Tony Stewart maneuvered the “Tricky Triangle” and survived the fuel milage gamble to win his first points race as an owner/driver.

This is the first of many that I see in his future. With Rick Hendrick funneling parts to him, and the team he has surrounded himself with, this won’t be the last time we see Smoke in Victory Lane.

I personally think this is great not only for Stewart-Haas Racing, but for NASCAR in general. Long gone have been the days of the owner/driver being able to survive, much less sit in the points lead and have victories under their belts. No, Stewart is reviving legends from the past, most notably and most recently, Alan Kulwicki.

Kulwicki was the last owner/driver to sit in the cat’s bird seat, back in November of 1992. His legacy is one of triumph and accomplishment as he drove the “Underbird” to the Championship with calculating precision. Down to the last lap, he knew exactly where he needed to be in order to take home the big trophy.

We will have to wait and see if Stewart’s magical year will end with the same result. Right now he is sitting pretty, but with today’s “Chase”, there is no telling how the final outcome will look.