Roger: Over and out

CONCORD, N.C. -- Sweeping the front row is a coup for any team. Sweeping it for the Coca-Cola 600 is enough to give them a better-than-average feeling on how the race is going to go.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way for Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch on Sunday night.

Lap-by-Lap

Casey Mears used fuel to his advantage and stayed out while others came in to pit. The move worked as Mears holds on to win the Coca-Cola 600.

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Newman led the first 10 laps from the pole (watch video) and stayed in the top 10 until losing a lap when he got caught out on a green-flag pit stop. Just getting the free pass on Lap 170, Newman's Dodge gave up the ghost as fire erupted from the engine bay.

"We had a good car," Newman said. "We had just gotten the lucky dog and we were going to be one of the 15 cars on the lead lap."

Newman wound up 39th, matching his worst finish of the season.

"We just had a bad set of tires there at the end [of his run]," Newman said. "We chunked out a right rear, which never should have happened. I don't know what happened with that tire, but either way we had a good run.

"We were back on the lead lap with a bad set of tires and the engine blew."

Busch led 107 of the first 186 laps before spinning all by himself in Turn 2. He nudged the wall with the right rear quarter panel, but not seriously. He remained on the lead lap, but it still shook him up some.

Busch wasted little time getting back up in the mix, sitting seventh at Lap 254. But some 43 laps later, Busch was done for the night when his Dodge jumped sideways on the backstretch and clobbered the inside wall (watch video). He was complaining about his car's handling from the time the sun went down.

"Every time we came in, it was like roulette," Busch said. "I was in position for the lucky dog and the car just jumped out from underneath me. [Martin Truex Jr.] was on us, but hey, I lost it, I guess. I don't know.

"I just had no idea why it got so bad at the end. I can't wait to get to Dover."

Busch ended a streak of three races where he finished third, fifth and 12th. For Newman, the result ended a streak of three consecutive finishes of ninth or better with new crew chief Michael Nelson, who took over for Matt Borland at the beginning of the season.

"Streaks always end," Newman said. "They never really begin. Everybody at Penske Racing has been doing a great job. We've just got to keep it up and stay focused."