Tony Stewart snapped a 43-race winless streak with his first Cup victory at Talladega Superspeedway after finishing second a maddening six times at the Alabama track.

Regan Smith took the checkered flag but Stewart was awarded first place when NASCAR (web|news) ruled Smith drove below the yellow out-of-bounds line to get by Stewart on the final lap.

NASCAR decided Smith's move was illegal, and Stewart earned his first win of what's been a frustrating final season at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The victory allows Stewart to cross Talladega off the list of four active tracks where he'd failed to win a race.

Jimmie Johnson still leads the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Johnson is 72 points ahead of Carl Edwards with Greg Biffle another five points back in third. Stewart moves into seventh place with his win.

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