Daytona 500 one milestone Stewart hasn't yet reached

Tony Stewart has mastered Daytona International Speedway, evident by his multiple victories there, although there is one milestone that continues to elude the champion: the Daytona 500.

Approaching the 10th anniversary of his Cup debut on the storied track, Stewart said his chance of taking home the glory is growing near.

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In nine attempts, Stewart's bid for a Daytona 500 crown has either gone up in smoke, literally, or the No. 20 was the dominant machine on the track but failed to close the deal when it counted most.

Reasons for defeat can be explained through racing jargon and engine analysis but at the end of the day Stewart is uncertain why the Great American Race continues to slip away from him.

"I don't know. Last year was the closest we've been to winning one even though we came second to [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] in 2004. Last year we had the car to beat, winning the Shootout and the qualifying races," said Stewart, who on Monday was honored in Indianapolis for his second Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victory, a racing milestone checked from his list first in 2005 and again in 2007.

A native of nearby Columbus, Ind., Stewart receive the champion's ring from Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George during a ceremony on the floor of the Indiana State House.

Certainly, IMS is close to Stewart's heart, but he admits not having a Daytona 500 championship is almost as annoying as the incessant questions recently about his new hairstyle.

Because it's not ability Stewart lacks. He doesn't have the wins to prove it, but Stewart demonstrates as much skill as other drivers with good restrictor-plate reputations, such as Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Essential to racing and winning on tracks like Daytona, Stewart knows how to work the draft; he knows when to stalk and he knows when to strike.

On more than one occasion, a Daytona 500 victory arguably should've been Stewart's.

In four of the past five 500s, he's finished inside the top 10 -- each time seventh or better. In 2002, the year he went on to win his first Cup championship, the No. 20 was dominant but blew an engine. In 2004, he was second to Junior's emotionally charged victory but led 97 laps to Earnhardt's 59. A year later Stewart led 107 of 203 laps only to watch Gordon delight in his third Daytona 500 victory.

And in 2007, an accident with Kurt Bush spoiled what Stewart considered his best chance.

"But if [Preseason Thunder] testing is any indication, a Joe Gibbs Racing car has a good of shot as anyone," he said. "Obviously I hope it's us ... it's easy to get wrapped up in Daytona. You have to remind yourself to take it one day at a time, because by the end of [Speedweeks] sometimes you're just ready to get it over with."

Nevertheless, the season is young and so is Stewart's relationship with his new manufacturer, Toyota. During testing, Toyotas have been on top of the speed charts and anticipation of their performance is high.

Stewart said it is too soon to determine the impact Toyota will have on his bid to win his first Daytona 500.

"I haven't spent a lot of time in the engine department at Gibbs because of my schedule, but we ran well in the draft and tested really well," he said. "I don't think I will really be able to know anything until about 10 races into the season."

After last month's test session in Daytona, Stewart said, "It looks the same from where I am, so it's probably a bigger change for the fans than anything. Obviously if we go down the straightaway faster it's going to be a big deal for us behind the steering wheel."

So with two 400-mile wins at Daytona, can Stewart finally reach that milestone in the 500? And how about another elusive victory?

As Indiana's favorite son, time and time again Hoosiers inquire if their beloved "Smoke" will return to the cockpit of an Indy car and run the Indianapolis 500, where his best finish in five career starts was fifth in 1997.

Stewart's response as of Monday: "I've learned to never say never ... they do have a big anniversary coming up this year."