NASCAR Newman perseveres to get sixth win

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Ryan Newman dominated a late long run and then held on through three restarts -- the last with four laps to go -- and won Saturday night Richmond International Raceway.
Newman, whose crew said he might not have enough fuel to finish under the long green flag run that started with 77 laps to go, got a break when Robby Gordon crashed with 19 laps to go, causing a seven-lap caution in the Chevrolet 400.
He appeared to be pulling away from Kevin Harvick when the race went back to green with 14 laps to go, but lost that edge when debris on the track caused the yellow to fly to the 12th time, setting up the nine-lap finish.
Again Newman was pulling away, but Ricky Rudd, running third, nudged Harvick on the frontstretch, sending Harvick slamming in the turn one wall and bringing out one more yellow, giving Newman four laps to hold on.
Newman pulls away
On the single-file restart, Newman's Dodge pulled away from that of Jeremy Mayfield's Dodge and went on to his series-high sixth victory this year.
Rudd finished third in a Ford, followed by that of Jeff Burton, and the Dodge of Rusty Wallace.
Afterward, Rudd and Harvick parked side-by-side on pit road and crew members gathered. The drivers exchanged words but were kept apart.
"This stuff after the race is kind of ridiculous," Rudd said after climbing from his car, claiming that Harvick seemed to be having a problem with his car before the crash and that he tried to avoid him.
Harvick, who wound up 16th, didn't see it that way, contending Rudd hit intentionally.
"If he's going to take a cheap shot at us, he's going to get one back," Harvick fumed.