Stewart set to go despite injury

He will race in Sunday's Pocono 500 after suffering a broken right shoulder.
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- Tony Stewart has removed the "Help Wanted" sign from the garage.
The defending NASCAR champ is ready to prove he can drive 500 miles with one bad shoulder better than most of the Cup field can drive with two healthy ones.
Stewart said he is set to go the distance in Sunday's Pocono 500, two weeks after he was knocked out of a race with a broken right shoulder blade. Stewart turned a qualifying lap of 166.988 mph Friday at Pocono Raceway and will start the No. 20 Chevrolet 20th. Denny Hamlin took the pole in 169.638.
"If I know I don't have anyone here, that makes it easier to stay in the car," Stewart said. "I honestly don't think we are going to have any problems."
In case Stewart thought he could sneak up on the field, points leader Jimmie Johnson said no one was underestimating him.
"He's going to be out there mad and that's going to be bad news for the rest of us," Johnson said.
Used Rudd for relief
Stewart completed 38 achy laps at Dover International Speedway before using Ricky Rudd as a relief driver. Stewart needed to start the race to earn points in the standings under NASCAR's unforgiving structure. He dropped a spot after Dover to fifth in the standings, 293 points behind Johnson.
Rudd, who practiced the car and qualified it, came out of his season-long break and helped Stewart to a 25th-place finish.
This week Stewart told Rudd thanks, but no thanks. The veteran driver was sent home.
"I am still a little sore in the car," Stewart said. "I didn't have any problems in the practice. Every day, (the shoulder) is making huge, huge steps. By Sunday we will be just fine."
Stewart's car has been fitted with a new seat that is wider in the shoulder area.
"I fully believe that with the new seat and another week of rest that we'll be ready to go," he said.
Difficult track
With it's tricky banking, Dover proved a difficult track for a hurting Stewart to drive much longer than he did. But Pocono provides some relief. Yes, the triangle is 21/2 miles and the race is 100 miles longer than Dover, but Pocono's 3,740-foot straightaway is the longest in Nextel Cup. Turning the wheel won't take as long and should provide some needed relief.
"It's probably one of the least physically demanding tracks," said Jeff Gordon, ninth in the standings. "It's one of the better tracks to be able to do that. Last week was the tough one."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed a relief driver two years ago at Pocono when he was still in pain from burns on his legs, neck and chin sustained in a scary crash during a sports car event.
Could be the right one
Earnhardt, who completed 52 laps and used John Andretti as a relief driver, said the track could be the right one for Stewart to drive all the way.
"I think if there's a race that Tony can stick it out if he wanted to, this would be one of those tracks," he said. "It might still be a wise choice for him to get a relief driver."
Stewart is going to ignore that advice. Not this his fellow drivers believe it will make a difference.
"Even at 80 percent, Tony's still better than half these guys out here," Earnhardt said.
Gordon believes pain won't be a factor for Stewart once the engines start running and the flag drops.
"It's amazing once you get in that race car how your mind can block out that pain," Gordon said. "When the caution comes out, it comes right back in your mind."
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