Tony Stewart at New Hampshire threw the first punch with his fuel gamble. He got knocked out early and his 24th place finish that saw him drop to 10th in the points.
After Loudon Stewart said, "I'm not happy, that's for sure, but we went down swinging…It's a tough way to start the Chase, but I'm proud of my guys.”
Stewart wasn’t upset at the call to gamble on fuel but at the fact they ran out coming to white flag.
He lost round one and barely made it through round two at Dover where pit road penalties cost them multiple laps and he finished 21st. Stewart wasn’t expecting to have the troubles he had at Dover which admittedly is not his best track in the Chase.
He still sits 10th in the standings and over 160 points out; nearly one race behind the leader Denny Hamlin.
Was it worth the gamble in the first race of the Chase? In hindsight, no but in all honesty it was fun to see a few drivers willing to risk a lot on the first race of the title run. So often we see drivers play it safe and just want solid finishes to rack up points.
There is a lot of strategy that goes into the playoffs now. Unlike years in the past teams who make the Chase run these races different then those who are not in the Chase.
So seeing what Stewart and others did at Loudon was exciting to watch.
More drivers should do what Stewart, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer did. For Bowyer it paid off with victory.
For Stewart and Burton it cost them valuable points but their gamble early in the Chase proves one thing that this Chase for the title will not be business as usual.
Now heading into round three Stewart comes to Kansas where he has won twice before including in 2009.
His numbers there are some of the best in the Chase. With 4 top fives and six top 10 finishes, his average finish there is 13.2. Stewart knows his way around this track.
Stewart has really nothing to lose this weekend and for his competitors in front of him that could be a bad thing.
While it will be tough to overcome, Kansas could be just the place where we see Stewart jump right back into this title fight.
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