PHOENIX, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- On an afternoon when eight drivers suffered right front tire problems, the path to victory lane was a smooth one for Jeff Burton in Sunday's NASCAR Checker Auto Parts 500.
Burton defended his title at Phoenix International Raceway as the Roush Racing driver collected his second win of the season.
Burton led five times for 102 laps, taking the lead for good on lap 279, when he passed Mike Wallace. He led the remaining 34 laps and finished 2.645 seconds ahead of Wallace in his Ford Taurus.
Ricky Rudd was third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, who drove a Pontiac Grand Prix. Ford took the top four spots.
Burton scored his 17th career victory and earned $213,491. A crowd estimated at 100,000 fans watched the race in 97-degree heat.
Jeff Gordon finished sixth in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and leads Rudd by 380 points with four races remaining in the battle for the Winston Cup title.
Gordon can clinch his fourth title if he finishes 24th or better in the remaining races. However, he cannot win the championship next week at Rockingham, N.C.
While many drivers had to contend with blown right front tires from the high heat on the track and even hotter brake rotor temperatures, Burton also had to deal with the powerful Fords driven by Rusty and Mike Wallace.
Rusty Wallace led four times for 91 laps before a right front flat forced him to pit on lap 186 and put him a lap down. He raced back to the lead lap and finished 15th.
Burton was in front when Robert Pressley crashed on the 241st lap to bring out a yellow flag. That allowed the leaders to make their final pit stops.
Mike Wallace, driving for Penske Racing in the No. 12 Ford that had been driven by Jeremy Mayfield before he was fired earlier in the month, decided to change two tires while Burton's team opted to change all four.
Mike Wallace was able to take the lead as the leaders left pit road with Burton third behind Rudd. The green flag waved on lap 247 with Wallace in front.
First, Rudd tried to pass Wallace for the lead on lap 253 but couldn't do it. One lap later, Burton was able to pass Rudd for second.
Burton was content to stay behind Wallace's car, just waiting for the tires to lose grip on the hot, slick one-mile oval. Wallace stayed in front for the next 25 laps before Burton made the race-winning pass with 33 laps remaining.
"I knew Mike Wallace was going to do everything he could to keep me behind him," Burton said. "He's obviously never won a Winston Cup race. He's in a position of what appears to be auditioning for a job. You take a guy that is auditioning for a job and wanting to win his first Winston Cup race in only his fourth start in that car, that's going to be an aggressive guy to get by.
"Once I got door to door with him, our car was handling better than he was and it was pretty much over at that point. He did a good job. He was very aggressive. He raced me clean. He did a great job."
Mike Wallace knew the two-tire pit stop was a gamble, but that same strategy worked for Burton in last year's race. Considering Wallace is searching for his first win, it was a gamble worth taking.
"I asked (crew chief) Peter Sospenzo what we were going to do and he said, `I'll tell you when you enter the pit box,'" Wallace said. "He wasn't letting anybody know and it was a great call. That got us the track position we needed. I haven't been in a position all year to win a race and I as in the position today to do it. That's what I've always wanted to do is win a Winston Cup race.
"My hat is off to Jeff Burton. He was the quicker of the two cars. This is only our fourth race together and it's the sign of things to come."
It was the 50th Winston Cup win for team owner Jack Roush, whose drivers swept all three major races here this weekend. Greg Biffle won Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and Saturday's Busch Grand National event.
