Stewart falls from top 10, will miss Chase for Cup

RICHMOND, Va. -- Tony Stewart once said he should be fired if he failed to make NASCAR's Chase for the championship.

If his car owners take him up on the offer, the two-time and defending Nextel Cup champion could be looking for work.

In a performance not befitting of a champion, Stewart eliminated himself from title contention with a miserable showing Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. He wrecked his primary car minutes into the first practice, then limped to an 18th-place finish in his backup.

It plummeted Stewart from eighth to 11th in the series standings, and he won't be eligible to race for the Nextel Cup title when the postseason begins next week.

"It takes 26 weeks to get to this point," Stewart sighed after climbing out of his backup No. 20 Chevrolet. "This is proof of how tough this series is and how tough it is just to make this Chase."

Kasey Kahne, who came into the race 11th in the standings, benefited from Stewart's downfall to claim the final Chase position. Kahne finished third in Saturday night's race -- behind winner Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch-- to get NASCAR's leading winner into the Chase.

Kahne has five wins this season, and his possible exclusion from the Chase had ignited a debate over whether NASCAR needed to award more points for victories. Before the race began, NASCAR officials said adding bonus points for wins is under serious consideration for 2007.