Can't catch Stewart

By LEE MONTGOMERY

The Chase for the Nextel Cup is over, unless something happens.

Nobody is going to catch Tony Stewart, unless something happens.

He's too far out on front for someone to outrun him, unless something happens.

Funny phrase, that is. Unless something happens. Say it out loud right now. "Unless something happens." Don't worry, your colleagues in the office won't mind. "Unless something happens."

You know what it means. The status quo remains until something odd occurs.

But how does that apply to the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship?

Simple. Stewart is the 2005 champion ... unless something happens.

We saw it last year when Kurt Busch won the title. He wasn't going to get beat unless he beat himself. And no matter how hard Busch and his No. 97 team tried, they couldn't blow the title. Sure, you might call it luck, but Busch won because after he got the points lead, he and his team rebounded from adversity time and again.

We haven't seen anything as dramatic this year, for Stewart has been steady in running up front, excpet for Dover, where he did come back from a horrible run to post a decent finish of 18th.

But Stewart likely won't need any dramatics to win the championship this year. He'll run well enough of the next six races to hold off Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. No one else has shown enough consistency this year to mount a challenge in the remaining six races. Sure, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson have run well at times, but it's too late in the game for "at times."

Newman and Biffle are the only ones close enough who have run well enough to beat Stewart, but forget it. You won't be able to beat Stewart consistently over the next six races, unless something happens.

And that's the beauty of this sport. You never know what's going to happen. Stewart could cut a tire and hit the wall on the first lap at Charlotte, and everything is up for grabs.

But that's not likely. So let's stick with performance. Stewart has had plenty of it this season, more than anyone else. What else can you base predictions on? Sure, speculate all you want that Martin will mount a vigorous challenge, but there's no proof.

So get used to seeing Stewart celebrate at Homestead next month.

Unless something happens.