Newman and Carl Edwards were racing side-by-side for fifth place when the incident occurred. Edwards slid up the track and tagged Newman’s left rear quarter-panel, which caused the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet to spin uncontrollably into the wall.

The contact caused extensive damage to the entire rear of Newman’s racecar, ending a strong run at the desert oval. After repairs, Newman continued to the finish, two laps down.

“I’m 99 percent sure Carl Edwards didn’t do that on purpose, but I trusted him and we ended up losing a lot today,” Newman said. “I don’t consider that a deliberate move by any means. We will go forward. We finished 21st today, and it was a hard-fought 21st after getting crashed. For these guys to come back with the WIX Filters Chevrolet as a backup car that was going for fourth or fifth or whatever we were there, I was really proud of them.”

It was a long and difficult weekend for Newman and his No. 39 WIX Filters team. Newman crashed his primary car in practice Friday after getting what he said was “too aggressive” entering turn four. The practice crash forced Newman to a backup car for the race. With the exception of the two restrictor-plate tracks, it was the first time since Newman joined SHR in 2009 that a practice crash had forced him to a backup car. Quick work by the No. 39 crew got Newman back on track in final practice.

Newman proved his backup car was fast by qualifying sixth for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k.

Before his crash in Sunday’s race, Newman battled with the handling of his racecar on the 1-mile oval. Tight handling caused Newman to fall back early. He managed to keep his car in the top-25 and on the lead lap, but he couldn’t get the car to turn the way he needed to make up ground on the field.

The crew made a variety of chassis and air pressure adjustments at each opportunity. Unfortunately, a miscue on a pit stop at lap 110 led to a penalty for Newman and his No. 39 WIX Filters team. Newman left the box with the gas can still attached to the car. He was sent to the tail end of the longest line for having pit equipment outside of his pit box. Newman restarted the race in 26th place.

Despite the handling issues and pit stop problems, Newman was able to battle back into the top-10 thanks to pit strategy and a solid performance on the racetrack. Newman pitted for what would have been his final stop at lap 227 for left side tires and fuel. Crew chief Tony Gibson promptly told his driver to save fuel.

Newman was confident he was saving enough fuel, while also moving up in the field. The No. 39 Chevy was in sixth place when Edwards made contact with Newman on lap 256 and sent his car hurtling into the outside wall in turn four. Newman had to enter the pits twice so the crew could pull out the fenders and tape down the car’s decklid. The extensive damage ended Newman’s run for yet another solid finish in the “Valley of the Sun.”

His teammate and team co-owner, Tony Stewart, finished 22nd after a mid-race engine issue caused him to lose two laps in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for SHR.

Denny Hamlin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500k to score his 18th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick finished 7.315 seconds behind Hamlin in the runner-up spot, while Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 37 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 312-lap race around the 1-mile oval.

With round two of 36 complete, Stewart leads the SHR duo in the championship point standings. He is 15th with 52 points, 37 behind series leader Hamlin. Newman stands 18th with 46 points, 43 out of first.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday, March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EST, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 2:30 p.m.

The trouble began for Stewart on lap 248 when a caution period started. Crew chief Steve Addington told Stewart to conserve fuel in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to hopefully complete the 312-lap distance without another pit stop.

Stewart, who has been a master at fuel-saving strategy under cautions throughout his career, shut off his engine as he has done many times in the past. By shutting off the engine, drivers can coast around the track without using fuel and then fire up the engine when it is required to get moving under power again.

Unfortunately for Stewart, after he shut the engine off on lap 249, it wouldn’t fire up again when he flipped the switch inside his Office Depot/Mobil 1 machine. Anything he attempted failed to power the engine. The car stopped on the racetrack, and a tow truck had to push him back to pit lane so Addington and the rest of the SHR team could diagnose the problem.

After several seconds in the pits, the engine finally roared to life. Stewart rejoined the field before the race went back to green, but he was two laps down and out of contention for a good finish. It was a tough blow for the No. 14 team, which was in the top-10 for much of the race up to that point.

