2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion: Tony Stewart

• Tony Stewart won the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship in the 57th season of NASCAR’s premier series.
• This is Stewart’s second title in the seven seasons that he has competed in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Stewart was also the Series champion in 2002.
• Stewart has ranked in the top 10 every season since his 1999 rookie year and has never ranked lower than seventh in the final point standings.
• Stewart posted three Bud Poles, five victories, 17 top-fives and 25 top-10 finishes this season.
• This is Joe Gibbs’ third championship as a car owner. Bobby Labonte won for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2000 and Stewart in 2002. Gibbs has fielded at least one full-time team since 1992.
• This is also the second championship for crew chief Greg Zipadelli, both with Stewart. Zipadelli has been a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Crew Chief for seven seasons, all with Stewart and Gibbs.
• There have been 27 different champions Stewart is the 14th different driver to win multiple championships.
• Stewart was the 1999 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year. He became the eighth Rookie-of-the-Year to subsequently win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship.
• Stewart started the season at Daytona in sixth place after leading the most laps en route to a seventh-place finish. He struggled for the next 13 races, finishing in the top 10 only five times but also finishing 24th or worse five times. He then finished second in the June Michigan race, beginning a 13-race streak of consecutive top 10 finishes that ran through Loudon in September. During the 13 races, he scored five victories and 10 top fives. His Brickyard 400 victory propelled him to first place in the point standings for the first time in 2005. He held the top position following all but one of the final 15 races.
• His biggest point lead was 213 points following second Bristol. His smallest lead was when he was tied with Jimmie Johnson in points scored after the second Charlotte race.
• Stewart started the Chase in first place by five points over Greg Biffle, 15 ahead of Johnson. Stewart led the standings after nine of the 10 Chase races (all but Dover when he fell to fifth after an 18th place finish).
• This is the 22nd time in 57 seasons a Chevrolet driver has won the championship; the first since 2001.
• Stewart’s other championships:
2001 World of Outlaws (Car Owner)
1997 Indy Racing League (IRL)
1995 USAC Midget; USAC Sprint Cars; USAC Silver Crown
1994 USAC Midget
1987 World Karting Association National Title
1983 International Karting Foundation Grand National
Stewart is 34 years old (5/20/71); Zipadelli is 38 years old (4/21/67); Gibbs is 64 years old (11/25/40). NASCAR Statistical Services