NASCAR Cup Series

Tony Stewart applauds NASCAR for going distance at Bristol

Published Apr. 22, 2015 4:23 p.m. ET

Jared Turner

Count Tony Stewart among those pleased that NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway worked diligently to complete the advertised 500-lap distance of Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Despite the race being delayed four times by rain for a total of five hours and 18 minutes, officials from the track and sanctioning body made tireless efforts to dry the .533-mile track and ultimately managed to avoid calling the race official prior to its scheduled conclusion.

"Hey, we made it this far," Stewart said. "Why not stick it out another 10 minutes?

"Definitely think NASCAR did the right thing for the fans."

Of course, Stewart might be a little biased in his view. Going the full distance helped the three-time Sprint Cup Series champion earn his first top-10 finish of the season -- a sixth-place result.

"It was a decent run for us," said Stewart, whose best finish in seven previous races this season was 14th at Auto Club Speedway. "I'm proud of Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and all these guys.

"We have just been battling and battling. Really proud of them."