For the third time in his Sprint Cup career, Tony Stewart won at the Chicagoland Speedway, and for the third time it his his first win of the season.
The two-time Sprint Cup champion took the lead shortly after the final restart and saved enough gas to win the rain-delayed Geico 400. It is his 40th career win and continues his streak of consecutive seasons with a win. Stewart has now won in all 13 of his Sprint Cup seasons.
Kevin Harvick finished second and took the point lead, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five. The top-10 was filled out by Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, and Jimmie Johnson. Matt Kenseth crossed the line in ninth, without fuel pressure, but as he was pushed by J.J. Yeley, he has been penalized to 21st, the first car one lap down.
Kyle Busch ran out of gas and hit pit road on the last lap, finishing 22nd, while Jeff Gordon also ran out and placed 24th.
Denny Hamlin's miserable day finally culminated in a flat left-front tire that led to a 31st-place finish. Hamlin's hopes to redeem himself for last year's championship loss appear to be dashed after just one race.
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NASCAR At Chicago Results: Tony Stewart Gets First 2011 Triumph, Wins Geico 400
By
Aaron Rosser