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Sprint Cup - Stewart Race Report Richmond


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Richmond, Sep. 9, 2012: Tony Stewart needed a strong run and he got it Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) rallied from his 28th-place starting spot in the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to lead 15 laps before finishing fourth. It was Stewart’s 10th top-five finish of 2012 – but first since finishing fifth five races ago at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway – and his 19th top-10 in 28 career Sprint Cup starts at Richmond. Stewart also led 15 laps to bring his laps-led total at the .75-mile oval to 950.

“To start from 28th and have to work our way up, it makes for a long night,” said Stewart, who won at Richmond in September 1999, May 2001 and May 2002. “Really proud of Steve Addington (crew chief) and all of our guys at Stewart-Haas Racing. That is what you have to do to win a championship. After last year, you can’t count anybody out. All 12 guys have a good shot right now.”

The effort secured Stewart’s position among the top-10 in points, putting him in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the eighth time in his career. Stewart is seeded third, as his three regular-season wins give him nine bonus points (three points per win) to start the 10-race Chase, which begins Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.