The victory means so much more for Stewart as it puts an end to a very long, 31 races winless streak. His victory was even more convincing given the 1.316 seconds which separated him from runner up Carl Edwards.
The race was a battle between the two drivers, seeing both of them lead the pack in succession. Edwards lost the lead after a restart on Lap 301. Denny Hamlin at times intervened between the two, but Edwards secured his win with 25 laps to go, after passing Edwards during the penultimate restart.
"We had to be the fastest car all night at the beginning of the run," Stewart said according to Autosport. "If we got track position and we got anywhere close to clean air, we were able to just take off."
"Once we get two or three laps in, I didn't have to run as hard as the guys behind me. I was able to take care of the tires and after five more laps drive away from those guys and open up a huge gap."
"If we keep running like this, we'll win this championship," Edwards told his team. "Keep your heads up. Keep digging like you're doing. You guys are doing a great job. This is all we got to do. We've scored more points than anybody the last two months."
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