In their first season as teammates, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have exceeded expectations. Both drivers are solidly in the top 10 in the standings, and both have put together a series of consistent finishes. If anything, the two seem perfectly suited for each other.

But that wasn't the case six years ago when the Cup cars visited Dover International Speedway for the 2003 MBNA Armed Forces Family 400. After Stewart's failed attempt to pass eventual winner Newman in an effort to get back on the lead lap, the two future teammates seemed anything but complimentary toward each other.

The similarities between the two seasons are somewhat striking. Both the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 were plagued by rain in 2003, just as they were this year. In both instances, Newman finished in the top five at Charlotte before heading to Dover. And Stewart was still winless after 12 events, although he would break into the win column one week later at Pocono.

Newman won the pole but teammate Rusty Wallace, starting on the outside of the front row, immediately grabbed the lead from the outset on a cloudy, windy day when the temperature struggled to reach 60. And because continual overnight rains had washed away the buildup of rubber on the concrete surface, it didn't take long for trouble to set in.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., forced into a backup car after crashing his primary in practice, was caught up in an eight-car pileup just as the tail end of the field crossed the start-finish line for the first time. Despite that early accident, Junior would remain on the lead lap and finish 11th.

Wallace led the first 41 laps, handing the lead to Newman, who then traded the top spot with Stewart during the next 100 circuits. Stewart gave up the lead when he pitted on Lap 140, but when NASCAR officials ruled he pitted outside of his box, he was handed a one-lap penalty, a decision that wasn't viewed favorably in the No. 20 pits.

"We weren't over the line, we were on the line by an inch," crew chief Greg Zipadelli said. "What are you going to do? A rule's a rule."

“

I'm definitely tired. My arms hurt, my back hurts, my neck hurts and I'll be really sore [Monday] and probably Tuesday. But it pays good money to win, you know.

”

-- RYAN NEWMAN

Newman led until a debris caution bunched the field on Lap 203, putting Jimmie Johnson out front, with Newman second. But Newman's Dodge began to spew smoke, prompting NASCAR officials to inquire if he was suffering from engine issues. However, it turned out to be the power steering fluid leaking from the reservoir. So Newman knew he was in for a long day.

"When you're on a paved race track like this and you're in a situation where you potentially could be oiling down the race track, officials typically frown on that," Newman said. "I was kind of wondering what was happening, too.

"All the gauges looked good in the car. As soon as I started losing the power steering, I wanted the NASCAR officials to know I was losing the power steering and it wouldn't be but a couple of laps and it would be gone and quit smoking. Fortunately, it did."

They don't call Dover the Monster Mile for nothing, and even though Newman knew things were about to get difficult, he also had the presence of mind to mentally steel himself for the task ahead.

"Once I realized it was the power steering, I knew I could overcome that," Newman said. "This is one of the hardest places to have that problem and overcome it, but we had a fast race car and I wasn't about to pull it in the garage and say 'that's it.'"

While Newman fought with his car, the competition was facing formidable obstacles of their own.

Needing a caution to get back on the lead lap, Stewart tried to stick close to Newman's back bumper. But when the caution finally came, Newman was in no mood to be generous.

"You can give it to him or they can take it," Newman said. "He wasn't in position to take it, and I wasn't in position to give it to him."

Stewart showed his unhappiness by forcing Newman's car up near the wall as the cars slowed behind the pace car.

"[Stewart] tried to bump me," Newman said. "I had to run clear up the race track. I guess it's just kind of typical. He was pretty upset, and I'd be upset, too. But he had a fast race car and he would have done the same thing to me, I believe, if the roles were reversed.

"From what I was told, he screwed up in the pits and pitted out of his box. We compete against each other and we try to be friends, but it's a competitive sport. He's not going to invite me to dinner tonight. There's times I haven't wanted to invite him to dinner either, but we can get through it."

Stewart would finally get that lap back, but too late in the race to be a factor. He wound up fourth.

Johnson's day came to an abrupt end on Lap 278. Johnson, who had won the previous two visits to Dover and was coming off victories in the All-Star Race and the 600-miler, was chasing teammate Jeff Gordon when he suddenly veered into the outside wall on the backstretch, then spun hard into the concrete retaining wall at the bottom of the track.

"I just lost it off Turn 2," Johnson said. "I chased it, had it saved a couple of times, but I ran out of race track. I brushed the outside wall and when I did that, it turned me down into the inside wall."

After a series of green-flag stops cycled the lead back to Newman, he thought he might have a clean run to the checkered. But Casey Mears spoiled things when he crashed with 10 laps remaining, setting up a six-lap sprint to the finish. Despite having Gordon looming in his rear-view mirror, Newman was equal to the challenge, winning by .834 seconds.

"I'm definitely tired," Newman said. "My arms hurt, my back hurts, my neck hurts and I'll be really sore [Monday] and probably Tuesday. But it pays good money to win, you know."