One year ago, Tony Stewart left Talladega Superspeedway on top of the world -- the Winston Cup world, that is. He had taken the lead in the standings, and he never gave it up as he went on to win his first Winston Cup championship.

Stewart returns to Talladega for Sunday's EA Sports 500, but in a much different spot. He's stuck in 10th-place, an insurmountable 867 points behind series leader Matt Kenseth, and in danger of finishing with his worst season standings-wise in his five-year Cup career.

His previous "worst" season -- which would be judged pretty good by most other drivers -- was his sophomore season in 2000, when he finished sixth.

Not only has his performance been different in 2003, so too has Stewart's demeanor and agenda. Oddly, he's much calmer, has not been involved in any highly publicized scrapes like the ones that put him on double-probation last season, nor has he had any run-ins with reporters, photographers, fans or anyone else, for that matter.

OK, he's had a few on-track scrapes this season, but nothing like we've seen from him in past years.

But don't be surprised if some of the feisty Tony Stewart of old emerges in Sunday's race -- assuming he's able to race, of course. Stewart did not drive in Saturday's final practice sessions because of a migraine headache and is questionable for Sunday's race. Stewart would be replaced by Kyle Petty if he can't race.

Assuming his headache subsides, the driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet, fresh off Friday's announcement that primary sponsor Home Depot has extended its corporate backing of the team through 2009, could have a few things left to prove before this season is over.

First, he'd like nothing more than to snap Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s streak of supremacy at Talladega, where Junior has wins in each of the last four Cup races at the track.

	“	I'll be kind of glad when this year is over, but it has made me appreciate last season even more from a performance standpoint -- being able to rally back and win the points like we did -- that was pretty impressive. ”
		— Tony Stewart, defending WC champ

Second, Stewart has long wanted to win a superspeedway event, but has never been able to put all the pieces together to do so, particularly at Talladega, where he's finished runner-up three times -- including last year's EA Sports 500 -- in his nine previous Cup starts there. Stewart also has a top-5 and one other top-10 finish on his Talladega career resume.

So, with the chance of defending last year's championship out of reach, and with long-term contracts from team owner Joe Gibbs and Home Depot safely tucked away, Stewart has nothing to worry about heading into this race. He can go out onto the high-banked 2.66-mile oval and pull out all the stops in search of his first win there.

Stewart has just one win this year, at Pocono (Pa.) in June. He'd certainly love to take home No. 2 this weekend in Alabama. But if he doesn't, he still has seven other chances before season's end, including four upcoming racetracks (Martinsville, Atlanta, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami) where he's earned five of his 16 career Cup victories.

"We're taking it one week at a time, just trying to win races," Stewart said. "This team is just trying to win each week, and whatever it gives us, it gives us.

"I'll be kind of glad when this year is over, but it has made me appreciate last season even more from a performance standpoint -- being able to rally back and win the points like we did -- that was pretty impressive."

NASCAR has mandated slightly larger aspiration holes in the restrictor plates that will be used in Sunday's race to provide more air flow into the carburetor, allowing better throttle response that will hopefully break up some of the notorious closed-pack racing for which Talladega is famous.

NASCAR also has implemented slightly larger and higher-angle rear spoilers as more air off the spoilers will allow cars to have a bit more room between them, thus potentially cutting down on the mega-car wrecks that seem to go hand-in-hand with racing at Talladega.

Stewart stands in favor of both moves as he prepares for his 10th career start at Talladega.

"Absolutely," he said. "You've got to try stuff to see what works and what doesn't. I applaud NASCAR for at least making the effort to try and make things a little bit different than what they were, while at the same time, keeping the racing exciting for the fans.

"I just want them to come up with something that keeps us from having to run three-wide all day long. But the only way to find out ways to do that is to try different things. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens during the race."

Stewart spent much of the first part of this week in what has become an annual tradition before the fall race at Talladega; he goes hunting and fishing with NASCAR legend and Alabama native Red Farmer.

"It's a good release," Stewart said, fresh off a third-place finish last Sunday at Dover (Del.), his best showing in more than a month. "It's like hitting a reset button."

After his mini-vacation, Stewart is ready for the final eight weeks of the season. He's refreshed, invigorated and ready to make a late-season run that may well include another win or two.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Motorsportwriter@MSN.com.