Tony Stewart won the DIRECTV 500 at Martinsville Speedway, scoring his 25th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 254th career start.
Stewarts last victory came at Watkins Glen last August, 20 races ago.
Stewart scored his second Martinsville victory. His other victory here came in October 2000.
Stewart scored his eighth top-10 finish in 15 races at Martinsville.
Stewart moved into 22nd on NASCARs all-time winners list, tied with Jim Paschal and Joe Weatherly.
It is his sixth short-track victory. He has 14 superspeedway victories and five on road courses.
Stewart scored his third top-10 finish in six races this season.
Stewart climbed from ninth to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. One year ago after six races he ranked 11th in the point standings.
Stewart led the most laps (288) including the final 27, the second time this season that he led the most laps. He also led the most laps last week at Bristol. The last time he led the most laps and won the race was at Watkins Glen last August.
Stewart has led the most laps in the last three races at Martinsville. He led 247 of the 500 laps in the spring of 2005 and 283 of the 500 in the fall race. Stewart became the fourth driver in Martinsville history to lead the most laps in three straight races. He joined Cale Yarborough (fall 1976 and both races in 1977), Rusty Wallace (both races in 1994 and spring 1995) and Dale Earnhardt (both races in 1987 and spring 1988). Yarborough won all three, Wallace won all three and Earnhardt won two of the three and finished second in the September 1987 event. Ironically, Stewart won only one of the three races, posting finishes of 26th, 2nd and first.
This was team owner Joe Gibbs 48th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory. Gibbs has scored three victories at Martinsville. Joe Gibbs Racing has won at least one race each season 1993-2006, 14 consecutive years.
Tony Stewart has won at least one race each season 1999-2006, eight consecutive years.
Notebook Items
Jeff Gordon (second) has finished in the top-10 in his last six races at Martinsville Speedway. Four of those finishes were victories He scored his third top-10 finish of the season and best finish in 2006. Gordon remained seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. One year ago he ranked sixth after six races.
Jimmie Johnson (third) scored his eighth top-10 finish in nine races at Martinsville Speedway. He climbed from third to first in the NASCAR NEXTEL cup standings. Johnson is the only driver to score four top-five finishes in the first six races of the season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth) scored his sixth top-10 finish in 13 races at Martinsville and his third top10 finish in 2006.
Kyle Busch (fifth) scored his second top-10 finish in three races at Martinsville and his fourth top-10 finish in 2006.
Brian Vickers (eighth) was the fourth Hendrick Motorsports driver to finish among the top-10 in the DIRECTV 500. It was Vickers first top-10 finish in five races at Martinsville.
Reed Sorenson (12th) was the highest finishing Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contender. At least one of the Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in every race this season.
Joe Nemechek (23rd) has been running at the finish in the last 38 races, a streak that began at Bristol last April, the longest current streak.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(4-2-2006)
