Doubts abounded heading into this season about whether Tony Stewart had made the right decision in leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to start his own team. Now halfway to the Chase, Stewart is sitting atop the point standings with a forty-six point buffer over Jeff Gordon in second. Taking over the series standings after his second-place run in Dover, Stewart became the first owner/driver to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki took the title in 1992.

“Obviously that stat there is pretty cool, to be leading the points standings this early into the new venture,” Stewart said after Sunday’s race.

“That's awesome,” Stewart added. “I haven't been the point leader for a long time.”

It certainly has been a long time since Stewart sat atop the series standings. In fact, the two-time Cup Series champion has not led the points since he took the title in 2005.

“We're excited about it,” the owner/driver said of taking the points lead. “I mean, you know, it's been a dream season for us up to this point, and you hope that you don't wake up tomorrow and all of a sudden realize that we're just getting ready to go to Daytona or something and it's all been a dream to this point.  I'm proud of our organization.  I'm proud of Bobby Hutchins, I'm proud of Darian Grubb, proud of our teammate Ryan Newman and Tony Gibson and our entire organization.  To get caught up like we had to do through the winter with the personnel changes and updating equipment and everything, you know, it took a lot just to get everything ready like they had it ready for Daytona, let alone to keep it ready and keep us going each week.  Just proud of our guys.”

Few could have imagined the Stewart-Haas Racing organization would have had the type of start they have this early in the 2009 season. Even fewer would have guessed one of the team cars would be leading the points just thirteen races in.

“I mean, it's something that we probably all lost bets up to this point that we would be this far along.  But it's a good bet to lose, I guess,” Stewart joked.

Coming home in the runner-up spot at Dover, Stewart recorded his sixth finish of fourth or better in the last eight races. That is not taking into account his impressive win in the Sprint All-Star Race three weeks ago in Charlotte.

Although the team got off to a bumpy start in Daytona, Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman have come on strong in the early stages of the season and are a serious threat to take this year’s title.

Newman struggled through the Daytona Speedweeks, losing a motor and two cars, but has rebounded to score four top-5s and seven top-10s putting him fifth in the standings. The driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet was not pleased with his eighth-place finish this weekend at Dover, but when you are upset about finishing eighth you have a good problem.

"We were a top-10 car and that was it,” crew chief Tony Gibson said of the day’s efforts. “We could never really hit on anything that really worked for Ryan. We danced with air pressures, wedge and track bar adjustments but never hit on anything. But here again this U.S. Army race team never gives up. We keep on pounding away, pounding away and  pounding away. We have to stay strong as a team and if we do that we can prevail on a day like today. It's pretty good when you can say you're ticked off because you finished eighth. We have to get better and we want to win races quickly.  Our driver never gives up and this crew never gives up. We support the Army colors and that's their slogan to never give up."

Going forward from Dover, Stewart will take part in a two-day Goodyear tire test, but then host some of NASCAR’s biggest stars in the annual Prelude to the Dream at his Eldora Speedway Wednesday, June 3. After playing host and kicking up a bit of dirt, Stewart and teammate will attempt to keep their hot streaks running at the Pocono Raceway. Each driver has one victory at the 2.5-mile track nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and both will be looking to take home the trophy at the end of the day.

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