“I just shut the car off like we did at Daytona and turned it back on, and it never re-fired,” said Stewart, who won at Phoenix in November 1999. “That’s all I can tell you. I don’t know why it didn’t re-fire. I honestly don’t know. It’s not really my department. I just turned the switch back on, and it never re-fired. I don’t know why that was, but it definitely cost us a good day.”

Following the race, Stewart, Addington and other crew members huddled with members of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department, which provides engines to SHR.

“We talked with the Hendrick guys. We’ll keep working with them to try to figure out what happened,” Addington said. “We’ve got to dig into it and find out what happened, when it happened and what caused it. We’re all learning through this, and we’ve just got to look into it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. The guys from Hendrick give us great engines and support, and I know we’ll work with them and figure it out. It’s a shame it happened to us today, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 21st after he was involved in an accident with Carl Edwards on lap 257 and made contact with the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall in turn four. He was able to finish the race, but finished two laps behind the leaders.

Denny Hamlin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500k to score his 18th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick finished 7.315 seconds behind Hamlin in the runner-up spot, while Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 37 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 312-lap race around the 1-mile oval.

With round two of 36 complete, Stewart leads the SHR duo in the championship point standings. He is 15th with 52 points, 37 markers behind series leader Hamlin. Newman stands 18th with 46 points, 43 markers out of first.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday, March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EST, with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 2:30 p.m.

“It actually wasn’t bad,” said Stewart, who won at Phoenix in November 1999. “Everybody was loose, and we tightened up and got a little too tight. It is still a really good run for the Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. It is a good starting spot, just where we need to be.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start sixth after turning a lap of 26.570 seconds at 135.491 mph. Newman was forced to a backup car after crashing in practice on Friday.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” said Newman, who won at Phoenix in April 2010. “The balance is pretty good. Obviously the grip is significantly less. But, they did a good job of adjusting on a car that is a couple of years old. There is a reason the primary was the primary, but it was a good day for the WIX Filters Chevrolet. (Tony) Stewart is on the outside of the front row, and we’ll go get them tomorrow.”

Mark Martin captured his 52nd career Sprint Cup pole, his first of the season and his second at Phoenix by posting a lap of 26.313 seconds at 136.815 mph.

Stewart was second, while Regan Smith (26.471 seconds at 135.998 mph), Jimmie Johnson (26.552 seconds at 135.583 mph) and Juan Pablo Montoya (26.559 seconds at 135.547 mph) rounded out the top-five.

Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the Subway Fresh Fit 500k. Not making the cut in the 43-car field was Timmy Hill.

As far as manufacturers went, Toyota took the top spot thanks to Martin’s pole-winning effort. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Stewart. The top Ford was Greg Biffle who qualified seventh (26.652 seconds at 135.074 mph), and carrying the flag for Dodge was 15th-quick A.J. Allmendinger (26.810 seconds at 134.278 mph).

The Subway Fresh Fit 500k gets underway at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with a pre-race show at 2:30 p.m.

HOW WAS YOUR PRACTICE SESSION (FASTEST IN FIRST PRACTICE TODAY)? “I was pretty happy with it.  It’s nice to come back here and kind of finish off where we left off last fall we were pretty good here in the fall.  It’s nice to come back in the spring here and do it again.”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR TEAMMATE?  “I actually was still on pit road waiting on my turn to go out.  He (Ryan Newman) just said he got loose getting into turn three.  Like I told him that is why we bring two cars to the race track.  The second car is just as good as his first one is.  It will be fine.”

HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEW SHAPE AND SURFACE HER AT PHOENIX? “I think we probably made more gains.  You know we got to do the Goodyear tire test here and then the open test and then the race.  By the time the end of the race weekend was over it was our third time on the new track.  I think we probably made our biggest gains between the tire test and the open test and then the open test to the race.  More so than what we did coming back here in the spring.”

