"I thought I saved plenty of fuel -- probably saved five laps," Martin said afterward. "We had such a spectacular car at the end of the race (that) I didn't have to run it hard. There were a lot of laps I didn't get the throttle wide open on the straightaways."
Johnson waited out the rest of the contending cars. Three laps after Martin came to the pits on Lap 302, Johnson and Knaus made what was, for them, an uncharacteristically risky call. After Knaus instructed Johnson to "pit this time," the two had a brief discussion, and Knaus told Johnson, "Back up your pace half a second a lap. Screw it. We'll go for it."
At that point, Johnson had a lead over Bowyer that exceeded 10 seconds. To reassure his driver, Knaus told Johnson his advantage was 20 seconds.
The bottom line is that, in concert, Knaus and Johnson made the call that won the race. Gibson and Martin weren't on the same page.
"First of all I have to say how proud I am of this U.S. Army team and everyone at Dale Earnhardt Inc.," said the always gracious Martin. "Their hearts are broken because we just about pulled this one off tonight. We had a great racecar and thought we could make it on fuel.
"However, this is a team effort. When I drive the car into the wall they (the crew) have to stand behind me, just like I am standing behind them right now."
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But what if Martin had waited to come to the pits? Ultimately, what if he had stayed out?
The story of Saturday night could have been about Martin breaking a winless streak that had stretched to 85 races before the Sprint Cup Series came to Phoenix. It would have been about Martin battling Earnhardt, who modeled his driving style not on that of his late father, but on the respectful approach Martin brings to every race.
Martin's car was firmly in the top 35 in owner points. Unlike Johnson, who has to factor championship points into every strategic decision, Martin is running a partial schedule and not competing for the Sprint Cup.
"We just about pulled this one off," Martin said ruefully. "We had a great, great car. We changed our strategy right there at the end. I saved a lot of gas, probably a lot more than they knew."
Martin's run at Phoenix will be remembered for the strength of his car and for his late-race battle against Earnhardt.
But it also will be remembered as an opportunity lost -- a race of "What if?" and "Why not?"
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