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Byline: AL PEARCE
Tony Stewart needed only 14 starts to win his first points-paying race as a NASCAR owner-driver, a stunning feat given Sprint Cup's depth of competition.
"When you get the right people in place, the Stewart-Haas Racing boss said after winning at Pocono Raceway, "they make things easier. You don't worry nearly as much when good people are there. The sleepless nights came last fall, when I was trying to put things together. . . . But the people I got are making things pretty easy.
Stewart leads the standings one race into the second half of the 26-race regular season before the Chase for the Championship begins. He has the Pocono win (his second there, the 34th of his career), seven top-5s and 10 top-10s and has finished eighth or better 10 of 14 times. He won the Sprint All-Star race last month and is the first owner-driver to win since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville Speedway in 1998.
Team vice president Joe Custer said Stewart undersells his role to show respect for the staff that makes him look good.
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