Newman wins Tropicana 400

JOLIET, Ill. -- Ryan Newman's gamble paid off. Kevin Harvick's didn't.

Newman and an empty gas tank spoiled Harvick's bid for three straight Chicagoland Speedway victories, with Newman pulling away at the end to win the Tropicana 400 on Sunday.

Newman and Harvick both pitted to top off their tanks on lap 198 of the 267-lap race, hoping to stretch the fuel to the end. Newman made it, and Harvick didn't.

Newman got out of the pits first and took the lead for good on lap 210 when the drivers ahead of him all pitted under caution. Harvick worked his way to second on lap 225 and was close behind when the green flag waved on lap 240 for a restart following the last of seven caution flags in the race.

Harvick is one of only four drivers who have won the first two races at a new track since NASCAR's modern era began in 1972, but he couldn't catch Newman's Penske Racing South Dodge.

Newman kept edging ahead, moving out to a lead of more than 1 second before Harvick's Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet suddenly slowed three laps from the end.

"He had a fast race car and I was really worried about him until he ran out of gas," Newman said. "I got out there in the clean air and that was pretty much the biggest thing," Newman said.

Asked why he made it to the end and Harvick came up short, Newman shrugged and said, "It could have been them not getting all the fuel in the tank. It could have been us having better fuel mileage. I don't know."

It was a little bit of payback for Newman, who led the most laps in the 2002 Chicagoland race but lost to Harvick because of fuel strategy.

"We had a great car until we ran out of gas," Harvick said. "We all thought we had the pit strategy worked to perfection. Before we came in that last time, we took a gas and go (on lap 130, late in a caution period) that we thought would make up for about six laps that we thought we'd be short. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way for some reason."

Tony Stewart, who started from the pole, inherited second place, but was unable to challenge for the lead and finished 3.177-seconds -- about 20 car-lengths -- behind Newman.

"I think we had the fastest car in the race," said Stewart, who led a race-high 80 laps. "We were proving it at the end with our lap times, but it was just a case of scenarios.

"Ryan and Kevin got away on the restart. I'm happy with the way the weekend went, but it was too bad because we were bad fast."

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished third and fourth as Harvick made a quick stop for a splash of gas and finished 17th, a lap down at the end.

It was the fourth victory of his career and third of the year for Newman, matching Kurt Busch for the most wins in 2003. Busch went out of Sunday's race with a blown engine and finished 39th in the 43-car field.

Newman led twice for 67 laps, averaging 134.059 mph. Jeff Gordon led 47 laps, and Harvick 46.

Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip finished fifth, followed by Jeff Burton, Robby Gordon, rookie Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield and Bill Elliott.