THIS WEEK NASCAR CAME DOWN WITH SOME BIG PENALTIES FOR THE NO. 48 TEAM.  DO YOU THINK THE PENALTIES WERE TOO HARSH? “Those penalties don’t have anything to do with me.  I don’t worry about them.”

DOES IT SEEM LIKE THE RACING GROOVE HAS GOTTEN WIDER OR CAN YOU TELL YET? “I don’t know what the track did here.  It is pretty rubbered-up, quite a ways across the race track.  I would say they did something trying to get it ready.  It looks like they did a really good job whatever they did.”

YESTERDAY PENSKE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL LEAVE DODGE AND GO TO FORD.  ARE YOU SURPRISED HOW EARLY THEY MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT? “Again, it is nothing that pertains to what I’m doing so I really don’t pay attention to it.  I was shocked to hear it, but I didn’t really think much about it honestly. I’m so focused on what we are doing with our team, with a new crew chief, a new competition director we have plenty of stuff to worry about versus what the other guys are doing.  We are very focused on what this No. 14 car is doing right now.”

DANICA (PATRICK) WAS JOKING EARLIER ABOUT HOW SHE LEARNED HOW TO CRASH AND CERTAIN THINGS SHE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY IN A CRASH SITUATION.  DO YOU GO OVER THAT KIND OF STUFF WITH HER? “I think it is just circumstances.  Every race car I’ve ever driven wrecks are different in them.  How cars crash and this and that, when I say crash it is where they go when they have a problem.  I think it is stuff that time gets you used to that.  Everything is sensory overload for her because she is doing stuff that is totally different than what she is used to.  Every week is going to be a learning experience right now.”

DO YOU WATCH A LOT OF HER NATIONWIDE RACES? “I always watch the Nationwide races.  I watch them because we learn from it for our races too.  We will watch what she is doing obviously because we have interest in trying to help her be better in the Cup car too.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE TRACK HERE? HOW DO YOU THINK IT IS COMING ALONG AFTER THE REPAVE? “I think it is fine.  It’s not the old Phoenix that we used to have obviously.  I am still partial to that.  Every time they made a change I liked it less and less.  There are a lot of things that had to be done and had to be updated and they did a really good job of that.  With the surface they did an awesome job paving it.  It is not changed much from when we were here last fall.”

The season-opening Speedweeks at Daytona may offer stock car’s ultimate prize in the form of the Daytona 500’s Harley J. Earl Trophy, but it was also 10 solid days and nights of full-throttle activity on and off the racetrack that makes three-day events such as this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway a breath of fresh air.

For Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing, every trip to the legendary facility west of Phoenix is a welcome part of the schedule.

Last November, however, there was some trepidation leading into Phoenix, which in addition to hosting round No. 2 on the Sprint Cup schedule, is home to the season’s penultimate race. The anxiety wasn’t from Stewart’s championship battle with Carl Edwards, but rather because the Phoenix Stewart had known since he first raced a USAC Silver Crown car at the 1-mile oval in 1993 was drastically different.

Soon after the Sprint Cup Series visited Phoenix last April, where Stewart led four times for 59 laps before finishing seventh, the track underwent a $15 million facelift that included a complete repaving and slight reconfiguration of its quirky layout.

The 47-year-old racetrack, with the 150-foot Monument Hill standing majestically to the east just outside turns three and four, was repaved for the first time since 1990 and renovated for the first time since 2003, when the familiar Goodyear Bridge over turn four was replaced by an access tunnel. The new, high-tech racing surface received variable banking in all four turns, and its unique backstretch dogleg was moved outward 95 feet and had its radius tightened from 800 to 500 feet all in the name of creating more side-by-side racing, the kind sister track Homestead-Miami Speedway became known for after a similar repaving project.

Stewart showcased his versatility by deftly handling the new layout. He led five times for a race-high 160 laps en route to a third-place finish that put him in position to secure his third Sprint Cup title a week later in the season finale at Homestead.

