Here's why Tony Stewart is 'the man' this season

	Everything points to another Cup title for Tony Stewart. AP

Ten minutes after Tony Stewart finished second at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega two weeks ago, he was strolling through the infield when he bumped into the King, Richard Petty. Wearing his trademark dark shades and 10-gallon cowboy hat, a smiling Petty shouted a few words in Stewart's direction -- words that neatly summarize Stewart's 2006 season to date. "Man, that was a hell of a race," Petty said. "You are the man!"

Ten races into the schedule, Stewart is indeed the man in NASCAR. Though he trails Jimmie Johnson by 55 points in the standings and has made only one trip to Victory Lane, Stewart has clearly been the most dominant driver in the series.

In nine of the 10 races this season, Stewart has led at least one lap and had a legitimate chance of winning each one. His average running position of 8.381 is the best on the circuit, as is his percentage of laps run on the lead lap (98.05). According to NASCAR's new driver rating formula -- which combines wins, finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under the green flag, fastest lap and laps led -- Stewart paces the field with a rating of 112.8. The next closest driver is Matt Kenseth, who checks in with a 105.9 rating.

So what, exactly, has made Stewart and the Home Depot crew the team to beat this season? Here are the five biggest reasons Stewart is in a position to repeat as Cup champ.

1. The man rarely makes an on-track mistake
After nearly 2½ decades of driving all types of cars (Indy-style, Stock, Sprint, Midgets and Silver Crown), Stewart's sense of timing, anticipation and awareness on the track are as finely tuned as those of anyone in motor sports.

He rarely puts himself in precarious positions until late in a race; only then will he take calculated risks as he guns for the checkers. Stewart didn't always do that in his younger years, but now he fully embraces one of the oldest saws in racing: To finish first, you first must finish.