Newman's pit road strategy nearly pays off again

CONCORD, N.C. -- For once, unique fuel and tire strategy didn't win Ryan Newman a race, though it almost did.

Why didn't it work this time? Because for once, tires actually mattered.

	Ryan Newman

The Lowe's Motor Speedway track surface is far more abrasive than other similar tracks on the Winston Cup tour -- not to mention the aerodynamic-induced handling issues are worse, as well. Therefore, pitting for tires is crucial.

Or so everyone thought before Newman stretched his final set more than 70 laps.

"They're really important," said Jimmie Johnson, who finished third in Saturday's UAW-GM Quality 500. "I'm really surprised that the strategy of the 12 car worked out the way that it did.

"This is one of the tracks we were looking at as competitors and saying, you know, fuel mileage won't win this race. Tires are too important. And it was about five laps from working out that way again."

Eventual race-winner Tony Stewart pitted for tires and fuel some 30 laps after Newman's final stop. When Stewart returned to the track, he was nearly 10 seconds behind Newman, then the race leader.

Stewart methodically cut into Newman's advantage, and as the laps ticked down, he got to Newman's bumper. Then, after several laps of near-miss tries, Stewart got a fender under the Alltel Dodge on lap 329 to take the lead for the sixth and final time.

"I give (Newman) credit," said Stewart, who led a race-high 149 laps. "He about won the race. They about made the right call."

Much to the chagrin of the other 42 competitors.

"We've all been frustrated because we've gotten beaten by track position and fuel mileage," Stewart said. "But 10 years from now, they'll look in the media guide at the 2003 season and see that (Newman) won them. They won't care how he won them, just that he won them."

As usual, Newman short-pitted with some 70 laps remaining. Some assumed it was strategy, but Newman said it was to tighten a loose tire.

UAW-GM QUALITY 500  •  Lap by Lap  •  Results  •  Standings

"We just got caught out there, had a loose left rear tire, I'm pretty sure, and that beat us right there, having to run that extra little bit there on old tires," Newman said. "Obviously we had a fast car today, and we had like 30 more laps on our tires than Tony did."

Still, as Stewart said, he nearly pulled it off again.

"I think with equal tires, obviously (we were better)," Newman said. "We had a good 30 laps more on our tires and were still as fast as he was. It's OK. He can finally roast off a set of Goodyears now."

Following the race, several competitors -- including Stewart in Victory Lane -- voiced their glee that a race was finally decided by something other than fuel strategy.

"Our engineers and crew chiefs are paying close attention to what they're doing, and we never would have thought that playing that strategy here, of all places, would have worked," Johnson said. "It almost did, so I was glad to see it turn out the way it did."

NASCAR is looking at softening up the tires for 2004, a change welcomed by many teams.

"The way it sounds for next year, it sounds like we might have a softer tire, a tire that gives up, so that this type stuff won't happen," Johnson said.