Newman feasts at Subway

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Welcome back, Ryan Newman.

Thanks to a late-race caution and green-white-checkered restart, Newman powered past Jeff Gordon on the restart on Lap 377 of 378 and held on to win Saturday night’s Subway 600 at Phoenix International Raceway.

It’s Newman’s first Sprint Cup series victory since the 2008 Daytona 500.

“I just spun my tires on the restart and Ryan got inside of me on Turn 1,” Gordon said immediately after the race.

“After that, it was just game over.”

Jimmie Johnson finished third, Mark Martin fourth and Juan Pablo Montoya fifth.

Late in the race it appeared Kyle Busch was going to secure his first victory of the season. Busch powered to the lead on Lap 262, passing Johnson on a restart, and never relinquished it until all the lead-lap cars elected to pit when a caution came out with two laps left in the scheduled distance.

Seven teams took two tires only on the final stop, with Gordon coming off pit road first followed by Newman, Martin, Matt Kenseth and A.J. Allmendinger.

Allmendinger enjoyed his first pole for just 17 laps before losing his lead during a round of pit stops under the race’s first caution.

Tony Stewart took the lead briefly before he was passed by Montoya on Lap 38. Montoya remained out front for 88 of the next 93 laps.

Montoya led Johnson on a restart on Lap 147 following the race’s fourth caution, but two laps later Johnson powered past Montoya for the lead for the first time.

Brad Keselowski got turned on Lap 198 when he failed to clear Martin Truex Jr. while making a pass to bring out the race’s sixth caution. Johnson continued to lead on the restart on Lap 202.

David Reutimann wrecked on Lap 257, which brought out another caution and sent all the lead-lap cars to pit road for fuel and tires. Johnson came off pit road first and led on the restart on Lap 262, followed by Kyle Busch.

Busch, however, drove around Johnson on the restart and claimed his first lead of the race.

Travis Kvapil’s engine blew up on Lap 315 to bring out the eighth caution of the race. Busch again came off pit road first followed by Johnson and Clint Bowyer and led on the restart on Lap 322.

With 40 laps remaining, Busch continued to hold a solid lead followed by Johnson, Gordon, Bowyer and Montoya.

With 30 laps left, Busch led the way followed by Johnson and Gordon.

The top three remained the same with 10 laps remaining.