For those that hung on, Phoenix race delivered

As the Subway Fresh Fit 600 stretched late into the night on East Coast time Saturday, one had to wonder what in the heck the good folks at Phoenix International Raceway and NASCAR were thinking when they decided to add 63 laps to the event back in January. After all, the 600 stands for 600 kilometers. Since when has NASCAR measured anything in kilometers? This is America, for goodness sakes.

One clever cynic wondered aloud Saturday night if the next thing on the racing menu would be to start offering cheeseburgers and fries for Euros from concession stands.

But while lengthening what had been a 312-lap event into a 375-lap circus can be -- and obviously will be -- questioned, it cannot be argued that what had been a rather boring race suddenly perked up with, well, right about 60 laps left to go. So while many race fans no doubt were complaining about the added length of the race, the ones who stuck around to tune in at the race track and on television were rewarded with a spirited and surprising finish that greatly altered the current point standings heading into Sunday's Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The big winners? Well, race victor Ryan Newman obviously topped the list. He not only won his first race since the 2008 season-opening Daytona 500, but also moved up six spots in the standings to 16th. Who honestly thought Newman would be the first Stewart-Haas Racing driver to grace Victory Lane this season?

Also moving up six spots was Carl Edwards, the Roush Fenway Racing driver who hungers for a victory himself but has quietly -- well, since putting his flap with Brad Keselowski behind him, he's been relatively quiet -- begun putting together a solid season. He's up to eighth in the points after finishing seventh Saturday.

There were others who marched forward or fell back as the race stretched on in Phoenix. After seven races and with 19 remaining before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, what does it all mean? (Continued)