RYAN
NEWMAN NOTCHES THIRD WIN OF SEASON
JOLIET,
Ill. -- Ryan Newman's gamble paid off. Kevin Harvick's didn't.
Newman
and an empty gas tank spoiled Harvick's bid for three straight
Chicagoland Speedway victories, with Newman pulling away at the
end to win the Tropicana 400 on Sunday.
Newman
and Harvick both pitted to top off their tanks on lap 198 of the
267-lap race, hoping to stretch the fuel to the end. Newman made
it, and Harvick didn't.
Newman
got out of the pits first and took the lead for good on lap 210
when the drivers ahead of him all pitted under caution. Harvick
worked his way to second on lap 225 and was close behind when
the green flag waved on lap 240 for a restart following the last
of seven caution flags in the race.
Harvick
is one of only four drivers who have won the first two races at
a new track since NASCAR's modern era began in 1972, but he couldn't
catch Newman's Penske Racing South Dodge.
Newman
kept edging ahead, moving out to a lead of more than 1 second
before Harvick's Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet suddenly slowed
three laps from the end.
"He
had a fast race car and I was really worried about him until he
ran out of gas," Newman said. "I got out there in the
clean air and that was pretty much the biggest thing," Newman
said.
Asked
why he made it to the end and Harvick came up short, Newman shrugged
and said, "It could have been them not getting all the fuel
in the tank. It could have been us having better fuel mileage.
I don't know."
It was
a little bit of payback for Newman, who led the most laps in the
2002 Chicagoland race but lost to Harvick because of fuel strategy.
"We had a great car until we ran out of gas," Harvick
said. "We all thought we had the pit strategy worked to perfection.
Before we came in that last time, we took a gas and go (on lap
130, late in a caution period) that we thought would make up for
about six laps that we thought we'd be short. Unfortunately, it
didn't work out that way for some reason."
Tony Stewart,
who started from the pole, inherited second place, but was unable
to challenge for the lead and finished 3.177-seconds -- about
20 car-lengths -- behind Newman.
"I
think we had the fastest car in the race," said Stewart,
who led a race-high 80 laps. "We were proving it at the end
with our lap times, but it was just a case of scenarios.
"Ryan
and Kevin got away on the restart. I'm happy with the way the
weekend went, but it was too bad because we were bad fast."
Hendrick
Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished
third and fourth as Harvick made a quick stop for a splash of
gas and finished 17th, a lap down at the end.
"It's
all about track positioning," Gordon said. "You get
out front in that clean air and you can just set sail."
It was
the fourth victory of his career and third of the year for Newman,
matching Kurt Busch for the most wins in 2003. Busch went out
of Sunday's race with a blown engine and finished 39th in the
43-car field.
Newman
led twice for 67 laps, averaging 134.059 mph. Jeff Gordon led
47 laps, and Harvick 46.
Daytona
500 winner Michael Waltrip finished fifth, followed by Jeff Burton,
Robby Gordon, rookie Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield
and Bill Elliott, the only other drivers on the lead lap at the
end.
The scariest
moment of the race came on lap 214 when Johnny Benson and rookie
Casey Mears banged together and ignited a five-car melee that
ended with Bobby Labonte's car engulfed in flame.
With the
fuel fire still raging, Labonte scrambled out the window of the
mangled car, stumbled and fell to the grass. He sat for a few
moments with his head resting on his knees, but Labonte was not
injured.
"I'm
fine," Labonte said. "They just had a big incident there
ahead of us. I thought I could make it to the outside. All the
safety stuff worked pretty good and it took us a long time to
get out, but it all worked the way it's supposed to."
It was
the latest in a recent rash of fiery crashes from broken fuel
lines.
"I
wish they could do something about that," Labonte said.
Mike Wallace
and Robby Gordon also were involved in the accident, but Mears,
Gordon and Benson were all able to continue.
Dale Earnhardt
Jr., who came in second in the season standings, ran among the
leaders most of the day. But he lost control and backed hard into
the wall on lap 208.
Jeff Gordon
moved past Earnhardt into second, getting within 165 points of
Matt Kenseth, who was a lap down in 12th. Earnhardt fell to third,
258 points behind.
TONY
STEWART WINS FIRST POLE OF SEASON
JOLIET,
Ill. -- Tony Stewart pulled off a surprise and got his first pole
this season in qualifying Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.
The Winston
Cup champion, struggling through a difficult season and not known
as a strong qualifier, turned a track-record lap of 184.786 mph
on the 1 1/2 -mile oval to pick up the seventh pole of his career
and first since last August in Indianapolis.
