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FORT WORTH, Texas — Tony Stewart didn't need a catchline Sunday. He didn't need to brag and didn't need to tell Carl Edwards he should be worried as Stewart did after winning last weekend's race at Martinsville.

Stewart's dominant performance Sunday spoke volumes at Texas Motor Speedway. He scored his second consecutive victory and fourth in the Chase. When his car wasn't leading, it was charging to the front. With two races left, Stewart trails Carl Edwards by three points after Edwards finished second. Kevin Harvick is third in the standings, but trails by 33 points.

A week after throwing down a verbal gauntlet at Edwards, Stewart was asked what message he had for Edwards now.

"I'm pretty sure what we did on the race track said everything we needed to tell him," Stewart said after his 43rd career Cup victory. "Trust me, he knows."

Edwards saw up close how strong Stewart's car was.

Stewart passed Edwards for the lead on lap 275 after a restart, powering past his foe much like Stewart did when he passed Jimmie Johnson at the end to win at Martinsville a week ago.

A pit cycle shuffled the standings, but it really was about Stewart and Edwards in the final laps as others ahead of them stretched their fuel. Eventually, those cars had to pit and Stewart outran Edwards to score the victory.

It marked the third consecutive race Stewart has finished better than Edwards. While that could be unnerving, Edwards expressed calm about Stewart's charge.

"We've watched guys make runs at us and fall away, and make runs and fall away," Edwards said. "... It truly doesn't matter what (Stewart's team) does or what Tony does or what anyone else does, all we can do is just go do the best that we can do. It might feel comfortable to them to be in the position they're in, to be gaining points, but, truly, the past is history. We've got to go out and run these next two races. I know how good they are, but we're going to be good as well."

Edwards admits, though, that Stewart's run Sunday surprised him.

"I was just surprised they were able to put together two weeks like that that were so good," Edwards said. "That was really good work on their part and there's nothing saying that will play into another solid two weeks after that, but it very well could, so we're just going to go home and work hard and put all our notes together from our test at Phoenix and do the best we can. ... I thought we would have a little bit more of an advantage, or I thought we'd have a little advantage tonight."

The next challenge comes this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, which has been repaved and reconfigured since the series last raced there in February. While teams have tested there, there remain a number of unknowns that could alter the points race.

That's a few days ahead, and before things got serious, Stewart had a moment for some fun.

All week, Texas Motor Speedway promoted the battle between Edwards and Stewart like a championship boxing match with various posters and ads.

After signing a poster, Edwards drew a goatee on Stewart's face. When Stewart later signed the poster and told it was Edwards who did the artwork, Stewart had the last words.

Stewart wrote: "Told you so."

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com