Checkered Countdown: Top-Five Kansas Finishes

No. 2 Tony Stewart runs out of gas on the backstretch, coasts all the way to the finish to win (2006).

Stewart is not known for his fuel-saving abilities. But in the 2006 Banquet 400 at Kansas he and his crew chief Greg Zipadelli won the race that way. Having inherited the lead from Johnson after he pitted on lap 263, he just needed to stretch it for four more laps to score the win. Running second was Casey Mears but he was 17 seconds back from Stewart, who could slow his pace way down. Just after the white flag though he ran out of fuel on the back straight and the victory seemed to be in jeopardy. But as he was crawling towards the finish line Mears started slowing down too, allowing Stewart to take the victory. It was such a chaotic finish that Stewart initially asked “where did we finish?” over the radio.