The Hendrick Motorsport 2008 victory drought is officially over after Jimmie Johnson conserved enough liquid in the Phoenix desert to carry him to victory lane in Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500.
In a race that was decided on fuel mileage Johnson claimed his second successive Sprint Cup victory at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway in nail biting fashion after everyone save for himself and eventual runner-up Clint Bowyer was forced to make a late splash and dash for fuel during a final green flag run that lasted a full ten laps beyond the projected 70-lap fuel window.
What made Johnson's victory even more improbable was the fact that, in addition to saving more fuel than anybody else, he was often the quickest of the leaders following the final restart of the day on lap 232 of 312, moving from eighth place to a very close third just before the final round of stops began (for most) some 15 laps before the end.
The mere fact that Johnson started the final stretch at the tail end of the top ten wasn't indicative of his overall pace however and had more to do with the fact that both he and Mark Martin, another one of the strongest contenders, both fell out of sequence with their pitstops during a brief red flag period after 133 laps. But whereas Martin was able to regain his lost ground and take the lead during a round of yellow flag stops on lap 166 Johnson's journey back to the front took a lot longer, but was ultimately far more fruitful.
On a pleasantly warm Saturday evening in the Phoenix desert some three hours earlier polesitter Ryan Newman had led the 43-strong field to the green flag in his #12 Penske Racing Dodge. Following a pace car intervention for debris on lap ten Newman and Texas winner Carl Edwards engaged in a furious side by side tussle for the lead that allowed Kyle Busch, Johnson and Martin to create a five way scrap for first place with some of the best racing seen all year.
![Jimmie Johnson - Lowe's Chevrolet [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/303463.jpg)
