Jimmie Johnson gave Hendrick Motorsports a highly anticipated first victory of the 2008 season at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Johnson stayed on the track while most of the leaders, including Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin, came to pit road during the final laps for fuel to get to victory lane. However, Johnson didn't steal this victory thanks to pit road, rather he almost lost it.

On lap 200 Johnson lost positions on pit road that caused him to fall from 8th to 11th in the running order. However, in the final ten laps Johnson had Martin in his sights, and when Martin surrendered the lead for fuel, Johnson led the final nine laps and cruised to the win.

"I ran out of gas on the backstretch (during the victory lap)," Johnson said, grinning. But he still had enough left for a celebratory burnout after taking the checkered flag.

"We're back. We've been working very hard to get back. I couldn't be more proud of the folks back at Hendrick Motorsports."

Behind Johnson was Clint Bowyer, who also gambled on fuel mileage to finish second. Martin finished a somewhat disappointing 5th after having the car to beat in the final laps before being called to the pits.

"I'm just really, really proud of this team. We just about pulled that one off tonight," Martin said after climbing from his car. "I saved a lot of gas, probably more than they knew. You can't stop if somebody else stays out."

While pitting cost Martin the win, it cost Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick more.

Stewart had run in the top-10 nearly all night, and was in position for a solid finish at the end when he came in for his final stop. However, the car stalled and Stewart fell to 21st. Kevin Harvick was running 2nd when he ran out of fuel and came to pit road. When his car stalled, Harvick lost valuable time and fell to 18th.

Matt Kenseth was making his 300th career start at Phoenix, but the milestone was marked with misery as Kenseth fell to 43rd early before smacking the wall and falling more than 40 laps off the pace. Kenseth slugged along for the remainder of the race before finishing 38th.

After duking it out in the Lone-Star state it's time for the best of Nascar to Duel in the Desert, here are this weeks rankings:

1. Jeff Burton

Another top-10 for Burton at Texas with a 6th place finish, the point leader's average finish at Phoenix is 11.4 in 17 starts with two wins, and his average finish this year is even better, at 7.1. His worst finish this year is 13th in the Daytona 500.





2. Carl Edwards

This is the man to beat at any 1.5 mile track we go to right now. He isn't too shabby at Phoenix either, with four top-10's in seven starts. Last year in the COT he finished 11th and a disappointing 42 that came due to an engine failure just 125 laps in the race. In the laps he had run, he led 87.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After promise displayed early in the race, Earnhardt Jr. and crew fell behind on their adjustments and settled for a disappointing 12th place finish. He's struggled lately at Phoenix, but his past success gives hope for his first win of the year, with two victories at the diamond in the desert.

4. Kevin Harvick

Harvick isn't far off Burton's pace as far as consistency, with an average finish of 8.3 on the year. And Phoenix is a place for Harvick to flex his muscles, as he's had top-10's the past four races, including two wins.

5. Kyle Busch

Busch ran up front all day at Texas before finishing 3rd. He should run well at Phoenix, with four top-10's in his six career starts, including a win back in 2005.







6. Tony Stewart

He had a quiet top-10 at Texas, and should be a front runner at Phoenix. In his 12 career starts, he has an average finish of 9.4, and a win back in 1999 when he made his first start at the track.







7. Denny Hamlin

Backed up his Martinsville win with a 5th at Texas. Now he heads to Phoenix looking for another victory. Last year in this race, he had arguably the car to beat, but a mistake on pit road cost him.







8. Jimmie Johnson

Texas looked more like the Johnson of old, but he still had nothing for Carl. He should be a car to beat at Phoenix, finishing 4th and 1st in the two races last year. He also has an average finish of 6.6 in 9 starts.






9. Clint Bowyer

He was a victim of a last lap wreck that cost him a top-5 finish at Texas, but he still had a solid top-10. Phoenix could be a struggle for Bowyer, as he only has one top-10 in 5 starts. There is hope, however, as Bowyer improves almost everywhere he goes, and his most recent finish at Phoenix was an 11th.





10. Matt Kenseth

Recovered from a horrible day in Martinsville to finish 9th at Texas. Expect more success at Phoenix, he has five top-5's in 11 starts and three in the last four races.









Other Notables:

11. Ryan Newman- His strong finish at Texas helped his chances of making the chase, but a 25 point penalty brought him back down to 10th in points. The Rocketman will have to do better than he has in the past at Phoenix if he wants to stay there.

12. Jeff Gordon- He finished 43rd for just the 2nd time in his career at Texas, dropping him out of the top-12. He'll have to rebound at Phoenix if he wants to make a run at the chase.

13. Jamie McMurray- Followed up Martinsville with a solid top-15, now he needs to keep this recent consistency going to finally prove himself.

14. Brian Vickers- Finished 16th at Texas, and so far this year has an average finish of 19th. At Phoenix he averages of 15.3, indicating he'll have another solid run.

15. David Gilliland- He earned another top-15 at Texas, and so far this year has three finishes of 17th or better.