Clint Bowyer led his first laps in a Cup car on Saturday night and came home with his best finish. Credit: Autostock

Bowyer pleased with career night at Phoenix

Rookie leads first laps, comes home with first top-five finish

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- When Clint Bowyer lost the lead to Tony Stewart on Lap 218 of the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix, he could only think of one thing:

Clint Bowyer's fifth-place run lifted him to 12th in the point standings. Credit: Autostock

Subway Fresh 500 Unofficial Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kevin Harvick Chevy 2. Tony Stewart Chevy 3. Matt Kenseth Ford 4. Carl Edwards Ford 5. Clint Bowyer Chevy 6. Kasey Kahne Dodge 7. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 8. Bobby Labonte Dodge 9. Jeff Burton Chevy 10. Jeff Gordon Chevy • Unofficial results, click here • Unofficial standings, click here Victory LaneKevin Harvick celebrates his win in the Subway Fresh 500 Final lapsHarvick passes Stewart and Biffle late to take the checkers Race reactionTony Stewart rebounds after starting 43rd Chain reactionJunior spins Petty, setting off a chain reaction on Lap 223 Multi-car wreckWaltrip and Sadler get the worst of a multi-car wreck Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"How do I get the lead back?"

Bowyer had led 21 laps on Saturday night at PIR, but his team admittedly chased for the victory in the closing laps, as crew chief Gil Martin and Bowyer opted to make an aggressive change on the next pit stop in hopes of turning a top-five car into a winning car.

"You get that close and you can taste it," Bowyer said. "Tony Stewart got close and got around me, and I knew I wasn't going to beat him the way it was. [We] tried to free it up."

It didn't work. The changes made Bowyer's No. 07 Chevy too loose, and he spent the rest of the night fighting the wheel.

It didn't matter much. Fuel became a bigger issue, and Bowyer had just enough to make it to the end. He wound up fifth, a career-high.

He spent 269 laps in the top 10, more than anyone else except for Greg Biffle (293) and Jimmie Johnson (291).

Richard Childress Racing saw all three of its cars finish inside the top 10, but team owner Richard Childress missed the action. He is on hunting trip in Africa.

"The boss should be happy," said Bowyer, who improved one position to 12th in the points. "He is over there with lions, tigers, and elephants and whatever. Hopefully, he has a glass of wine and a smile."

It was the first time Bowyer had led a Nextel Cup race. He took the lead for the first time during a round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 172.

"[I thought] Heck, I am leading a Cup race," the rookie said. "Awesome night, awesome weekend. We tried to free it up more going for the win."

Bowyer said he regained his confidence after suffering through humbling trips to Bristol (29th), Martinsville (22nd) and Texas (19th) in recent weeks.

"Last two, three weekends hasn't been our type of racing. Not our style," Bowyer said. "Just been patient [and] been trying to be consistent."