The start
of the qualifying session was delayed nearly 2 hours by rain,
but that didn't appear to affect the track. The top five qualifiers
for the Topicana 400 surpassed the previous record of 183.713,
set in 2001 by Todd Bodine.
``That
was a good, solid run,'' said Stewart, 11th in the standings.
``I went into the turns a little deeper than I had in practice
... and that was almost two-tenths (of a second) faster than we
had run in practice.
``The
car was smooth for me. If I had to go out there and do it again,
I'd feel comfortable doing it.''
Asked
what kind of qualifier he considers himself, Stewart grimaced
in mock pain and said: ``A terrible one, to be honest.
``If I could get Ryan Newman to wear my uniform and go out there
and qualify for me, I'd do it. He's the king of qualifying I feel
like I'm a better racer than I am a qualifier.''
Jeff Gordon
was second at 184.445, giving Chevrolet a sweep of the front row
for Sunday's race.
Gordon,
a four-time series champion and third in the standings, said he
messed up the first of his two qualifying laps by driving his
car too hard into the first turn.
``I got
on the gas real hard and it got me to push up half a lane and
cost me some time,'' Gordon said. ``The guys (on my team) wanted
the pole today because they knew how good the car was, but I'm
definitely happy to be up there on the front row.''
Chicagoland
is one of only four current tracks at which the Winston Cup cars
race where Gordon does not have a victory. The others are Homestead-Miami
Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.
Bill Elliott
was third in a Dodge at 184.401, and rookie Casey Mears fourth
at 184.263 in another Dodge. Earlier in the day, Mears won the
pole for Saturday's Busch series race.
Jeremy
Mayfield, also driving a Dodge, was the fifth driver to break
the previous track record with a lap of 183.892.
Rookie
Greg Biffle, coming off his first Cup win last Saturday night
in Daytona, was seventh at 183.499 in the fastest Ford. Kevin
Harvick, who won both previous Cup races at Chicagoland, qualified
11th at 183.163.
Series points leader Matt Kenseth was 24th at 181.470, and series
runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 16th after qualifying
at 182.593.
Newman,
who led the way with six poles as a rookie in 2002 and is the
series leader this season with four, had an off-day on Friday,
qualifying 14th at 182.815.
``I'm
a little disappointed,'' Newman said. ``We're known for qualifying
and then we don't qualify good. Me knowing we've got a good race
car, and (crew chief) Matt (Borland) and the guys knowing we've
got a good race car, makes me look forward to the race.''
Rookie
Johnny Sauter, second in the Busch qualifying, had the fastest
Pontiac. Driving in his first event for Morgan-McClure Motorsports,
Sauter was 20th at 181.984.
Stewart
is the 12th different pole winner in 18 events this season. There
were 15 different polesitters all of last year.
TROPICANA
400 STARTING LINE-UP
The following is the
starting grid for Sunday's NASCAR Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland
Speedway in Joliet, Illinois:
Pos Driver Car Make Speed/Qual.Status
1 Tony
Stewart 20 Chevrolet 184.786 miles per hour
2 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 184.445 mph
3 Bill Elliott 9 Dodge 184.401 mph
4 Casey Mears 41 Dodge 184.263 mph
5 Jeremy Mayfield 19 Dodge 183.892 mph
6 Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 183.723 mph
7 Greg Biffle 16 Ford 183.499 mph
8 Elliott Sadler 38 Ford 183.449 mph
9 Dave Blaney 77 Ford 183.430 mph
10 Jamie McMurray 42 Dodge 183.200 mph
11 Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 183.163 mph
12 Michael Waltrip 15 Chevrolet 183.144 mph
13 Mark Martin 6 Ford 182.846 mph
14 Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 182.815 mph
15 Jeff Green 1 Chevrolet 182.803 mph
16 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet 182.593 mph
17 Joe Nemechek 25 Chevrolet 182.593 mph
18 Bobby Labonte 18 Chevrolet 182.587 mph
19 Sterling Marlin 40 Dodge 182.242 mph
20 Johnny Sauter 4 Pontiac 181.984 mph
21 Jimmy Spencer 7 Dodge 181.641 mph
22 Rusty Wallace 2 Dodge 181.586 mph
23 Steve Park 30 Chevrolet 181.494 mph
24 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 181.470 mph
25 Derrike Cope 37 Chevrolet 181.427 mph
26 Ricky Craven 32 Pontiac 181.366 mph
27 Jeff Burton 99 Ford 181.287 mph
28 Terry Labonte 5 Chevrolet 181.232 mph
29 Tony Raines 74 Chevrolet 181.068 mph
30 Ward Burton 22 Dodge 180.989 mph
31 Larry Foyt 14 Dodge 180.929 mph
32 Kurt Busch 97 Ford 180.917 mph
33 Dale Jarrett 88 Ford 180.904 mph
34 Jack Sprague 0 Pontiac 180.832 mph
35 Robby Gordon 31 Chevrolet 180.693 mph
36 Johnny Benson 10 Pontiac 180.644 mph
37 Ricky Rudd 21 Ford provisional
38 Kenny Wallace 23 Dodge provisional
39 Todd Bodine 54 Ford provisional
40 Mike Wallace 01 Pontiac provisional
41 Kyle Petty 45 Dodge provisional
42 Christian Fittipaldi 43 Dodge provisional
43 Ken Schrader 49 Dodge provisional
ROOKIE
RAINES FASTEST IN FIRST TWO-DAY BRICKYARD 400 TEST OF 2003
INDIANAPOLIS,
Wednesday, July 9, 2003 - NASCAR Winston Cup Series rookie Tony
Raines turned in the fastest lap of the first week of private
testing July 9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, recording a
lap of 179.918 mph in the No. 74 BACE Motorsports Chevrolet.