Getting that third-place finish, however, took a monumental effort in the race’s closing laps, as Stewart had to run down Jeff Burton and pass him for third off turn four on the final lap. That pass kept the point battle Stewart had with Edwards close, and once the checkered flag dropped at Homestead, the third-place finish Stewart earned at Phoenix proved decisive as Stewart and Edwards ended the season tied with 2,403 points. Stewart won the championship via a tiebreaker, as his five victories on the season trumped Edwards’ one. But if Stewart hadn’t passed Burton for third last November at Phoenix, the 1-point difference would’ve been enough for Edwards to win the championship.

Looking back, Phoenix served as an anchor point on Stewart’s 2011 championship charge. It’s fitting, then, that Monument Hill was designated by the U.S. Geological Survey as an anchor point for what was then the Territory of Arizona a full century before Phoenix International Raceway came to be. Located at the south side of the Gila River and the mouth of the Salt River, Monument Hill is surrounded by some of Arizona’s most fertile farmland, and it was declared the starting point for all Arizona survey efforts in 1864, as declared by a brass and aluminum marker at its summit. Today, its western slope is a popular viewing spot during race weekends.

Stewart’s history at the foot of Monument Hill is a rich one, as well. He was victorious at Phoenix during his rookie Sprint Cup season of 1999, and he has a win, eight top-fives, 11 top-10s and has led a total of 546 laps in his 20 career Sprint Cup starts there. His average Sprint Cup finish at Phoenix is 11.3, and he has a lap completion rate of 99.8 percent.

On top of all that, there is perhaps no driver who has logged more laps at Phoenix than Stewart. He’s competed at the mile oval in Sprint Cup cars, NASCAR Nationwide Series cars, Indy cars, Supermodifieds and USAC Midget and Silver Crown cars. Add up Stewart’s laps spent testing at the desert mile, and Stewart is in a league of his own.

So, after enduring the rigors of these most recent Speedweeks at Daytona, there’s nothing like hitting the familiar surroundings this weekend at stock car racing’s “Jewel of the Desert” in Arizona.

TONY STEWART, Driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:

After spending so much time in Daytona for Speedweeks, how much of a relief is it to get back to a normal three-day race weekend?
“I think everybody’s pretty worn out after being in Daytona for so long. Phoenix means a normal routine and a chance for the crew guys to get back to their families for a couple of days before heading to another racetrack.”

Is too much emphasis placed on Daytona in terms of how teams are going to perform for the rest of the season?
“I think so. Daytona is a restrictor-plate race and, unlike Daytona, two guys can’t get in a line at Phoenix and go to the front. Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) have always just been two different forms of racing. With the draft being so important at those two tracks, it’s more of a team deal than an individual deal. What happens at Phoenix and the races after that has to be done on your own. You can’t help each other at Phoenix. You just have to go race.”

How long have you been racing at Phoenix?
“I started racing there in ’93 when I ran a USAC Silver Crown car. And since then, I’ve run USAC Midgets, Indy cars, Supermodifieds, Nationwide Series cars and, of course, Sprint Cup. So, I’ve logged a bunch of laps there. To think that it all kind of started at Phoenix, I guess you could say it’s the place where my career came full-circle.”

Did you take an immediate liking to Phoenix in 1993 when you ran there in USAC?
“When we ran the USAC cars out there, it was pretty cool because I had never gone that fast before. It’s just one of those tracks where, to run a Midget and a Silver Crown car there, it definitely got your attention. It was pretty fast.”

Did you get a pretty good paycheck that day?
“At that time, yeah, absolutely. When I was thinking about the $5 hours I was working at a machine shop, $3,500 was a pretty good payday.”

How did you transition from one type of racing to another?
“It’s more fear than anything that I’m going to have to get a real job if I’m not successful. That’s the great thing about running USAC and being in Indiana, where not only did we have winged Sprint cars and non-winged Sprint cars, Midgets, Silver Crown cars, we ran on dirt tracks one night and pavement the next. We ran Modifieds and Late Models. There were just so many things to drive around there that you learned how to adapt, and you learned how not to have a preconceived notion about how a racecar is supposed to feel and drive. You learned to read what the car was telling you as far as what it liked and disliked, and learned how to change your driving style accordingly. Especially at Phoenix, every car we’ve driven there, even though the track’s the same, they all drove differently. You just had to adapt to it and learn to read the racecar instead of thinking this is what the car I ran last night felt like and it’s supposed to feel like this today. It doesn’t work that way.”

