Stewart captures first win at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Tony Stewart held off Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last-lap charge to win the Nationwide Series race Saturday for his first career victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

Stewart started from the pole and sat comfortably out front with Earnhardt on his rear bumper just biding his time to make a move. Caution came out with five laps to go for debris, setting up a two-lap sprint to the finish.

They raced nose-to-tail for the first lap, then Earnhardt pulled out of line to make his charge. But Earnhardt didn't have enough momentum and didn't get the help he needed to race past Stewart. It allowed Stewart to go virtually unchallenged for the final lap, as Earnhardt faded to sixth.

It was Stewart's first win in any series at Talladega, where he has finished second in six Cup Series races. His previous best finish in a Nationwide race was second last year. That race was just the first time he'd made it to the finish line in five starts, with four DNFs before it.

David Stremme finished second, his best result since he finished second in Milwaukee in 2004. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was third, and both agreed nobody had a car strong enough to challenge Stewart or Earnhardt.

"They were in their own deal," Stremme said. "The rest of us were just trying to run together and make our own moves."

Stewart celebrated in Victory Lane with a young girl from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and dedicated the win to her. He said he told her before the race he'd try to win for her so she could celebrate after the race.

"I told her we'd try, now we're going to have to take her on the road the rest of the year," he said of his new lucky charm.

TEAMMATES UP FRONT IN KANSAS: At Kansas City, Kan., less than a week past her historic first IndyCar victory, Danica Patrick put away her smile and went back to work on the racetrack Saturday, qualifying third for the IRL race at Kansas Speedway.

While Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon swept the front row in qualifying on the 1.5-mile oval, Patrick was again the focal point of attention as she backed up her big day last Sunday in Japan with a solid run.

"We arrived here with a good car, and we had a good run here today," said Patrick, who had her game face back on after a week of celebrating her first win in 50 IndyCar Series starts. "The car is really well-balanced.

"Hopefully, we can get out in front of the red and white (Target) cars," she added.

HORNADAY'S FUEL GAMBLE EARNS TRUCKS WIN: Kansas City, Kan., Rick Ren figured he needed 5 more seconds of fuel or 11 caution laps. Without it, he calculated Ron Hornaday Jr. would run out of gas with about a half-lap left.

Then came an accident. Three caution laps down. A spin out, three more caution laps. By the time Dennis Setzer slammed into the wall on Turn 4, Ren figured he had it made.

Ren's fuel gamble with 59 laps paid off thanks to five of the record 12 cautions at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, helping Hornaday win the wreck-filled O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 Craftsman Truck race.