For the second day in a row, Jeff Green was second fastest at
179.874 in Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, while
Casey Mears was third in the No. 41 Target Dodge of Chip Ganassi
Racing with Felix Sabates at 179.696.
Speeds increased dramatically from Tuesday, as the top seven drivers
all recorded speeds faster than Jeremy Mayfield's 176.214 lap,
fastest Tuesday. Rain showers forced the lunch hour to be extended
an extra hour today, and the track was closed an hour early at
the end of the day due to a thunderstorm.
Most drivers focused on qualifying setups in cooler temperatures
Wednesday after a day of finding race trim in the 90-degree heat
Tuesday.
"Yesterday we were messing around, trying to figure out which
car we want to run and just doing race runs," said Raines,
a native of the northwest Indiana community of LaPorte. "We
picked one out and decided to work on qualifying (today) because
we thought it would get rain-shortened. I think this car has got
potential. We're encouraged, (but) it's going to take a lot more
speed when we come back in August."
Although testing pays nothing and earns the team zero Winston
Cup Series points, Raines said being at or near the top of the
charts in any test - but particularly in preparation for an important
race like the Brickyard 400 - is great for a team such as BACE,
which lacks a major sponsor.
"It gives this team a boost," he said. "When you're
on top of the charts, they (the crew) just walk different, stand
a little taller. That is certainly good for morale - everyone
works a little faster, little harder. When you have a good car,
it stays a good car. It's hard to make a bad car fast. It gives
us a little more confidence when we come back in August."
Sterling Marlin is as confident about his chances for the 10th
running of the Brickyard 400, scheduled for Aug. 3, as he has
been in years. While he clocked the fourth-fastest lap of the
day at 179.341 in the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge, the race package
the team developed pleased him the most.
"This place is pretty tricky - a lot of combinations work
and some don't, and this morning we hit on something right before
it rained, so I think we can tune on it a little more," Marlin
said. "The motors we have in now are just test motors, and
you can run a half-second quicker. This car ran really good at
Pocono and Michigan. We hit on a really good race setup yesterday,
and I think we can improve on it some more."
NASCAR WINSTON CUP TESTING REPORT, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Rank Car No. Driver Speed Total Laps
1. 74 Tony Raines 179.918 mph 20
2. 1 Jeff Green 179.874 65
3. 41 Casey Mears 179.696 75
4. 40 Sterling Marlin 179.341 73
5. 19 Jeremy Mayfield 177.338 66
6. 16 Greg Biffle 177.171 52
7. 91 Casey Atwood 176.948 60
8. 18 Bobby Labonte 176.038 90
9. 32 Ricky Craven 175.702 58
10. 6 Mark Martin 175.446 82
11. 77 Dave Blaney 174.247 79
***
BRICKYARD 400 TESTING NOTEBOOK:
It's
getting hot in here: During the grueling 400, 500 and 600-mile
races that NASCAR Winston Cup drivers compete in each week, they
can find some relief from the triple-digit temperatures prevalent
in the cockpit of their race cars thanks to the "cool boxes"
that circulate cool air through their helmet.
But quite often "cool boxes" aren't used, and many drivers
went without the benefits of their cooling units during July 8-9
testing at Indianapolis. Heat and humidity played a factor on
July 8, in particular, when temperatures soared into the 90s.
"We're not smart enough," quipped Jeff Green, on why
some drivers don't have cool boxes during the test. "These
guys had the cars ready for testing before the last race, and
we only have one cool box for each team. It wouldn't be that hard
to do, and it would probably be a good thing, but you're in and
out so much, it's not like you're setting in the car for 400 miles.
