SONOMA, Calif. (AP) - Tony Stewart snapped an 84-race losing streak that dated to 2013 with a popular victory Sunday on the road course at Sonoma Raceway.
The 45-year-old Stewart took the lead on fuel strategy during a caution with 24 laps to go, and had to hold on after another yellow flag stalled the race. The final restart came with 14 laps remaining - the same number as Stewart's race car - and he held off a trio of Toyota drivers for his third career victory at Sonoma.
It came on a weekend in which the three-time NASCAR champion had been in an ornery mood - which has typically been a sign of when Stewart was about to put together a strong run.
Now he'll wait to see if it's good enough to get him into NASCAR's playoffs in his final season before Stewart retires.