CONCORD, N.C. — With a chance at winning a $1 million bonus and improving his position in the points standings, Tony Stewart decided one race was enough for him.

        Stewart chose not to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, a double-duty event he has done twice before.

        Instead, he'll focus only on his NASCAR job, avoiding all the hassles that go with “double duty.” A year ago, he had to have a specialized diet to get ready for the physical demands of the 1,100-miles of racing. He also had to follow a detailed schedule to help with all the travel logistics.

        Robby Gordon is running in both races, competing in Indianapolis in the day, then rushing to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the evening start. Mike Wallace will be on standby in case Gordon misses the start.

        Eliminating all of that helps his chances of winning the 600.

        “We don't want to take a chance on doing anything that could jeopardize those chances for us,” Stewart said. “We feel like this is our best opportunity to win a championship. Our performance on the track has been good enough to do that. We just need a little luck on our side.”

        Stewart heads into Sunday's race — the longest of the season — ranked eighth in the points standings. He's got two victories, but believes he should have more and be much higher in the standings.

        He was considered a heavy favorite at the season-opening Daytona 500, but blew a motor two laps into the race. He was injured in a wreck while leading at Darlington, hurting his back to the point he had to get out of his car the next week at Bristol, even though he was headed toward a strong finish.

        He made the decision to skip Indy, a title the former open-wheel star and Indiana native has always coveted, because this is his best chance to dominate in NASCAR. An added incentive is the $1 million bonus he and four others are eligible for if they win the Coca-Cola 600.

        Stewart finished a career-best third in this event last year after finishing sixth at Indy.

        “It seems like, historically, in the past, this is the part of the year where we'll really start getting on a run and get some consistent top-fives and hopefully some more wins here pretty soon,” he said.

        “I'm actually happy about the position we're in the point standings right now. I would much rather be the hunter than the hunted right now.”

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