NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Pocono

Loser: Tony Stewart’s Chase Chances

Three-time champion Tony Stewart has already announced that 2016 will be his final year in the Cup Series. After suffering from a back injury before the season began, Stewart went on to miss the first eight races of the season.

Once he returned, NASCAR granted him a Chase waiver, meaning that he would have to earn at least one win and get up to at least 30th in the standings to earn a spot in the Chase.

Going into Pocono, Stewart had a great chance to take a step forward. With two wins, the second-most top-5’s and the most top-10’s among active drivers at the track, Stewart’s stats proved that he would have a chance to make it to Victory Lane.

He started the race in 6th and stayed consistent, running in the top-10. However, there was a restart on Lap 93 that erased all of that hard work. Stewart was trapped back in the middle of the pack when he got loose and slammed into the wall coming out of Turn 1, taking teammate Danica Patrick with him. He went on to finish 34th.

On a day when Stewart could’ve picked up some key points, he ended up losing a spot in the standings. Stewart is now 36th, which makes him 71 points behind 30th-place David Ragan. He will continue to search for a win as the Cup Series has already raced 14 of 26 races leading up to the Chase.

Next: Making A Comeback