Stewart Bides His Time and Wins

Patience paid off for Tony Stewart in the wreck-filled Pontiac Excitement 400.

Steering clear of a record-tying number of accidents, Stewart pulled away from rookie Ryan Newman on a restart with 17 laps to go Sunday in the rain-delayed race.

Stewart led the last 27 laps at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, where he’s won two straight spring races and three times in seven career starts. The victory was his 14th in 115 NASCAR Winston Cup events.

He also moved from 10th place to eighth in the points race, putting behind him the disappointment of consecutive 29th-place runs.

“I probably ran one of the most patient races I’ve ever run, and it wasn’t because I wanted to, but because I had to,” Stewart said.

There were a track record-tying 14 caution periods and a record 103 laps run under the yellow flag.

“There were a lot of guys that were being very courteous, a lot of give and take going on out there,” Stewart said. “And then there were a lot of guys that were in a big hurry, and it seemed like the guys that got in a hurry, sure enough, as time went on they were dropping out like flies.”

Stewart qualified third but started 41st when the race began Saturday night because he’d changed his engine. He was 27th when the race resumed for the final 334 laps after what amounted to a 14-hour rain delay.

*

Terry Cook broke an 88-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory drought, winning the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Madison, Ill.

Cook brought his Ford F-150 from the eighth starting position to the lead by the 91st of 160 laps.

He lost the lead on the 106th lap in making his final of two pit stops. Cook took over for good when leader Jason Leffler pitted his Dodge 11 laps later.

Cook held a 7.5-second lead over Leffler after the pit-stop cycle, a margin that grew to 8.564 seconds at the checkered flag. He averaged 109.323 mph for 200 miles and earned $52,160 for his first victory since 1998. Pole-winner Mike Bliss finished third in a Chevrolet.

*

Larry Dixon raced to his fifth top-fuel victory of the season, beating Doug Herbert in the final of the NHRA Southern Nationals at Commerce, Ga.

Dixon had a quarter-mile run of 4.637 seconds at 318.09 mph. Herbert finished in 5.039 at 231.87.

Whit Bazemore and Allen Johnson also won their divisions. Bazemore beat funny car points leader John Force with a run of 4.963 at 310.41. Johnson edged Greg Anderson in pro stock. Johnson had a run of 6.907 at 200.92.

*

The new “soft” walls at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have passed their first real test.

Robbie McGehee became the first driver to crash into the walls and suffered only a cut on his left leg after crashing in Turn 3 during the first Indy 500 practice session.

McGehee hit the wall going 218-219 mph with the back end going almost straight into the wall at a 90-degree angle.