How hard did you have to race Jeff Burton back in November to get that third-place finish?
“Every point counted. That’s why we raced Carl (Edwards) so hard and Kasey (Kahne) so hard. We led enough laps to lead the most laps. We were going for every single point we could get.

“I over-drove it in two corners before I finally passed him, but it just looked like he got a little tight and I was able to get rotated in the center and I got underneath him. But I don’t think he pushed the issue really hard. I think he raced us with respect and I appreciated that.”

How did you adjust so quickly to the reconfigured track and new surface?
“We go to dirt races and we get two to three laps of practice and you line up and qualify, so I felt like I had the ability to adapt to the new layout as well as anybody. I was comfortable with it from the start. I still wouldn’t have changed the shape the way they did. I guess the computers are smarter than the drivers these days. But I thought it was a good race. You had the flexibility to move up and down and, really, that’s all you can ask for. Our car was a little loose on restarts, but it just seemed like we were actually better on the outside than we were on the inside. Once the groove moved up, once they got rubber up there, the racetrack was wide enough you could run two-wide then.”

TONY STEWART’S PHOENIX PERFORMANCE PROFILE

× Race length extended due to green-white-checker finish.

In fact, in his mind, there’s no better place for Newman and his team to get back on track after a disappointing 21st-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

There’s been no better track for the South Bend, Ind., native the past two seasons than Phoenix. In his last four starts there, Newman has a win (April 2010), a runner-up finish (November 2010) and two fifth-place efforts (February and November 2011).

Newman looks to continue and improve upon that string of impressive finishes this weekend at a track that has been a cornerstone of several important moments in his career.

Over the years, the mile oval nestled in the Arizona desert has been a comfort zone of sorts for Newman, and the track’s challenging and unique layout is a favorite.

His love of Phoenix seems natural. The track harkens back to the days of Newman’s early racing career in the United States Auto Club (USAC). It’s also the track on which he made his Sprint Cup Series debut in November 2000.

The then-22-year-old driver had already impressed in the open-wheel divisions of USAC, collecting numerous wins and honors, as well as capturing the 1999 Silver Crown championship. He had also received accolades following his stellar performance behind the wheel of an ARCA stock car in a five-race effort that produced two poles, three wins and four top-10 finishes.

At Phoenix, Newman wasted no time showing the Sprint Cup regulars his penchant for turning a quick lap as he qualified 10th in the No. 02 Penske Racing entry in his maiden effort. He went on to be competitive during the race, too, although the final results show a 41st-place finish due to an engine failure.

In 2010, Phoenix was the site of another big first for Newman – his first victory with SHR.

A bold pit call on the final caution of the night put Newman in position to capture the win – his first at Phoenix, as well as crew chief Tony Gibson’s first career win at the helm of a Sprint Cup team.

This weekend, Newman and Co., rolls into Phoenix for the second race of the 2012 Sprint Cup season in hopes of continuing his string of solid performances in the “Diamond in the Desert.” Newman has had equally strong performances behind the wheel of the gold-and-black WIX Filters racecar.

With WIX Filters on the hood of his No. 39 Chevy, Newman has never finished outside of the top-10. He has four top-10 finishes – a sixth-place effort at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August 2010, a third-place finish in last season’s Budweiser Shootout, a fifth-place run at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn in August 2011 and a seventh-place result in this year’s Shootout.

In 19 Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix, Newman has four poles, the April 2010 win, seven top-five finishes and seven top-10s.

This weekend, the team turns its focus once again to Phoenix, a track where many believe the Sprint Cup season to officially starts. What better way to open the march as a championship contender than a win at Phoenix? That is exactly the mindset of Newman and Co., as it heads west to the Arizona desert.