It would be good if you were running 50-lap runs at a time, just
because it keeps fresh air moving."
During last year's Brickyard 400, heat indexes soared above the
100-degree mark. Asked if he could imagine racing in that kind
of heat without a cool box, Green said the heat is harder on the
crews and fans than the drivers.
"It's not so bad because there's always air moving around
us," Green said. "It's our job. It's what we do for
a living, so we've just got to suck it up a little bit."
Speaking
the NASCAR language: Open-wheel racing driver Max Papis, who competes
in the CART series for PK Racing, was an interested onlooker during
NASCAR testing July 8-9 at IMS. Papis, who impressed observers
during a test of Everham Motorsports' No. 91 Winston Cup car April
16 at Kentucky Speedway, spent time with the Evernham crew and
also talked with 2000 Brickyard 400 winner Bobby Labonte.
"I had the test a few months ago with Ray Evernham and came
over here just to understand better the NASCAR world and increase
my knowledge," said Papis, a native of Como, Italy. "At
the moment, I'm just discovering this new world of racing, at
its very different from what I've been doing and definitely very
interesting."
When Papis asked if this racing seemed like a radical departure
from IRL IndyCarÔ Series competition at IMS, he said there
are more similarities than one might think.
"Not really," Papis said. "I'm really impressed
with how quick these cars are around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I was not expecting at all for them to be as quick as they are.
Yesterday I looked around a bit and went into Turn 1 and said,
'Wow, this is pretty quick."
Papis has one previous start at "The Racing Capital of the
World," the 2002 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, where he competed
for Red Bull Cheever Racing and finished 23rd, four laps down
due to brake problems.
***
Rain rains on Raines' parade: NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver
Tony Raines and baseball legend Jim Palmer both threw out the
first pitch before the start of the Indianapolis Indians' baseball
game on July 8. The AAA-level Indians play at Victory Field in
downtown Indianapolis.
But a severe thunderstorm swept through the area a few minutes
after the start of the game and ended Raines' evening at "the
yard." Still, his enthusiasm for the experience was not dampened.
"It was pretty cool," said Raines. "It was an Indians'
representative, myself and Jim Palmer (on the pitcher's mound),
which was kind of neat. When I was a kid and following baseball,
I remember him well. I told him, 'I pitched in high school, so
I think I could give you a run for your money.' I'm really impressed
with the stadium. It would have been an awesome game to watch."
***
Speedway spared: At 7:40 p.m. (CDT) on July 8, the same storm
cut short Tony Raines' evening with the Indianapolis Indians in
downtown Indy swept across the expansive grounds of the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
Although it has yet to be confirmed by the National Weather Service,
local law enforcement authorities reported that a tornado touched
down less than a mile west of the Speedway's Turn 4. Miraculously,
Speedway officials report that the only damage to the facility
was two downed trees in the infield. No damage was reported by
any of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series team testing at the Speedway.
MAYFIELD
FASTEST IN FIRST DAY OF NASCAR TESTING AT INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS,
Tuesday, July 8, 2003 - Jeremy Mayfield turned the fastest lap
on the first day of 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series private testing
July 8 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, recording a lap of
176.214 mph in the No. 19 Dodge Dealers entry for Evernham Motorsports.
Not surprisingly, two of the top-three cars in the first day of
practice are prepared by Evernham Motorsports, which fielded the
No. 9 Dodge that carried Bill Elliott to his first Brickyard 400
win in 2002.
Jeff Green, driving the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt,
Inc., was second fastest in today's practice at 175.446, Casey
Atwood was third in the No. 91 Evernham Motorsports Dodge at 174.690
and rookie Casey Mears was third at 174.514 in the No. 41 Target
Dodge prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Mayfield said today's fast effort is part of a greater effort
and focus taking place within the No. 19 team.
"We're so pumped up right now," Mayfield said. "We've
been working on this thing for the last six weeks. Not this car,
but our team has been getting better and better. We're really
starting to communicate well. We've come here for the Indy test,
we have a brand-new car, and it's super fast. It's the best car
I've ever had here."
The car was set up in race trim during his fastest lap, according
to Mayfield, and he said he is excited about his return to Indy
for the 10th Brickyard 400.
"It's close to home," said Mayfield, a native of Owensboro,
Ky. "I love Indy, just love coming here to run. I feel like
it owes me one. I've run good here in the past, had a fast car
in 2000 and got in a wreck in practice. I feel real good about
it."
Mears, the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears,
is excited about returning to Indy. He attempted to qualify for
the 2001 Indianapolis 500 with Galles Racing but did not qualify.
"When you come through the gates, that's the time for 'oohing'
and 'aahing' and feeling what this place is," Mears said.
