Smoke Steamed After New Hampshire

LOUDON, New Hampshire (AP) - Tony Stewart’s regular season dominance seems a distant memory.

The NASCAR star began his bid for a third series title with a 14th-place finish at New Hampshire. A bolt came loose on the rear axle cap, forcing him to take a lengthy stop that sent him tumbling to the back of the field. He restarted 28th but didn’t have enough time to work his way back to the front.

Stewart angrily ripped off his HANS device and stormed away after the race, ignoring reporters while making a beeline for a golf cart.

“I’m sure he’s upset about as much as I am, and he should be,” crew chief Darian Grubb said. “We let him down. We have to assemble that car to the utmost of our abilities, and we just didn’t.”

Stewart spent the first half of the race taking turns at the front with Juan Pablo Montoya. He led 51 laps—the most since he won at Watkins Glen last month—but couldn’t muster the magic that highlighted his spring and summer.

Now he heads to Dover next week in sixth place, 74 points behind Mark Martin after his fifth straight finish outside the top 10. It’s the first time Stewart has been out of the top five in points since March.

The two-time champion admitted before the race he was concerned about his team’s recent swoon but seemed confident they could turn it around.

Stewart/Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman finished seventh and climbed three spots to seventh in the standings, one point behind his boss.

“We’re in the hunt,” Newman said. “If we get to running like Mark (Martin) there, we’ll be alright.”