Daytona 500 2012: Tony Stewart on Fast Track to Second Straight NASCAR Title

After winning his third career Sprint Cup championship last year, Tony Stewart has already gotten off to a fast start in 2012, and he hasn't even competed in the season's first official race.

Heading into Sunday's Daytona 500, Stewart won the first Gatorade Duel on Thursday, and by the end of the day, he found himself set to start third in "The Great American Race."

Before last year, Jimmie Johnson had won a record five consecutive Sprint Cup championships and there didn't appear to be much hope for the rest of the pack.

But Stewart and Carl Edwards battled to a tie in the standings, with Stewart ultimately coming away with the title. It was one of the closest Sprint Cup championship battles in years as Johnson ended up placing sixth.

Stewart said after the first Gatorade Duel on Thursday, via the Chicago Tribune:

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"The fact that we've won 17 times here and not won on the right day is proof it's good momentum, but it's no guarantee obviously.

"It's nice to come here, especially for Steve and I, being our first race together, to be able to come out and have two really good strong and solid races back-to-back is an awesome start for us."

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Stewart, despite winning three championships in his career, has gone 0-for-13 in the Daytona 500. He's approaching Dale Earnhardt's run of 19 starts without a victory before he finally won in 1998.

But Stewart is in a great place this time around, ahead of the much of the competition from the start. That could prove pivotal with the new pack racing, which could result in several crashes. '

Stewart was nosed by Kyle Busch in the Budweiser Shootout exhibition last Saturday, staying ahead of three multi-car wrecks.

Coming off a triumphant year, Stewart appears to be in the right place from the start to make another run at the championship. If his Daytona 500 qualifying runs are any indication, the rest of NASCAR better watch out in 2012.

The 40-year-old clearly has plenty left in the tank.