Stewart takes a different approach

Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway last year. It was his first of three wins in the Chase. Only thing, Stewart wasn't in the Chase. Because of that, It provided him the luxury to gamble a little bit and go for wins.
Now that he is in the Chase, second in the Cup standings and only two points out of first, he will be a little more conservative about his strategy in races.
"Absolutely; most definitely," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We wouldn't have been able to take the gamble that we took last year if we were running for points. The risk versus reward wouldn't have been an equal value. In a situation like that where if it pays off; we gain six spots. If it doesn't pay off, we lose 35 spots. But for us it was about winning the races, not having to worry about the points. But right now, every point and every position counts."
Stewart is on the other side of the fence, one of the Chase drivers racing for the Nextel Cup championship. There are 30 drivers on the track who can gamble, take chances and have little to lose.
"Well, at the end of each day, you've got to keep in mind who you're racing," Stewart said. "There are 42 other guys on the race track but there are only 11 that matter as far as what goes on at the end of the year. Every position still matters, even if they're not a Chase contender.
"But it's a situation that you've got to think about. Everything that you do, you have to think about what the risk is and what the reward is if you make it or the penalty if you don't make it. So, you have to look at both sides of the coin."