Race Report.(Tony Stewart's acheivements)

Tony Stewart whipped 'em at Texas Motor Speedway about as soundly as one man can whip 42 others. He led eight times for 278 of 339 laps to take the win over Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer.

"In 27 years of racing I can count on two hands the number of times I've had a car as good as this one,'' Stewart said after his second straight Nextel Cup win. The win was his third in the first eight Chase for the Championship races, his fifth this year and 29th of his career. "It's an honor to drive a car when it's that nice. You feel fortunate and cherish days like today. This thing was perfect.''

That was obvious. Stewart came from eighth on the grid to lead laps 43 to 89. Later, he led in clumps of 46, 28, 27, 32, 24, 58 and the final 16 laps. Other than the 37 laps Kurt Busch led early, none of the 11 other leaders were in front for more than five laps. Once ahead, Stewart wasn't passed except during brief periods while pit stops occurred. "Even with the late cautions, I was comfortable with the distance between me and Jimmie,'' he said.

Six of the 10 Chase for the Championship drivers finished among the top-10: Johnson, Harvick and Kyle Busch were second, third and fourth, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. sixth, Jeff Gordon ninth and rookie Denny Hamlin 10th. But it's too late for Harvick (fifth in points, 105 behind with two races left) and sixth-ranked Gordon (157 behind). Harvick crashed with Scott Riggs late in the race, leading to pushing and shoving between their crews. Expect NASCAR to levy penalties.

Jeff Burton, Busch, Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne are seventh through 10th, and clearly out of it with Phoenix and Homestead looming. Johnson leads by 17 points over Matt Kenseth, who finished an almost-unnoticed 12th. Johnson's lead is 78 over Earnhardt Jr., who escaped all manner of trouble (and had some good fortune) to salvage sixth on a day when he might have fallen from the title hunt. And Johnson's lead is 80 over Hamlin, who continues to doggedly hang tough when things seem at their worst. (Some will argue that Harvick's 105-point deficit is manageable; we're not among them.)

"I never really had anything for [Stewart],'' Johnson said, the points-leader for the first time since after Bristol in August. "We managed to lead a lap on the pit cycle and overall had a strong performance. I'm very proud that we've raced our way back into this thing [after being ninth early in the Chase].'' Perhaps Johnson & Co. should be thankful that Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli didn't make the Chase. Their team has three wins, a second and a fourth, and three double-digit finishes in the eight races.

Stewart has won more races and scored more points during the Chase than anyone. "With us having a relaxed atmosphere and attitude, ...