by TonyStewart.com

That's because Pocono (Pa.) Raceway is a race track designed by committee - part drag strip, part high-banked oval, part flat track. And if you're good in one section of the race track, you're typically struggling in another.

The best way to describe Pocono's 2.5-mile layout is that of a triangle, where none of its three corners are alike. It begins with an enormously long front straightaway that dumps into a tight, semi-banked corner. Upon leaving turn one and shooting down another long straightaway, drivers are subjected to the tunnel turn - a bumpy and very narrow half-corner. If unscathed, drivers exit the tunnel turn and speed down a third straightaway, only to negotiate another tight corner. Turn three is the final turn of the track, and with little banking, drivers must feather the throttle to get the balance and grip they need to race down that long front straightaway all over again.

The one driver who relishes the opportunity Pocono presents is Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Still nursing a fractured right scapula sustained in an accident at Charlotte (N.C.) two weeks ago, Pocono's long straightaways provide Stewart as much comfort as can be found in a 3,400-pound race car. There are no G-forces to contend with or much turning of the steering wheel. Just point the car straight and mash the gas, something mastered by Stewart long ago, as his 25 career Nextel Cup victories and two series championships prove.

And while Stewart will be far from comfortable at Pocono, it will seem like a day at the spa compared to what he experienced for 38 laps last Sunday at Dover (Del.).

Dover is the antithesis of Pocono. Dubbed the "Monster Mile," Dover is a 1-mile, high-banked horror show for someone battling injury and an ill-handling race car. The G-forces associated with turning 150 mph laps around corners with 24 degrees of banking are dizzying. The seams of its concrete surface are rattling. Impacts within its tight confines are jarring.

All of that played into the decision for Stewart to give up his seat to veteran NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd upon the race's first caution. Rudd, owner of 55 Nextel Cup starts at Dover - four of which ended in victory - drove the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet to a respectable 25th place finish that kept Stewart within the top-five in points.

But after another week of rest and seeing someone else drive his signature orange and black Chevrolet, Stewart is all in at Pocono. The reigning series champion plans to participate fully in practice, qualifying and the race.

Two-hundred laps around Pocono makes for a long day, but it's a day Stewart has been waiting for ever since lap 39 at Dover.

Tony Stewart's Pocono Performance Profile
Year	Event	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Led	Earnings
2005	xPocono 500	26	29	Running/201	0	$108,961
2005	xPennsylvania 500	6	7	Running/203	0	$124,336
2004	Pocono 500	8	27	Running/194	1	$100,393
2004	Pennsylvania 500	8	35	Accident/107	0	$99,043
2003	Pocono 500	4	1	Running/200	37	$214,253
2003	Pennsylvania 500	33	37	Engine/153	15	$105,203
2002	%Pocono 500	7	7	Running/200	0	$96,043
2002	*Pennsylvania 500	10	7	Running/175	0	$96,043
2001	Pocono 500	4	7	Running/200	0	$64,340
2001	Pennsylvania 500	13	3	Running/200	0	$91,880
2000	Pocono 500	9	6	Running/200	38	$73,490
2000	Pennsylvania 500	1	26	Running/199	0	$56,490
1999	Pocono 500	12	6	Running/200	1	$53,255
1999	Pennsylvania 500	12	4	Running/200	0	$70,970

* Race cut short due to weather.
% Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via car owner points.
x Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.