Conservation mode: Tony Stewart stretches fuel to win at Pocono
Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart won Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
LONG POND, Pa. – Two of the sport's biggest leadfoots were forced to drive like they were sightseeing instead of racing, and in the end, Tony Stewart won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race as an owner/driver.
Stewart, who left Joe Gibbs Racing after 10 years to become co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing this season, outlasted Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards to win Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.
Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, also hoping to stretch his fuel at the end, ran out between turns 2 and 3 while shadowing Edwards and fell from third to seventh.
David Reutimann (Michael Waltrip Racing), Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ryan Newman (Stewart-Haas Racing) completed the top five.
“I’m not telling,” Stewart said when asked what he was doing inside the car to save fuel in the closing laps.
“It’s been an awesome weekend,” he said. “It’s more special because of the group of guys I’m working with. ... It’s just a little different when it’s your own [team].”
Stewart won championships in 2002 and 2005, as well as 33 races, while with JGR. But the opportunity to become a co-owner in a Cup team was too good to pass up. Despite starting over, Stewart has been competitive from the start this season, eventually taking the points lead with a runnerup finish a week ago in Dover, Del.
Edwards had a comfortable lead over Stewart with less than 50 laps remaining at Pocono when the day’s fifth caution flew for debris in Turn 3.
Edwards took four tires and came out second, trailing Stewart. Roush Fenway teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth were third and fourth, respectively.
With teams plotting fuel strategy, the pace of the race slowed considerably. Lapped cars were suddenly running as fast as the leaders and drivers were giving up spots in hopes of winning the gas gamble.
But in the end, it was Stewart who won the battle.
“I believe I’ve got a gallon or two left in there,” Edwards said after the race. “I think I’m getting better; Tony’s obviously getting better.
“I didn’t think he was going to be a factor. We made the decision to save fuel and I was sure he was going to run out just like Jimmie did.”
Edwards and Johnson dominated the first half of the race, with Edwards leading three times for 58 laps and Johnson twice for 31. Stewart, who was on the pole when qualifying was rained out and the field set according to the NASCAR rulebook, started at the rear of the field after crashing his primary car during practice on Saturday.
Strangely, both Edwards and Johnson had issues arise just as the race reached the halfway point. Edwards was leading when he was told by crew chief Bob Osborne that the crew didn’t get all the gas in on a previous green-flag stop, meaning he would have to short pit. After giving up the lead, he returned to the track in 14th place, but 36 seconds behind the leader.
Johnson pitted shortly after that, only to have the caution appear for debris in Turn 2.
“We pitted too soon,” crew chief Chad Knaus told his driver over the team’s radio.
“The pits were closed?” Johnson asked. “How are we down a lap?”
"We’re not, we’re tail end of the longest line. ... I’m sorry man, I thought we were good,” Knaus said.
Both drivers, however, were able to work their way back to the front of the pack during the second half of the race.
Stewart led twice for 39 laps while Edwards was out front a race-high six times for 103 laps.
There were five cautions for 20 laps, as NASCAR officials rolled out the sanctioning body’s new double-file restart format.
Denny Hamlin, a previous winner at Pocono, saw his day go south early as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver suffered fuel-pump issues less than three laps into the event. Although he was eventually able to return to the track after repairs were made, he had lost 22 laps to the leaders.
Stewart extended his points lead over Gordon to 71 points. Johnson stayed third as the top three positions remained unchanged.
