Maybe it was just coincidence, but the Subway Eat Fresh 500 on Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway was decided not by horsepower or pit strategy – but by fuel mileage.
For race winner Kevin Harvick, it was less a sign of the times as much as it was vindication from a year ago. Last year at Phoenix it was Harvick on the losing end of a fuel mileage battle, running out of gas on the final lap of the race while running in the top five.
Harvick was sure not to make the same mistake this time around. Starting 15th, Kevin made his move late in the race, passing Greg Biffle for the lead with 10 laps to go. He built up just enough of a lead that he could back off and conserve fuel to the finish, which turned out not to be necessary, since Biffle ran out of gas with only two laps to go. The win Saturday night capped off an incredible weekend for Harvick, as he swept the weekend of racing, winning both the Nextel Cup race and the Busch Series race on Friday night.
As well as things have been going for Harvick, Biffle?s luck has been just the opposite. Phoenix marked the third race this season, along with California and Atlanta, that Biffle has led the most laps, only to have problems lead to a disappointing finish. Many considered Biffle one of the favorites to win this year?s Nextel cup, but his 16th place finish at Phoenix left him 21st in the point standings, 436 points behind new leader Matt Kenseth, whose third place finish allowed him to pass Jimmie Johnson for the overall lead.
For Harvick, however, his recent performance could not have come at a better time. His contract with Richard Childress Racing is up at the end of the season, and there have been persistent rumors in the garage throughout the season that Harvick has been entertaining an offer from Toyota to head up their Red Bull sponsored team that debuts in the Cup Series next year.
Harvick said this weekend that he wants to stay with Childress, and the two had set an unofficial deadline to come up with a deal by the end of this month. Harvick was concerned about the team?s ability to win consistently, with their last win coming over a year ago in Bristol. With his performance in Phoenix, whether Harvick re-signs with Childress or goes to Toyota, he is in the best position of his career.
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