"And it is: It's awesome. It's unreal and not like any other
place. But at the same time, as soon as you put your helmet on
and roll out on the track, your main goal is to give those guys
the best information and give the car the best balance. You forget
where you're at and do the best job you can."
Teams are testing at the world's greatest racecourse in preparation
for the 10th running of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, Aug. 3. Eleven
drivers turned laps July 8, and testing for the same group of
drivers continues July 9. Another round of teams are scheduled
to test at IMS July 14-16.
Fans may watch all days of testing free of charge from the South
Terrace grandstands, located inside the track between Turns 1
and 2.
NASCAR WINSTON CUP TESTING REPORT, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
Rank Car No. Driver Speed Laps
1. 19A Jeremy Mayfield 176.214 mph 69
2. 1B Jeff Green 175.446 42
3. 91 Casey Atwood 174.690 61
4. 41X Casey Mears 174.514 91
5. 32A Ricky Craven 174.411 55
6. 77 Dave Blaney 174.228 38
7. 40X Sterling Marlin 173.566 60
8. 16A Greg Biffle 173.149 47
9. 1A Jeff Green 173.061 21
10. 6A Mark Martin 172.942 75
11. 19 Jeremy Mayfield 172.935 14
12. 18A Bobby Labonte 172.815 80
13. 16 Greg Biffle 172.781 39
14. 32 Ricky Craven 172.754 6
15. 74 Tony Raines 172.462 30
16. 6B Mark Martin 172.265 50
17. 40 Sterling Marlin 171.600 6
18. 41 Casey Mears 171.127 21
19. 74A Tony Raines 170.947 11
20. 77A Dave Blaney 170.939 18
21. 18 Bobby Labonte 169.422 4
TESTING
DATES SET FOR BRICKYARD
NASCAR
Winston Cup Series teams will test July 8-9 and July 14-16 at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 10th annual
Brickyard 400 on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Unlike previous years, the 2003 tests are not mandatory for teams.
A complete testing roster for July 8-9 follows.
The hours of testing for each day are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with a lunch
break from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Although the tests are private,
the public can view testing free of charge from the South Terrace
grandstands, located inside the track between Turns 1 and
2.
WHAT:
NASCAR Winston Cup Series testing
WHEN:
9 a.m.-5 p.m., July 8-9, 14-16.
WHERE:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
***
NASCAR
Winston Cup Series Testing Roster for July 8-9, 2003
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Car No.
Driver Team
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing
16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
77 Dave Blaney Jasper Motorsports
ROOKIE
GREG BIFFLE WINS DAYTONA
DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. -- Greg Biffle thought he was in trouble with former
Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte close behind as the laps wound
down Saturday night.
But Labonte
ran out of gas on the last lap as Biffle and his Roush Racing
crew played the fuel strategy game to perfection in the Pepsi
400, giving the rookie his first Winston Cup victory.
``I really
didn't know what to do,'' Biffle said. ``I was breathing the throttle
and stepping on the brake peddle a little bit down the straightaway,
trying to keep Bobby from getting too far back there and getting
a run on me. I thought Bobby might get his nose under me and get
me loose because I was pretty loose.''
That's
when Biffle's spotter said Labonte was fading, out of gas.
``He said,
`Just bring it home. You've got the race won,''' Biffle said.
``What a relief because I thought when Bobby got to my bumper
he'd beat me and I'd learn a lesson tonight and I'd finish second.''
Labonte,
who has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last nine races,
said, ``We had to go for it. I wasn't conserving fuel, but I wasn't
using any extra, either. I didn't realize we were going to run
out of gas. We gave it all we had. It's still a great finish for
us.''
Biffle, a former Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
champion, was in position to earn his first win in 23 Winston
Cup races because of a spur-of-the-moment decision midway through
the 160-lap race on Daytona International Speedway's 2 1/2 -mile
oval.
Biffle
ducked into the pits to top off his gas tank under caution on
lap 79. That gave him just enough to make it the rest of the way
on one more stop and cost favorites Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael
Waltrip a shot at another restrictor-plate victory.
``I don't
think we had any crazy pit strategy or anything,'' the winner
said. ``What we did, I thought, just made sense. We came in and
took a splash of fuel before it went green.
``I talked
to (crew chief) Randy (Goss) about that. I was looking in the
mirror and I thought it looked like some guys were going to come
in. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said to come in. ...
It was kind of a decision we made together and it really paid
off for us.''
On his
last stop, on lap 120, Biffle yelled at his crew over the radio
because he thought they held him a half-second too long.
