.'' Everybody in NASCAR-land knew defending Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart would win a race (races?) this year. The only question was when and where would he finally add win No. 16 to his 154-start Cup resume?

He had three top fives and six top 10s in the season's first 13 starts. But he also had three finishes in the 40s, three in the 30s and one in the 20s. He went to Pocono Raceway mired 16th in points and still smarting from a contentious fourth-place finish the previous weekend at Dover.

Pocono was where Stewart had qualified 13th or better in eight races and finished seventh or better in seven of them. That's why nobody was surprised when he and his Home Depot Chevrolet led the final 11 laps of the 200-lap, 500-mile race. Stewart started fourth and stayed among the top 10 all afternoon. He led laps 54-55, 90-91 and 126-127 while green-flag stops cycled around. He took the lead again with quicker pit service under caution at 156 and stayed ahead until his final stop at 175. He regained the lead when the last stops cycled back around at 190. He survived a late-race caution and restart, and was leading when a late incident produced NASCAR's fifth caution finish this year. The Fords of Mark Martin and points-leader Matt Kenseth finished second and third.

It was Stewart's first win in 26 starts, since Watkins Glen last August. He was ...