Stewart on top at Watkins Glen

Monday, August 13, 2007 11:17 AM PDT

Tony Stewart celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Centurian Boats at the Glen auto race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., Sunday.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Tony Stewart can’t wait to start the Chase.

Trailing leader Jeff Gordon by two car-lengths with two laps to go Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Stewart stared in amazement when Gordon spun out on his own entering the first turn on the 11-turn road course and went on to win the Centurion Boats at The Glen.

It was the third victory in four races for Stewart, who is on one of his midsummer rolls with only four races remaining before the Chase for the Nextel Cup title begins.

‘‘You see how easy a streak can end and go the opposite way,’’ said Stewart, a two-time Cup champion. ‘‘Once the Chase starts, I feel like we’re in the best position of anybody. We just have to keep our fingers crossed.’’

Gordon’s bobble was stunning, especially to Stewart.

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‘‘He’s the last guy you expect to have a problem like that,’’ Stewart said after his 36th career victory, tying him for 19th all-time with Dale Jarrett. ‘‘Trust me, I was probably the most shocked person. Our only shot of getting by him was to keep the pressure on him and hope he’d make a mistake.’’

For Stewart, who spun out in the same place as Gordon while leading earlier in the race and dropped to 19th, it was his sixth win on a road course. That ties him for second all-time with Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Bobby Allison.

‘‘I think our car was a tick better than Jeff’s, but if Jeff doesn’t make that mistake, we run for second,’’ said Stewart, who has won four of the last five Cup races at Watkins Glen. ‘‘You were going to have to be a bunch faster to get by him.’’

Even though Gordon has a commanding lead in the points and became the first driver to clinch a spot in the Chase after finishing ninth Sunday, it was a bitter disappointment. He seemed set to extend his Cup record for road course victories to 10 before making that mistake on that hard 90-degree right-hand turn.

‘‘I wanted that win real bad,’’ said Gordon, who has four wins at The Glen. ‘‘Points don’t mean anything. I pushed and pushed too far. I don’t like making mistakes. That mistake is not a difficult one to make. That corner is ridiculously difficult and I knew I needed to make sure I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it all day until it came down to when it counted. What happened is the team deserved to win and the driver didn’t get it done.’’

Gordon still posted his 20th top-10 in 22 races and is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson with four wins, tops in the series.

The top 12 drivers in the standings after 26 races will race for the title and the points for every driver will be reset at 5,000. But each win counts for an extra 10 points once the Chase begins.

‘‘We gave up 20 (points) because I didn’t get the 10 that would have kept him (Stewart) from getting the 10,’’ Gordon said with a laugh. ‘‘Had I won, I would have been 20 more points ahead of him than I am now. I’d probably rather have the trophy than the bonus points. I think we can beat him in the final 10 races.’’

All but assured of a spot in the Chase, both Stewart and Edwards fought hard for the victory on the last lap.

Edwards made a desperate final try in the rapid four-turn Inner Loop coming out of the high-speed esses.