Monday, Nov. 8, 1999 | 10:38 a.m.
PHOENIX -- Tony Stewart knew he had a good car, but he didn't realize he had the car to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Dura Lube 500 until he ran out of gas 89 laps into Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Stewart went from first place to ninth after he ran out of fuel coming out of turn 2 and had to coast around the one-mile track. Less than 60 laps later, however, Stewart was back in the lead and the Winston Cup rookie held on for a dominating win over Mark Martin and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Bobby Labonte.
"I knew we had a really good car at that point," Stewart said. "I knew we were going to lose some spots but at least we weren't going to go a lap down, and that's what I was really concerned about.
"The biggest thing that concerned me was we had a really tough time getting the car started by the time the guys got done with the stop -- that was the part that worried me the most."
After that, it was only a matter of time before Stewart was back in the lead. He charged from the 11th starting position to the lead in the first 87 laps of the race.
"Two-thirds of the way through the first run, we started catching a pack of about four or five really good cars," Stewart said. "Knowing that we ran those guys down at the rate we ran them down, we knew we had a pretty good car and the track was changing (in our favor)."
But when his No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac started to sputter 89 laps into the 312-lap race, Stewart admitted he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I came off turn 2 and the motor went flat and I called on the radio (that) I thought we broke a motor," Stewart said. "I felt like it was a little flat on the top end anyway and I thought we had broken it. It just turned out that we ran out of fuel.
"But when we were able to run the leaders back down after that ... that was a good sign that we were at least a contender to win. I didn't know that we would have the strongest car to win the race, but I knew we had a shot at it."
The win was Stewart's second of the season, matching the rookie record established by the late Davey Allison in 1987.
"To win one race and be put in that category with (Allison) is one thing, but to win two like he did is just unbelievable.
"I never would have thought (before the season) that we could have won even one race. The team has been capable all year, they just didn't have a driver who had the knowledge and experience to do it so hopefully this is a sign that I'm starting to catch up a little bit."
Not only did Stewart fortify his already insurmountable lead in the Rookie of the Year standings, the 28-year-old also jumped from fifth to fourth in the Winston Cup points race, knocking Jeff Gordon down a spot.
Winston Cup points leader Dale Jarrett, who led the race on two occasions for 50 laps, cut a tire 149 laps into the race and lost a lap when he was forced to the pits. Jarrett eventually made up the lap by staying out on the track during the next caution period, but finished sixth.
Although Jarrett lost ground to Bobby Labonte in the points battle, he needs only to finish eighth or better in next Sunday's race in Homestead, Fla., to clinch his first series championship.
"We had a great race car," Jarrett said. "(The flat tire) was just one of those things that I've been talking about: You never know what will happen. I was sitting there leading the race and the car's in great shape and (we) have a flat tire.
"I guess Bobby gained a few points on us, but not too many. We got to Homestead next week and do our job and if we finish in the top ten, that should pretty much do it for us."
Mark Martin, who finished second, led twice for a total of eight laps, but said Stewart's Pontiac was the class of the field Sunday.
"We had a strong run," Martin said. "I couldn't be more proud of the effort and the performance ... that was the best result we could get today.
"Tony Stewart's car was just working a little bit better. He was just hooked up and when you're hooked up, you've got the advantage. They were the car to beat today (and) you're going to have days like that. Some days it's us and most days it's somebody else."
On Sunday, it was Stewart's day. He led 150 of the 312 laps and beat Martin to the checkered flag by more than two seconds after stretching his lead to nearly four seconds late in the race.
Stewart averaged 118.132 mph in the race, which was slowed by only two caution periods (an event record) for 10 laps. There were 12 lead changes among seven drivers.
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