By DAN GELSTONAP Sports Writer
DOVER, Del. − Tony Stewart had a race to celebrate.
In a lengthy slump that stuck him outside the top 12 in the Chase for the championship standings, Stewart finished ninth Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Stewart finished in the top 10 for the first time in seven races.
The two-time Cup champion hadn't finished better than 16th in any of his last six.
“It slowed the bleeding down a little bit,'' he said.
Stewart dominated the first 26 pre-Chase races last year in his first season as owner/driver of Stewart-Haas Racing. He hasn't been able to figure out why his team has struggled after such a smooth first season.
Stewart may be closer to fixing whatever ails the No. 14 Chevrolet after a solid run on the concrete.
“It's not a perfect run by any means, but we're going in the right direction,'' he said.
His next stop is a benefit concert, not a track. Stewart is attending a telethon to raise money for those affected by the floods in Nashville, Tenn.
“I'm all in favor of doing anything we can do to help our own country,'' he said. “I'm all for helping the world, but we've got our own country we need to look at first, so I'm all for that.''
Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate, finished 13th and moved within 30 points of the 12th place.
“We took a bad day turned it into a decent day,'' he said.
EARLY EXIT: It was difficult at Dover for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray.
Montoya didn't finish on Sunday and McMurray was 32nd.
Montoya, who entered on a hot streak, hit the garage early in the race with a broken sway bar. He returned to the track only to be plagued by tire issues. He called it a day after only 283 laps.
“We struggled this weekend here for some reason. It's one of my best tracks,'' Montoya said. “We have been really good every week. It's crazy.''
McMurray's No. 1 Chevrolet suffered from rear suspension issues.
“One of those runs, I thought we were the best car,'' he said. “I think that piece has been breaking for a while because the car kept getting looser and looser and eventually it broke. It was unfortunate, we had another solid run going.''
HAPPY HAMLIN: Kyle Busch has some Joe Gibbs Racing company in the top five of the points standings. Denny Hamlin finished fourth matching his best finish at Dover International Speedway and sits in fifth place in the standings.
The one-mile concrete track had been cruel to Hamlin. He was fourth in the June 2007 race then finished 36th or worse in his next four visits. He was 22nd in last year's fall race.
Hamlin a preseason favorite to oust Jimmie Johnson from his four-year run as Cup champion won last week at Darlington and recorded his fifth top-10 of the season.
“Our team is just clicking right now,'' Hamlin said. “We're getting good finishes on our worse race track and that's what we need to do. It was a step in the right direction for sure.''
REUT-ING INTEREST: David Reutimann called his season ``pretty dismal.''
He had something to perk him up Sunday. Reutimann was fifth at Dover International Speedway for his first top-five finish since the season-opening Daytona 500.
It came at an opportune time. Reutimann wants a multiyear contract out of his current negotiations with Michael Waltrip Racing.
“We've been running really well, it's just that we haven't been able to close the deal,'' he said. “Having a fifth-place finish the way our season has been going, man, it feels really good.''
Reutimann is two weeks away from being able to defend his Coca-Cola 600 win.
“Hopefully, we can build on this and go onto the next one here and get some more good finishes,'' he said.
RELIEF WORK: Casey Mears finished 22nd as a substitute driver for Brian Vickers. Vickers was hospitalized last week with blood clots in his legs and near his lungs.
There's no timetable for Vickers' return, but there was talk Sunday throughout the garage that he could miss at least the next month
Mears drove in only his third race this season and would fill the seat for as long as needed, though he might miss the road-course race June 20 in Sonoma, Calif.
“This is a very unique scenario, obviously,'' Mears said. “We're working real hard to try to maintain the best we can so when he comes back, he'll have something good to get into.''
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