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Stewart Rebounds To Get Victory

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By RICK HARMON

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 14, 2009

Updated: 02/14/2009 11:45 pm

DAYTONA BEACH - Tony Stewart's day at Daytona International Speedway started with a wreck in his Sprint Cup car, but it ended on a high note as he held off Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch to win his second consecutive season-opening Nationwide Camping World 300.

Stewart only led 23 of the 120 laps, but he took the lead from Edwards on Lap 114 and held on for his eighth Nationwide win, his fourth at Daytona.

Edwards finished second, followed by Bowyer, Busch and Greg Biffle.

"When I went back to the bus and put this uniform on, when you see Hendrick on it, you switch gears real quick in your mind and you realize that, 'Hey, you got a job to do,'" Stewart said. "You put what happened in the morning behind you. You focus on the task at hand."

Stewart and Sprint Cup teammate Ryan Newman were involved in a crash during Sprint Cup practice and both will start today's Daytona 500 in backup cars from the back of the field.

Stewart made a decision to take tires during a caution on Lap 91, while the other leaders didn't.

"I thought I made the worst call/move of the year," Stewart said. "Was going to get that award for coming into the pits with 28 to go. It actually ended up saving us at the end. We got good track position."

Stewart, who owns his Sprint Cup team but drove for Hendrick Motorsports in the Nationwide race, took the lead following the race's sixth caution, when Brad Keselowski hit the wall in Turn 2. Stewart stayed in front the remaining six laps, but not without pressure from Busch and Edwards.

Zephyrhills' David Reutimann, who was in the top 15 most of the race, finished 12th. Lakeland's Joe Nemechek, who came to Daytona without sponsorship for either of his cars, finished 13th.

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