Clint Bowyer claimed his first win of the season in the Chase opener at Loudon as Tony Stewart ran out of fuel while leading with just over a lap remaining.
The Richard Childress Racing driver had been dominant for most of the distance, running 176 out of 300 laps at the front of the field, but it seemed that Stewart, who led the race early on, was heading for a perfect start to his championship playoff series. However, both drivers, together with Bowyer's teammate Jeff Burton, had gambled on staying out during the sixth caution of the race, most of the field pitting to be safe on fuel until the end.
Two further caution periods looked to be just what they needed to get to the finish without stopping again, but, as it turned out, Bowyer was the only one able to stretch his fuel mileage long enough.
As Stewart was about to start the final lap, his car lost fuel pressure heading out of Turn 4, allowing Bowyer to take the lead. From behind, Denny Hamlin was closing on him without any fuel-mileage concerns, but the RCR driver had just enough of a cushion to claim his third career victory and jump up to second in the Chase standings.
"This reminded me so much of 2007," said Bowyer after winning the first race of the Chase, a feat he also achieved as a title contender three years ago. "Two weeks ago, going into Richmond, you're feeling the confidence level in our race team, in our equipment level, everything was good.
"[Crew chief] Shane [Wilson] built a brand-new racecar and we came here and we were fast right off the truck, and everybody had a lot of confidence, a pep in their step. And we showed it from the time we unloaded to qualifying, practice, we were one of the fastest cars here.
"That's what it takes to run at this level, to be a part of the Chase, if we can go and continue to have as much fun as we did this weekend. I know it's the key, I know it is to my success."
Hamlin recovered well after getting spun by Carl Edwards on lap 213, dropping to 22nd at the time. A determined drive from the Joe Gibbs racer coupled with the right strategy to go flat-out in the deciding stages, allowed him to maintain his lead in the standings for a second week.
Making a similar recovery after being penalized for speeding in the pits, Earnhardt Ganassi's Jamie McMurray crossed the finish line in third. While serving his penalty, this year's Daytona 500 winner took advantage of his visit to the pits to top up with fuel and moved up in the order when many stopped again during the sixth of eight caution periods. Although he was able to lead the race after that following an aggressive restart, he would have to concede to Stewart later, being passed by Bowyer as well.
Burton's race ended up in a similar disappointment to Stewart's, also running out of fuel with two laps to go and, while running fourth, handing the position to Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was surprisingly the best placed car from his outfit in the end.
Kevin Harvick looked set for a low score as he struggled for balance with his No. 29 RCR Chevy, but he managed to put his race back on track in the second half of the event, finishing an impressive fifth after making the most of his rivals' mistakes and misfortunes.
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch managed top-10finishes as well, while Roush Fenway's Edwards was 11th, recovering from his contact with Hamlin after running strong right behind Bowyer in the first half of the race.
Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson had a bad start to his playoff with just a 25th-place finish behind Stewart. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was involved in two separate incidents during the race and an additional stop under green for a suspected loose wheel late in the race put him a lap down, well down the order.
Another title contender, Penske's Kurt Busch, was also involved in a couple of incidents following contact with his teammate Brad Keselowski and then later with Burton. Despite the incidents he still salvaged a 13th-place finish.
Matt Kenseth was another one to have contact with Keselowski, and struggled with the handling of his car for most of the race, finishing 23rd, the last car on the lead lap.
Pos Driver Car Laps
1. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 300
2. Denny Hamlin Toyota 300
3. Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 300
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 300
5. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 300
6. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 300
7. David Reutimann Toyota 300
8. Ryan Newman Chevrolet 300
9. Kyle Busch Toyota 300
10. Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 300
11. Carl Edwards Ford 300
12. A.J. Allmendinger Ford 300
13. Kurt Busch Dodge 300
14. Kasey Kahne Ford 300
15. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 300
16. Juan Montoya Chevrolet 300
17. Greg Biffle Ford 300
18. Brad Keselowski Dodge 300
19. Regan Smith Chevrolet 300
20. Martin Truex Jr Toyota 300
21. Elliott Sadler Ford 300
22. David Ragan Ford 300
23. Matt Kenseth Ford 300
24. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 300
25. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 299
26. Robby Gordon Toyota 299
27. Reed Sorenson Toyota 299
28. Paul Menard Ford 299
29. Mark Martin Chevrolet 298
30. Marcos Ambrose Toyota 298
31. Dave Blaney Chevrolet 297
32. Travis Kvapil Ford 295
33. David Gilliland Ford 295
34. Tony Raines Ford 295
35. Joey Logano Toyota 256
36. Scott Speed Toyota 213
37. Andy Lally Chevrolet 138
38. Casey Mears Toyota 93
39. Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 89
40. Joe Nemechek Toyota 60
41. Mike Bliss Toyota 55
42. Landon Cassill Toyota 40
43. Michael McDowell Dodge 29