Kansas City, Kan. -- The burning question in the NASCAR garage these days is how a car can be both powerful and stingy on gas.
Only Ryan Newman and the crew of his No. 12 Dodge seem to know the answer.
Although Bill Elliott dominated most of Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, a late pit stop opened the door for Newman to take advantage of his exceptional fuel mileage -- and power -- to get his eighth win of the season.
Newman stretched a tank of fuel for the final 79 laps -- nearly 120 miles -- in following a strategy that is becoming increasingly common on the circuit.
Elliott finished second, ahead of his teammate Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.
It was the ninth win of Newman's 74-race career, and it allowed him to move from fifth to fourth in the Winston Cup points standings. But it also raised questions among his peers about how he is consistently able to be fast yet thrifty. For most teams it's a trade-off: They either tune the engine for power or mileage.
Newman's crew chief Matt Borland said his team has found a way to do both.
"A lot of teams make really good horsepower, and a lot of teams make really good fuel mileage," Borland said. "Our engine shop put a really concerted effort in this year to make horsepower, make fuel mileage and get the reliability."
Newman was more direct.
"We don't cheat," he said. "That's basically it."
From the outset, the Banquet 400 was ruled by Elliott and his No. 9 Dodge. Looking very much unlike a driver pondering retirement, he took the lead for the first time on lap 18, then led four times for a race-high 115 laps.
At one point he was 11 seconds -- the length of a straightaway -- ahead of second-place Rusty Wallace.
But Elliott's fortunes changed during a caution period at lap 202. Leading at the time, he drove onto pit road for four fresh tires and a tank of fuel.
Newman and Mayfield, who made their final stops for fuel 13 laps earlier, stayed on the track and took over the top two spots. Elliott returned to the track in 15th place, battled back through the field, but came up three car-lengths shy of Newman, who took the top spot from Mayfield on lap 240 and had ample power in leading the final 28 circuits.
Elliott left the track without participating in the customary post-race interviews, as did eighth-place Jamie McMurray, the highest finishing rookie.
Stewart said that gas mileage aside, the positions Newman gained by staying on the track when the other drivers made their final pit stops were critical.
"We drove away from Ryan Newman all day," Stewart said. "So track position means everything."
Still, the questions about how Newman's team can get both good mileage and high horsepower dominated the interview sessions all weekend at Kansas.
Gas mileage has figured into several of Newman's wins this season and many of his competitors, including Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon, say they're suspicious that something fishy is going on.
"I'm just [mad] that the 15th-place car wins the race and can go 15 laps farther than the rest of us," said Harvick, who finished sixth. "If he can do that with his foot, then he's a magician."
Gordon, speaking prior to the race, said: "The thing that definitely raises an eyebrow to me is that the No. 12 car [Ryan Newman] is one of the best engines out there and yet has one of the best fuel mileages out there too . . . Obviously, if it's a concern to us then certainly NASCAR has an eye on it also." Newman declined to respond directly to Gordon's comments.
"I think we answered that when we crossed the finish line," he said.
Rick Minter writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Only Ryan Newman and the crew of his No. 12 Dodge seem to know the answer.
Although Bill Elliott dominated most of Sunday's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, a late pit stop opened the door for Newman to take advantage of his exceptional fuel mileage -- and power -- to get his eighth win of the season.
Newman stretched a tank of fuel for the final 79 laps -- nearly 120 miles -- in following a strategy that is becoming increasingly common on the circuit.
Elliott finished second, ahead of his teammate Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.
It was the ninth win of Newman's 74-race career, and it allowed him to move from fifth to fourth in the Winston Cup points standings. But it also raised questions among his peers about how he is consistently able to be fast yet thrifty. For most teams it's a trade-off: They either tune the engine for power or mileage.
Newman's crew chief Matt Borland said his team has found a way to do both.
"A lot of teams make really good horsepower, and a lot of teams make really good fuel mileage," Borland said. "Our engine shop put a really concerted effort in this year to make horsepower, make fuel mileage and get the reliability."
Newman was more direct.
"We don't cheat," he said. "That's basically it."
From the outset, the Banquet 400 was ruled by Elliott and his No. 9 Dodge. Looking very much unlike a driver pondering retirement, he took the lead for the first time on lap 18, then led four times for a race-high 115 laps.
At one point he was 11 seconds -- the length of a straightaway -- ahead of second-place Rusty Wallace.
But Elliott's fortunes changed during a caution period at lap 202. Leading at the time, he drove onto pit road for four fresh tires and a tank of fuel.
Newman and Mayfield, who made their final stops for fuel 13 laps earlier, stayed on the track and took over the top two spots. Elliott returned to the track in 15th place, battled back through the field, but came up three car-lengths shy of Newman, who took the top spot from Mayfield on lap 240 and had ample power in leading the final 28 circuits.
Elliott left the track without participating in the customary post-race interviews, as did eighth-place Jamie McMurray, the highest finishing rookie.
Stewart said that gas mileage aside, the positions Newman gained by staying on the track when the other drivers made their final pit stops were critical.
"We drove away from Ryan Newman all day," Stewart said. "So track position means everything."
Still, the questions about how Newman's team can get both good mileage and high horsepower dominated the interview sessions all weekend at Kansas.
Gas mileage has figured into several of Newman's wins this season and many of his competitors, including Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon, say they're suspicious that something fishy is going on.
"I'm just [mad] that the 15th-place car wins the race and can go 15 laps farther than the rest of us," said Harvick, who finished sixth. "If he can do that with his foot, then he's a magician."
Gordon, speaking prior to the race, said: "The thing that definitely raises an eyebrow to me is that the No. 12 car [Ryan Newman] is one of the best engines out there and yet has one of the best fuel mileages out there too . . . Obviously, if it's a concern to us then certainly NASCAR has an eye on it also." Newman declined to respond directly to Gordon's comments.
"I think we answered that when we crossed the finish line," he said.
Rick Minter writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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