Johnson Plays Fuel Game to Win Two Straight at Phoenix
With crew chief Chad Knaus beseeching driver Jimmie Johnson to save fuel over the final seven laps of Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the two-time defending Cup champion nursed the No. 48 Chevrolet across the finish line 7.002 seconds ahead of Clint Bowyer, who also had gambled on fuel.
Johnson completed the final lap at a relative snail's pace -- 31.19 seconds -- in full conservation mode.
The victory returned Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane after an eight-race hiatus and gave the two-time defending Cup champion the 34th win of his career -- and second straight at Phoenix.
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The Rocketman Rockets to Phoenix Pole Position
The Roketman is back on top. Ryan Newman won the Coors Light Pole Award for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 with a lap of 26.975 seconds, at an average speed of 133.457 mph.
Newman scored his 43rd pole in 232 career NASCAR Sprint Cup starts and moved into a tie with Buck Baker for
10th on the all-time pole winners list.
This is Newman’s first pole and third top-10 start in 2008. This is his eighth straight year to win a pole. He now is tied
with Junior Johnson, Terry Labonte, Lee Petty and Rusty Wallace for 10th-place on the all-time list of
consecutive seasons with at least one pole.
The pole position is Newman’s fourth top start at Phoenix International Raceway but his first since he won three in a row
between 2002 and 2004. Jeff Gordon (three) is the only other repeat pole winner in the 10-race period.
Elliott Sadler posted the second-fastest qualifying time with a lap of 26.984 seconds, at an average speed of 133.412 mph. This is his
best start since he started second at Atlanta in March 2007.
Carl Edwards (third) posted his fourth top-10 start in eight races at Phoenix. This is his sixth top-10 start in
2008.
Dave Blaney (19th) was the fastest of the drivers required to make the field on time while Dario Franchitti (21st) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
NASCAR Newscast: Phoenix Review
Watch as Jimmie Johnson claimed Hendrick Motorsports' first win of the season and third consecutive victory at Phoenix.
[Watch Video]
Video: Post-Race News Conferences at Phoenix
Jimmie Johnson says he had a great car and crew chief Chad Knaus talked him into saving Sunoco fuel
(21 seconds) [Watch Video]
Chad Knaus explains his strategy and how close the No. 48 car came to running out of Sunoco fuel
(34 seconds) [Watch Video]
Clint Bowyer says crew chief Gil Martin was more worried than he was about saving Sunoco fuel
(27 seconds) [Watch Video]
Denny Hamlin didn't second-guess coming in for Sunoco fuel at the end of the race
(19 seconds) [Watch Video]
Video: Post-Qualifying News Conferences at Phoenix
Ryan Newman describes his pole-winning lap
(23 seconds) [Watch Video]
Ryan Newman won't predict a win but likes his chances in the Subway Fresh Fit 500
(26 seconds) [Watch Video]
Elliott Sadler says his second-place qualifying effort and strong practice bode well for his organization's future
(19 seconds) [Watch Video]
Elliott Sadler says qualifying on the front row is important after a disappointing Texas weekend
(33 seconds) [Watch Video]
Carl Edwards, who qualified third, really likes Phoenix International Raceway, especially after dark
(18 seconds) [Watch Video]
Photos from Phoenix International Raceway
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