``But
they were holding me to get that last little bit of gas in it
and it paid off,'' Biffle said. ``Bobby pitted on the same lap
we did.''
Jeff Burton,
Biffle's teammate, running the same fuel strategy, finished second,
4.102 seconds -- about 20 car-lengths -- behind the winner's Ford
Taurus.
The winner
also gave a lot of the credit to series points leader Matt Kenseth,
another Roush entry, who was running second and kept Labonte behind
him until Kenseth had to pit for a splash of gas at the end of
lap 156.
Kenseth got back out fast enough to finish sixth, just behind
Labonte, who coasted to the finish line. Ricky Rudd finished third.
Kenseth's
finish was good enough to keep him in the series lead, 180 points
ahead of Earnhardt, who jumped ahead of Jeff Gordon into second
place with a seventh-place finish.
Biffle
got the opportunity to try a fuel economy run because the race
was slowed by only two cautions for a total of 10 laps and none
in the last 81 laps.
Dale Earnhardt
Inc., teammates Earnhardt and Waltrip came into the race as heavy
favorites, having won eight of the last 10 races at Daytona and
Talladega, the two big tracks where NASCAR requires the carburetor
restrictor plates to keep the cars under 200 mph.
But both
of them stayed on the track when the other cars ducked in to top
off for fuel and had to make an extra stop. Earnhardt appeared
to have the strongest car in the field and led two times for 43
laps. Waltrip, coming up well short of his third straight Daytona
win, wound up 11th.
Kevin
Harvick, who started from the front row and led three times for
54 laps, also got caught by the fuel strategy and finished ninth,
as did four-time Daytona winner Gordon, who was 14th.
The win
was only Biffle's second top-10 finish. His best previous result
was fifth at Bristol in March.
The winner,
who led the last 21 laps after taking the lead when most of the
fastest cars pitted, averaged 160.109 mph.
With the
cars running in big packs, there is usually at least one big crash
in every plate race. The big one Saturday night, involving seven
cars, came on lap 74 when Kurt Busch cut down his right rear tire
and slid sideways coming off turn 2 in the middle of the field.
Robby
Gordon, winner of the road race two weeks ago in Sonoma, Calif.,
hit the brakes hard, but got hit in the rear by Mike Wallace and
slammed nose-first into the wall. Pole-winner Steve Park, Joe
Nemechek, Ricky Craven and Jamie McMurray also got caught up in
the melee.
``We were
a victim. Four times a year we race on these restrictor-plate
tracks, and you have to expect it when you least expect it, and
that was the case here,'' Craven said. ``I really didn't expect
that to happen on new tires among the leaders.''
2003
PEPSI 400 FINAL RESULTS
Pos
Driver Car Make Laps Money Status
1 Greg Biffle 16 Ford 160 $187,975
2 Jeff Burton 99 Ford 160 $168,142
3 Ricky Rudd 21 Ford 160 $127,600
4 Terry Labonte 5 Chevrolet 160 $128,806
5 Bobby Labonte 18 Chevrolet 160 $129,283
6 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 160 $98,475
7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet 160 $133,067
8 Jeremy Mayfield 19 Dodge 160 $87,175
9 Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 160 $113,553
10 Dale Jarrett 88 Ford 160 $120,203
11 Michael Waltrip 15 Chevrolet 160 running
12 Jimmy Spencer 7 Dodge 160 running
13 Todd Bodine 54 Ford 160 running
14 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 160 running
15 Kenny Wallace 23 Dodge 160 running
16 Bill Elliott 9 Dodge 160 running
17 Buckshot Jones 09 Dodge 160 running
18 Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 160 running
19 Sterling Marlin 40 Dodge 160 running
20 Mark Martin 6 Ford 160 running
21 Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet 160 running
22 Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 160 running
23 Kyle Petty 45 Dodge 160 running
24 Elliott Sadler 38 Ford 159 running
25 Casey Mears 41 Dodge 159 running
26 Mike Bliss 80 Chevrolet 159 running
27 Johnny Benson 10 Pontiac 159 running
28 Rusty Wallace 2 Dodge 159 running
29 Jeff Green 1 Chevrolet 159 running
30 Ward Burton 22 Dodge 159 running
31 Jack Sprague 0 Pontiac 159 running
32 David Green 60 Chevrolet 157 running
33 Stacy Compton 4 Pontiac 157 running
34 Larry Foyt 14 Dodge 155 running
35 Dave Blaney 77 Ford 154 running
36 Kurt Busch 97 Ford 151 running
37 Jamie McMurray 42 Dodge 143 running
38 Joe Nemechek 25 Chevrolet 113 running
39 Steve Park 30 Chevrolet 112 running
40 Robby Gordon 31 Chevrolet 86 accident
41 Ken Schrader 49 Dodge 85 engine
42 Mike Wallace 01 Pontiac 84 running
43 Ricky Craven 32 Pontiac 79 accident
Stats
Total Laps: 160
Average Speed: 166.109 miles per hour
Time of Race: 2 hours, 24 minutes, 29 seconds
Margin of Victory: 4.102 seconds
Cautions: 2 for 10 laps
Lead Changes: 17 among 11 drivers
STEVE
PARK WINS POLE FOR PEPSI 400
DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. -- Steve Park knew Richard Childress sent a fleet
of fast cars to Daytona. He also knew it would be up to him get
all the speed he could out of his Chevrolet.
