Stewart rallies again

So far in this Chase for the Sprint Cup, Tony Stewart is the King of Comebacks.

Three times now in four Chase races, Stewart has experienced problems in the race only to rally for an impressive comeback that has kept him in contention for a third series championship.

Stewart was penalized mid-race during a green-flag pit stop for speeding on pit road and fell as low as 30th in the running order before fighting back to a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

Stewart remains fourth in the series standings and 84 points behind new leader Jimmie Johnson.

"This team never quits. It never has, and it never will," Stewart said after the race. "It was a long day, for sure. We got a couple lucky breaks."

Two weeks ago at Dover, Del., Stewart got into a wreck 32 laps into the 400-lap race, and his team fixed a large hole in the nose of his No. 14 Chevrolet. He fell as low as 33rd before rallying for a ninth-place finish that day.

In the Chase opener at New Hampshire, he led four times for 52 laps early in the race before a loose axle-cap on his left-rear required a lengthy pit stop for repairs and dropped him to 30th in the running order. The car eventually returned to early-race form, and he finished 14th.

Last week at Kansas he had no problems, which translated into a victory.

Asked if he would prefer an incident-free race such as the one at Kansas, Stewart said he didn't see any difference.

"I like the end result. I don't care what it takes. I don't care if we have to go 12 laps down and have the right-side knocked off -- whatever gets us back in the top five," he said.

"That's what we have to have the rest of the season."

Logano's dad "contrite and apologetic": Tom Logano was "contrite and apologetic" when Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs spoke to him about his actions after Saturday's Nationwide race, won by Logano's son, Joey.

Tom Logano waited for driver Greg Biffle's car on pit road after the race and directed obscene gestures toward Biffle before a NASCAR official confiscated Logano's annual credential.

"He said he messed up on it," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said NASCAR had addressed the issue, and the elder Logano had a meeting with Nationwide series director Joe Balash after the race. "I don't think there is much more to it," Gibbs said.

Kyle leaves race: Kyle Busch's tough 2009 season can't seem to end fast enough. First he didn't make the Chase; then Sunday he left the race after 61 laps due to the flu.

Busch had feeling ill for several days and left the Nationwide early Saturday because of a fever despite qualifying second and quickly jumping to the lead at a track where he has dominated over the years.

He hoped the break would help him regroup for Sunday, but said he felt even worse when he woke up Sunday morning and appeared to be a ghostly shade of white during the drivers' meeting.

"I don't want to jeopardize myself or anybody else," Busch said. "I'm going to try and get healed up and get ready for Charlotte."

Gilliland, who started the day driving the No. 71 for TRG Motorsports, brought Busch's car home 24th.

The Associated Press

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