Winners and Losers: Subway Fresh Fit 500

After an off week for the Easter holiday drivers and crews had their first Saturday night race at Phoenix on Saturday check out who is on this week’s winners and losers.

Winners

Mark Martin

Mark Martin started on the pole and unlike the last couple times he earned the pole they didn’t fade. They were never far from the lead and were able to keep up with the racetrack.

Had it not been for a late caution this team would have finished with a four second lead instead a caution brought the field together but Martin was able to pull away for his first win since 2005.

From his teammates to former his former boss, victory lane was filled with congratulations and excitement for a driver who has been a great ambassador for this sport. Martin proving age is just a number that winning can come at any age.

Points: 13th

Tony Stewart

For Tony Stewart his consistency has  matched that of Jeff Gordon this season. Yet he still has yet to win a race. There were three great cars and Stewart was one of them. He was in the top 10 all night long, and led laps.

During the final caution his teammate Ryan Newman opted not to pit and assumed the lead but that move might have prevented Stewart from getting close enough on the restart to make a run at eventual winner Martin. Stewart came home with a second place finish.

I am not surprised to see Stewart running this well. I am a little but more surprised that he hasn’t won yet, but that might change come Sunday at Talladega.

Points: Fourth

Sam Hornish  Jr.

My pleasant surprise this week was Sam Hornish Jr. He has qualified well for races but quickly fades, but Saturday Hornish started 35th and quickly moved forward. I watched him throughout the race, they had solid pit stops and steadily moved forward.

They needed this run, this year is a pivotal year for Hornish, and he hasn’t seen the success in Sprint cup that he and many expected. We will see if he can continue this momentum heading into Talledega. For right now they can enjoy a solid ninth place finish.

Joey Logano

Okay so he didn’t finish on the lead lap on Saturday, but coming off a nationwide win at Nashville last week, he clearly used that momentum on Saturday night. Logano will get comfortable with this car and when he does you will see him running up front.

I am impressed with how he has kept his composure this year. It hasn’t been easy for this team but Logano and his team have been steadily making improvements and Saturdays results prove that this team is starting to turn that corner starting with a 21st place finish.

Points: 33rd

Reed Sorenson

I am still not sure if I should be excited to see this or should I hold my breath on this finish, for now I am happy to see this. This team needed a strong run and that’s what they got. Sorenson started 36th and finished 12th.

He hasn’t really lived up to the expectation he had when he first came into Sprint cup, but he has the talent, if they can shake the bad luck and  continue to get good equipment at each race this team should finish better each week., but it’s all matter of getting good equipment.

Points: 27th

Losers

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon in 2009 hasn’t had any race like this one. They struggled with the handling of the car, and Gordon admitted that his back was sore and he wasn’t feeling good this weekend.

They struggled in traffic and being back in the pack and racing Denny Hamlin a tire rub almost forced them to pit under green but AJ Allmendinger spun out and  allowed  them to pit under caution but put them off sequence with the leaders.

It was this next pit stop that effectively ended their day, a missing lug nut forced them to pit under green again and they never recovered. A rare pit road mistake summed up their night. This team retained the point lead but it was cut in half, they will be fine coming to Talladega, but nights like this won’t win you a championship.

Points: First

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He looked in the beginning like it was going to be another one of those days for this team,. they were struggling and after the first pit stop  another mistake forced them to pit again and they were deep in traffic. The only way this team could get track position was to pit off sequence, they got the lead with a caution when the leaders had to pit.

They began to fade once again and headed to pit road where they changed tires and a slight adjustment, this is where their day ended. They retook the lead after the pit stops cycled through but they struggled with the handling and quickly lost the lead and fell back in the pack. 

Earndhardt was loose, he was spinning out loose but a slight tap from former teammate Casey Mears, Earnhardt spun out and ended his chance for a solid finish.

They will need a lot of help at this point to get into the top 12. They aren’t helping themselves each week with pit road issues and poor handling cars.

Points: 19th

Kevin Harvick

This team looks awful. They have not been competitive this year and their on track performance and results prove that. Last year they didn’t win a race but they were competitive, 2009 they are not even competitive.

They have struggled with setups and haven’t qualified particularly well and they are stuck spending the first half of many races rebounding from their qualifying effort.

Saturday was no difference Harvick was never happy with his car and was never a factor again. This team needs to turn it around, unlike last year there are more drivers who running better than them that are in the top 12 or close to it.

They need to find that consistency and find a way to win a race, something they haven’t done since Daytona in 2007. Finishing 30th is not getting it done.

Points: 16th

The Final Lap…

The first night race of the season was fairly entertaining.  We got to see some great passing and some battles for the lead. One thing about this car is on short tracks the cars don’t rely on aerodynamics racing has been at its best.  

One more thing, I was glad to see drivers bumping and banging out there on the track, and seeing the emotions of the race between Earnhardt and Casey Mears, both of these drivers are under performing this year and I think you saw the frustration for both of these friends off the track come to a head on the track.

On to the wild card of Talledega, This is one of my favorite races of the year; where anyone can win if you have the right “friends” right behind you when it counts.