He did
his part Thursday night, turning a lap at 184.752 mph around Daytona
International Speedway to win the pole for the Pepsi 400.
Park did
it in the same car Jeff Green put on the pole for the season-opening
Daytona 500. But Green was fired in May by RCR, and Park was fired
by Dale Earnhardt Inc. a day later, with the drivers essentially
swapping rides.
``I had
all the confidence in the world that RCR and Richard could get
it done,'' Park said. ``I believed in them just like they believed
in me, and I just put my left foot on top of my right foot and
went flat out.''
Kevin
Harvick, Park's teammate at RCR, qualified second for Saturday
night's race with a lap at 184.642.
It made
for a banner day for RCR, which has struggled since Dale Earnhardt
was killed in a wreck in the 2001 Daytona 500. Harvick took over
Earnhardt's ride, and has been forced to lead the rebuilding effort.
``It's been tough at times ... but we've made a 180-degree turn
from what we've had,'' Harvick said. ``Richard is as committed
as I've ever seen him. He's enthused about everything we're doing
and so am I.
``Whether
we are rebuilding or winning, I am going to trust what he says.
He'll fix whatever is going wrong.''
It looks
like Childress is making great strides in turning the corner:
Robby Gordon and Harvick finished first and second in California
two weeks ago, now the entire RCR fleet is primed for a solid
showing Saturday night. Gordon qualified 18th.
``I'm
just really proud of everybody at RCR,'' Childress said. ``We
struggled a lot just rebuilding everything at RCR the past few
seasons. We're getting there. We're getting closer and closer
and I think we're closer than we've been in a long time.''
For much
of qualifying it looked as if Jeff Gordon was going to win the
pole. He was one of first cars to make his qualifying run and
sat on top of the leaderboard for most of the session with a lap
at 184.498.
But late
in the session, with just a handful of cars left to run, Park
bumped him off the pole and Harvick also jumped ahead of him.
Jeff Gordon
ended up third in his Chevrolet.
``We had
a good lap and it seemed like we had it, but we also knew the
Childress cars would be a factor and we knew the DEI cars would
be a factor,'' he said. ``But it's OK. We're going to be good
on Saturday night.''
Sterling Marlin qualified fourth in a Dodge, then Dale Earnhardt
Jr. and Michael Waltrip put DEI on the board in fifth and sixth.
The DEI
cars are always considered the ones to beat on restrictor-plate
race tracks. Earnhardt has won four consecutive races at Talladega,
and won the 2001 July race here. And Waltrip is the defending
race winner and has taken two of the last three Daytona 500s.
Now RCR
has the upper hand, but Park denied bringing any inside information
from DEI's restrictor-plate program with him to RCR.
``I think
they are called trade secrets and you aren't really supposed to
share them,'' said Park, who was traditionally slower at DEI than
Earnhardt and Waltrip. ``Even if we had them, I don't think I
was getting them so I wouldn't dare bring anything I learned from
there to RCR.''
Ken Schrader,
Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler and Jeremy Mayfield completed the
top 10.
Winston
Cup points leader Matt Kenseth was not among the 36 fastest qualifiers
and will start 37th on a provisional. Rusty Wallace, who blew
an engine early in practice and will subsequently start from the
rear of the field, also used a provisional.
KEVIN
HARVICK BLASTS ROBBY GORDON'S VICTORY AT SONOMA
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kevin Harvick criticized teammate Robby Gordon
on Monday for passing him under a yellow flag on the way to victory
in the Winston Cup race in Sonoma, Calif.
Jeff Gordon,
who finished second to the unrelated Robby Gordon on Sunday at
Infineon Raceway, blasted the winner for the pass after the race,
saying the move broke a gentleman's agreement.
Harvick
heard Jeff Gordon's comments on Sunday, but had little to say
at the time.
"I
chose to reserve my comments yesterday after the race to give
myself a cooling down period,'' Harvick said. "I wanted to
make sure the reason I was upset wasn't misunderstood or misinterpreted.