RYAN NEWMAN, Driver of the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Your No. 39 WIX Filters team has not finished lower than fifth at Phoenix in the past four starts. What makes your team so strong at this racetrack?
“We go to Phoenix with a good setup, and that shows by our finishes there. And luckily the changes to the track didn’t change that for us last fall. It’s hard to say why we’ve done so well there, but it’s one of my favorite tracks, and that definitely is a factor. I guess I would kind of lump Phoenix into the success that we’ve had on short tracks. The combination of Tony Gibson (crew chief), the No. 39 team and me have really been able to hit on something at the tracks a mile and under – like Martinsville and Bristol. And Phoenix is flat like New Hampshire, which is another track where we’ve had success. In my opinion, the driver has a little more of an impact on the end result at short tracks than some of the bigger racetracks, and I like that. The more the drivers are involved, the more I think you get to race and, from that standpoint, I think it’s more fun. Tony Gibson has some great setups with our short-track program. I enjoy them, he enjoys them, and we just go out there and have some fun. We’ve had a good car each time we’ve been to Phoenix. Gibson is a great fan of Phoenix and short-track racing, and he’s got a great understanding of the racecar there and what I like, and that makes a big difference, obviously, for me. We’ve been able to get four top-five finishes in our last four trips to Phoenix. So I’m really looking forward to getting back there this weekend after a really long Speedweeks.”

One of those top-five finishes came on a newly paved, newly designed racetrack last fall. What are your thoughts on the new Phoenix and do you expect any differences when you return to the track this weekend?
“Honestly, the changes that were made to the racetrack – the new pavement and the slight changes to the design – didn’t really change my opinions on the racetrack itself. Phoenix has always ranked up near the top of my list as one of my favorite racetracks. It’s really one of my favorite racetracks because the design of the racetrack makes it fun and challenging to drive. It’s definitely a driver’s racetrack. We’ve always said that because it’s so unique. It’s different from one end to the other. And, therefore, the crew chief can only get one end perfect, it seems, and the other one the driver has to adapt to. It’s not a compromise if your crew chief does a good job setting up the racecar because you can do things to try to manipulate those opposite ends of the racetrack. But, when your car is not working, it’s up to the driver to make up what you can of what’s left, and that I think separates the men from the boys at Phoenix. The driver really has to drive and hustle the car a little bit more and a little bit differently and still be smooth. It’s those aspects that make the track a lot of fun to me.

“I really thought Phoenix did a nice job getting the track ready for us last year. The racing itself was good, and the track I don’t think is a huge difference. I was pleasantly surprised with how good it drove. They had worked really hard to put rubber down on the racetrack, and we had two grooves for the better part of the race. The racetrack was probably at its best when the checkered flag fell and, with time, weather and a couple of months of aging, I’m sure it has already improved. I think it will only be better by the time we race this Sunday.”

So many say that this is really the start to the season – that while the Daytona 500 is the season-opener, Phoenix is a much better barometer for the team. What are your thoughts on that?
“Although Daytona is our biggest race, I think most people will tell you the season really starts with the second race just because it seems to be a better gauge in determining what you have compared to other teams.

“Phoenix is a special track to me. It’s where I started my Sprint Cup career. It’s the first track I raced on in NASCAR, so it’s an important place. And, it’s a special track for our team, too, because it’s where we were able to get our first win back in 2010. It’s just a track I have always liked from my USAC days. Back then, Phoenix was the place to race, so it’s kind of like a track that’s the backbone of how I’m used to racing. We have run so well there the past few years, and we seem to be in tune with the racetrack, so we’re looking forward to continuing our streak of solid finishes there.”
Ryan Newman’s Phoenix International Raceway Performance Profile:

× Race length extended due to green-white-checker finish.

