Tony Stewart spun after contract with Jimmie Johnson, setting off a five-car accident. Credit: AP

Stewart, Johnson point fingers after PIR wreck

Frustrating night for pair culminates with Lap 206 fracas

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Neither Jimmie Johnson nor Tony Stewart was pleased with their Saturday evening's work at Phoenix International Raceway.

And after the Subway Fresh 500, they alternated pointing fingers at each other in the wake of Johnson's 15th place finish and Stewart's run into 33rd.

"That's a good question," Johnson said when asked what occurred between he and Stewart in Turn 3 on Lap 206. "The last three or four weeks I've raced with him, when I get to him he's mad that I'm going by.

Jimmie Johnson leads Tony Stewart down the backstretch at PIR. Credit: Autostock

"He starts flipping me off and chopping me and running me all over the place."

Saturday night, the two cars made contact and in the resultant scramble, that brought out the race's seventh of nine cautions at lap 207 -- Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and Ken Schrader's nights were basically ended.

Stewart and Johnson blamed the other for driving erratically.

"He started doing the same thing again (even though) I haven't been around him all race," Johnson said. "Shoots me the bird running down the backstretch and runs me all over the place and then goes in the turn and stands on the brakes to mess with me.

"I ran out of room and got into the back of him. I don't know why he gets so irate whenever I'm around him (but) I end up being the whipping post every time I get to him, it seems like."

Race RewindWatch a condensed version of the Subway Fresh 500 from Phoenix Victory LaneKurt Busch celebrates his Subway Fresh 500 victory at Phoenix Top finishersMichael Waltrip, Jeff Burton and Dale Jr. on Phoenix finishes Final lapsWaltrip can't catch Kurt Busch in a chase for the checkers Tough luckBiffle and Kenseth have their luck run out in Phoenix Big wreckJohnson spins Stewart, starts a five-car wreck on Lap 206 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"I don't know what he was doing," Stewart said of Johnson. "He was running guys up and down the racetrack. He about ran (Dale Earnhardt) Junior into the wall and I about ran into Junior because of that.

"And then he finally put me backwards."

Stewart confirmed the cause of the crash.

"Yeah (Johnson got into me)," Stewart said. "The only way you spin out like that is when a guy jacks you up like that going into (Turn) 3. So I don't know what was wrong with him tonight."

Including the set-to with Stewart, Johnson was particularly irate over the course of events that caused his 13-race streak of top-10 finishes to come to an end.

"It was just a frustrating night," Johnson said. "We just didn't have a good driving car -- the thing was bouncing all over the damn place (and) it was tough to drive.

"It's still top-15, so to have a bad day and end up in the top 15, all-in-all it's good. But we've got to get some things turned around (because) we're not doing what we need to be doing right now."

For his part Stewart, who last weekend at Texas fell out of the top-10 in the standings for the first time in 51 races, dropped three additional spots.

	Jimmie Johnson failed to score a top-10 for the first time in 2005. Credit: Autostock
	Results Subway Fresh 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. Kurt Busch Ford 2. Michael Waltrip Chevrolet 3. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 5. Brian Vickers Chevrolet Complete results, click here Standings, click here

Two collisions in particular had Stewart bemused. One occurred on pit road in the first third of the race, when Stewart was a top-five contender. The second was the one with Johnson, with just over 100 laps remaining.

The pit road miscue caused Stewart to make several pit stops in attempts to cure overheating problems.

"I don't know how it (grill) got pushed back," Stewart said. "(Greg) Biffle and I pulled out and had already got our stops done, but I think there were some cars that were still coming in (to the pits).

"One of them stopped in front of Greg and he had to check up and then we ran into the back of him (because) I didn't know the guy was stopping.

"I don't know what it did to the grill but it made the water temperature build up. It's like I told the motor guys: This is a pretty good payback from last week."

Stewart was disappointed last weekend at Texas when an engine failure knocked him out of another race in which he was a contender.

Despite his troubles, he praised Joe Gibbs Racing's engine department.

"To sit there and have a motor that was running 260 degrees with an oil temp at 275 and run lap after lap while still putting out pretty good power," Stewart said. "I thought the motor shop did a pretty good job."