Stewart closes in on Winston Cup

Stewart leads his closest challenger Mark Martin by 89 points going into the race at Homestead, Florida. The maximum swing possible in one race is 151 points, so even if Martin won the race and led every lap a 22nd place finish would be enough for Stewart to seal the crown.

Talking about his chances in the Homestead race, Stewart said: "I want to win that thing. We've dominated there in the past and I think it's time we get our crown back there."

Stewart was less keen to talk about his championship chances. "I don't even want to talk about it. I think we can win the race at Homestead next week, and that's the way I want to finish my year out."

The championship picture is still clouded following Martin's recent 25-point penalty for running an unapproved spring during last week's race at Rockingham, North Carolina.

Team boss Jack Roush indicated last week that he will appeal against the penalty, but was cagey about the possibility in Phoenix: "If Tony Stewart wins by more than 25 points, we'll certainly celebrate his victory as we should," he said.