Stewart came into Phoenix only three points behind Edwards in the championship standings, and even though Edwards finished just one spot ahead of Stewart, the one bonus point Stewart earned for leading the most laps kept the title race tight heading into next Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We led the most laps and did everything we could do. We missed it by two spots, but it was still an awesome day for the Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevy,” Stewart said. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. We have a third and two wins in the last three races, so we’re going to keep the pressure on him (Edwards) and we’ll make him sweat it out.”

Three races ago at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Stewart overpowered five-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in the final two laps to score his third win of the season. In the next race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Stewart led seven times for a race-high 173 en route to the ninth back-to-back victory of his career. Along the way, Stewart lopped 16 points off Edwards’ lead.

And after starting eighth at Phoenix – one spot ahead of Edwards – Stewart picked up right where he left off at Texas. After only 36 laps, Stewart was leading the 43-car field. He set the pace for seven laps until pit stops jumbled the running order. It proved of little matter, however, as Stewart proceeded to lead for four more stints – laps 46-94, 98-157, 182-221 and 291-294.

The race’s second-to-last round of pit stops came during a caution period on lap 221. Stewart took four tires and fuel, with the lone adjustment being a tweak to the air pressure in the right-front tire.

Stewart emerged in third place, first among the drivers who opted for four tires. Paul Menard and Kurt Busch restarted 1-2 after taking only two tires. Edwards was just behind Stewart in fourth.

“We got out of balance on the second-to-last stop and just lost that little bit that we needed to stay up there and keep Carl honest,” Stewart said. “We just made an air pressure change and got too far on it.”

Stewart fell to fourth while Edwards made a charge for the lead, finally taking the top spot on lap 279 and staying there for 12 circuits around the 1-mile oval. Soon, however, a final round of pit stops was necessary to fuel each car to the finish.

After leading laps 291-294, Stewart pitted for fuel only. He returned to the track in fourth, and then doggedly pursued third-place Jeff Burton, finally passing him on the next-to-last lap.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne, silently strong all day, augmented his fast racecar with smart pit strategy to take the lead on lap 299. Edwards was a distant second, with Burton serving as his buffer against Stewart.

Once Stewart passed Burton, the buffer was gone. Stewart’s one bonus point for leading a lap and second bonus point for leading the most laps kept Edwards in check. Even though Edwards finished ahead of Stewart, Stewart’s bonus point tally of two to one kept Edwards’ margin the same as it was when the two entered Phoenix – a scant three points.

“We had an awesome day. We just came up two spots shy,” said Stewart after recording his eighth top-five finish of 2011 and his eighth top-five result in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix. “I don’t know how you could’ve asked for a better day, really. We led the most laps and we were on the same pace we were last week. Just fought as hard as we could all day.”

Also fighting hard was Stewart’s teammate, Ryan Newman. The driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet Impala for SHR rallied from his 30th-place starting spot to finish fifth. It was Newman’s ninth top-five result of 2011 and his seventh top-five in 19 career Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix.

The last time both SHR drivers finished in the top-five was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon when Newman won and Stewart finished second.

Kahne won the Kobalt Tools 500k to score his 12th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Phoenix.

Edwards finished .802 of a second behind Kahne in the runner-up spot, while Stewart, Burton and Newman rounded out the top-five. A.J. Allmendinger, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Menard and Clint Bowyer comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 30 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 312-lap race.

Stewart and Newman are both in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and came into Phoenix second and 12th, respectively, in the Chase standings. Stewart was three points behind Chase leader Edwards while Newman was 103 points out of the top spot. Stewart leaves Phoenix still in second and still three points behind Edwards. Newman moved up three spots to ninth in the standings and is now 107 points out of first. Both Newman and Kurt Busch have 2,252 points, but because Busch has two wins this season compared to just one for Newman, Busch is awarded eighth place.

