LOUDON, N.H. - Tony Stewart wants his next fence climb to be at the Brickyard.

He scaled the wiring Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway to celebrate his victory in the New England 300. A crowd of 100,000 roared its approval as he reached the flagstand, grabbed the checkered flag and pumped his fist in the air - just as he had two weeks earlier after a victory at Daytona.

The Indiana native promises to again climb over the fence in front of the grandstand if he takes the Brickyard 400 next month. The self-described fat man is certainly getting enough practice these days.

Stewart said he'll probably be able to keep going - climbing on nothing but air - if he wins at Indianapolis.

"Trust me, I'll be glad to be panting like a dog when I get up there," he said, noting that he can see how much the fans enjoy his antics.

His Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet led 232 of 300 laps and beat the Ford of Kurt Busch by 0.851 seconds on The Magic Mile. It was the eighth top-10 finish in the last 11 races for Stewart, third in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings.

Third in the $5.1 million race was Stewart's teammate, Bobby Labonte. Next came the Chevy of Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle's Ford.

Stewart, long known for his impish behavior, loves playing to an audience.

"It didn't matter whether they liked me or hated me," he explained. "They were cheering."

But Stewart said he needs a personal trainer.

"Yes, I'm still too old and too fat to be doing that stuff," the 34-year-old driver said. "I'm probably going to fall and bust my butt before it's over. They said I could go back down the steps and through the hole in the fence. I said, `Thank you, very much.' "

Stewart started 13th and wound up winning for the third time in four races, passing at will inside and outside in a dominant performance.

"This thing was awesome from the start," he said of his car. "As soon as we got to the front, I knew we had a great car."

The win was his second on this track and the 22nd of Stewart's career. He also won in Sonoma, Calif., and Daytona, and has posted finishes of second and fifth in his last five starts.

"We feel like we're on top of the world," crew chief Greg Zipadelli said.

Stewart began a run of dominance after passing Ryan Newman on the 51st lap. But Kurt Busch, trying to become the only driver to win three times on the track after sweeping the races last year, got by with 60 laps to go.

Zipadelli was asked whether he thought Stewart had taken too much out of his car.

"He just told me to relax, that he'd get back up there," Zipadelli said.

Stewart did just that, reclaiming the lead after he and Kurt Busch banged twice five laps later. But he said he wasn't as dominant late in the race because the other teams began adjusting and closing the gap.

"I played with them for a while," he said, alluding to the first half of the event.

But he knew he had his hands full with the Busch Brothers later on.

"Kyle Busch was able to stay with us longer," Stewart said. "Kyle was almost good enough to get by and Kurt did get by. But once our tires came in, we were able to get by him."

The defining moment of the race came when Stewart moved from fourth to second on lap 68 by passing Rusty Wallace on the outside and cutting inside Kyle Busch just a few hundred feet later.

Race leader Scott Wimmer nearly became Stewart's third conquest of the lap. Wimmer barely kept the lead at the line, then Stewart went by less than a half-lap later.

"Tony was just too strong today," said Kurt Busch, who overcame a spinout on the 35th lap.

Stewart believes his team is now on par with those he'll have to beat to win his second championship.

"Yeah, I have a lot of confidence," he said. "I feel we legitimately deserve to be in the Roush and Hendrick category now."

Points leader Jimmie Johnson drives for Hendrick. Biffle, who is second, and reigning series champion Kurt Busch spearhead the Roush operation.

Jimmie Johnson, twice a winner here in 2003, finished 13th. He leads fifth-place finisher Biffle by 77 points in the series standings. Stewart is 85 points back.

"They're on a tear right now," Biffle said. "This is Tony's kind of track."

Kurt Busch moved from 10th to fifth in the points race.

AP-ES-07-18-05 0215EDT