Subway Fresh Fit 500 Phoenix Wrap-Up

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Yesterday's race at the Phoenix International Raceway is the perfect example of a strategy game in real life sports. The race came down to a fuel millage shootout where the last man running was the one going home with the trophy. The race was mostly typical for a track like Phoenix International Raceway where you would see most of the incidents caused by cut tires or someone getting loose.

With 59 laps to go, the race restarted with Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick battling it out for the win. Hamlin was able to hold on and has begun to show promise for the 2012 Season after holding off the closer until he ran out of gas with 1 to go and coasted to a second place finish. This race also shows how a fresh perspective can help a race team with Darian Grubb, the championship winning crew chief who was fired from Stewart Haas Racing, coming on board to replace Mike Ford. Hopefully this showing means that Hamlin is on the way back to his 2010 level where he finished second in the points to Johnson. Hamlin had a miserable underperforming season last year.

The race also saw a bounce back for Jimmie Johnson who clawed his way back to a fourth place finish after a shaking wheel set him back midway through the race. Johnson appeared to be the favorite for the race after leading early on with a fast Chevy Impala. His fourth place finish still leaves him in 37th in the standings after his bad showing at Daytona and his 25 point fine for Chad Knaus' illegal modification which is under review.

The newly paved surface at Phoenix also added some problems with Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard both sliding into the wall and Ryan Newman took a hit after Carl Edward's 99 car slid up into him sending Newman spinning.

Next up is the Kobalt Tools 500 at Las Vegas.