Just one race remains before a champion is crowned following the Nov. 20 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Heading into the season finale, the top-12 Chase drivers rank as follows, with only Edwards and Stewart still eligible for the title.
1. Carl Edwards (2,359 points)
2. Tony Stewart (2,356 points, -3)
3. Kevin Harvick (2,308 points, -51)
4. Brad Keselowski (2,294 points, -65)
5. Jimmie Johnson (2,291 points, -68)
6. Matt Kenseth (2,289 points, -70)
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2,257 points, -102)
8. Kurt Busch (2,252 points, -107)
9. Ryan Newman (2,252 points, -107)
10. Denny Hamlin (2,249 points, -110)
11. Jeff Gordon (2,247 points, -112)
12. Kyle Busch (2,224 points, -135)

The Ford 400 begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.

Stewart led five times for a race-high 160 laps en route to his eighth top-five finish of 2011 and his eighth top-five result in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished fifth. It was Newman’s ninth top-five result of 2011 and his seventh top-five in 19 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1-mile oval.

The last time both SHR drivers finished in the top-five was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon when Newman won and Stewart finished second.

Kasey Kahne won the Kobalt Tools 500k to score his 12th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Phoenix.

Carl Edwards finished .802 of a second behind Kahne in the runner-up spot, while Stewart, Jeff Burton and Newman rounded out the top-five. A.J. Allmendinger, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 30 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 312-lap race.

Stewart and Newman are both in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and came into Phoenix second and 12th, respectively, in the Chase standings. Stewart was three points behind Chase leader Edwards while Newman was 103 points out of the top spot. Stewart leaves Phoenix still in second and still three points behind Edwards. Newman moved up three spots to ninth in the standings and is now 107 points out of first. Both Newman and Kurt Busch have 2,252 points, but because Busch has two wins this season compared to just one for Newman, Busch is awarded eighth place.

Just one race remains before a champion is crowned following the Nov. 20 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Heading into the season finale, the top-12 Chase drivers rank as follows, with only Edwards and Stewart still eligible for the title.
1. Carl Edwards (2,359 points)
2. Tony Stewart (2,356 points, -3)
3. Kevin Harvick (2,308 points, -51)
4. Brad Keselowski (2,294 points, -65)
5. Jimmie Johnson (2,291 points, -68)
6. Matt Kenseth (2,289 points, -70)
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2,257 points, -102)
8. Kurt Busch (2,252 points, -107)
9. Ryan Newman (2,252 points, -107)
10. Denny Hamlin (2,249 points, -110)
11. Jeff Gordon (2,247 points, -112)
12. Kyle Busch (2,224 points, -135)

The Ford 400 begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.

“We did not get on the pole, but we had a nice, solid lap and that’s what we needed to do,” said Stewart, who won at Phoenix as a Sprint Cup rookie in November 1999. “I would like to have been a little better. I think our car is a little better than that. I was a little too free to run a faster lap than that. It was a solid run and we’re in good shape right now.”

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet Impala for SHR, will start 30th after turning a lap of 26.764 seconds at 134.509 mph.

“Not the lap we wanted,” said Newman, who won at Phoenix in April 2010 to score his first win in the No. 39 Chevrolet and the 14th of his Sprint Cup career. “There’s not a lot of grip in the track and we found that out.”

Matt Kenseth captured his seventh career Sprint Cup pole, his third of the season and his first at Phoenix by posting a lap of 26.258 seconds at 137.101 mph.

A.J. Allmendinger will start on the outside of row one as he timed in at 26.384 seconds at 136.446 mph. Marcos Ambrose was third (26.411 seconds at 136.307 mph), while Mark Martin (26.455 seconds at 136.080 mph) and Martin Truex Jr., (26.455 seconds at 136.080 mph) rounded out the top-five.

Forty-six drivers attempted to qualify for the Kobalt Tools 500k. Those not making the cut in the 43-car field were Scott Riggs, David Stremme and Andy Lally.

As far as manufacturers went, Ford took the top-three spots thanks to Kenseth, Allmendinger and Ambrose. Chevrolet was next best at the hands of Martin. The top Toyota was Truex, and carrying the flag for Dodge was 12th-quick Brad Keselowski (26.585 seconds at 135.415 mph).

The Kobalt Tools 500k gets underway at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.