"This
isn't about anyone breaking a NASCAR rule, because it was made
clear in the driver's meeting that you could pass under yellow.
But, it was a cheap move on Robby's part. I had my hand out the
window, to let him know I was checking up. Then I saw him coming,
and coming fast.''
Robby
Gordon didn't immediately return phone messages left by The Associated
Press on Monday.
The controversy
arose when the Richard Childress Racing teammates both pitted
under green on lap 66 of the 110-lap event and briefly fell back
into the field after battling for the lead. Harvick beat Gordon
back onto the track even though Gordon smoked his tires trying
to get out ahead.
Harvick
stayed in front of Gordon until rookie Christian Fittipaldi hit
a tire barrier and brought out a yellow on lap 71. Gordon took
advantage of the situation to pass Harvick as they raced back
to the flagstand to take the caution.
Gordon
stayed ahead the rest of the race, holding off a strong challenge
from Jeff Gordon as Harvick finished third.
NASCAR
had no argument with Gordon's pass. A NASCAR spokesman said after
the race it was made clear in the driver's meeting that racing
back to the finish line under a waving yellow would be allowed.
The winner
reacted to Jeff Gordon's statements by saying, "Do you think
I really care what Jeff Gordon says? He's won enough races. I
guess he just doesn't like it when someone comes in and rains
on his parade a little bit. Kevin Harvick may be mad at me, but
it is what it is. I don't see what Jeff Gordon has to do with
this.''
Robby
Gordon said he asked for clarification of the rule three times
during the driver's meeting.
After
traveling back to North Carolina, where the team is based, Harvick
was not sympathetic with his teammate's viewpoint.
"There's
an unspoken code we all follow as race car drivers,'' he said.
"You race hard under green, but you also have a mutual respect
for each other. Robby didn't show that respect.
"I
enjoy racing hard and beating and banging and I would have accepted
it if he had raced me hard for the win under the green flag.''
Harvick
also said his teammate should not have made his comments about
Jeff Gordon.
"His
post-race comments were an embarrassment,'' Harvick said. "He
should care what a four-time Winston Cup champion thinks about
him.''
Harvick
has been on his best behavior since 2001, when he was penalized
by NASCAR for rough driving, was suspended from a race at Martinsville
Speedway and spent most of that season on probation. But he said
he won't tolerate Robby Gordon's tactics in the future.
"This
isn't about the 29 team (Harvick) or the 31 team (Gordon), and
it's not about RCR,'' Harvick said. "It's about me and Robby.
This dates back a few years and he's shown how he wants to race
me. I promise I'm going to race him like he wants it from now
on -- teammates or not.''
ROBBY
GORDON WNS SONOMA ROAD RACE
SONOMA,
Calif. -- Robby Gordon knew he had to get in front of teammate
Kevin Harvick to win the Dodge/Save Mart 350.
So, Gordon
ignored an unwritten rule to pass Harvick under caution and went
on to the victory at Infineon Raceway.
The move
also drew a fusillade of criticism from four-time Winston Cup
champion Jeff Gordon, who chased the unrelated Robby Gordon to
the finish of Sunday's race.
``Really,
that's what won him the race,'' Jeff Gordon said. ``You just don't
do that. You don't pass a guy under caution. He won the race fair
and square except for that move right there. What he did can be
done, but there's not going to be too many guys in that garage
area who are going to have too much respect for him.''
NASCAR
had no argument with Gordon's pass. A NASCAR spokesman said it
was made clear in the pre-race drivers' meeting that racing back
to the finish line under a waving yellow would be allowed.
``Do you
think I really care what Jeff Gordon says?'' Robby said. ``He's
won enough races. I guess he just doesn't like it when someone
comes in and rains on his parade a little bit. Kevin Harvick may
be mad at me, but it is what it is. I don't see what Jeff Gordon
has to do with this.''
Harvick, who also drives for Richard Childress Racing, wound up
third.
The controversy
arose when the teammates stayed on strategy and pitted under green
on lap 66 and briefly fell well back into the field. Harvick beat
Robby Gordon back onto the track even though Gordon smoked his
tires trying to get out ahead.
Harvick
stayed in front of Gordon until rookie Christian Fittipaldi hit
a tire barrier and brought out a yellow on lap 71. Gordon took
advantage of the situation to pass Harvick as they raced back
to the flagstand to take the caution.
``Jeff
Gordon sat in the same drivers' meeting as I did and I asked the
question three times during the meeting to have the rule clarified,''
Robby said.
Jeff Gordon
said Robby broke a gentleman's agreement not to pass for position
under yellow.
``On a
waving caution in a corner you can pass if you happen to be making
a move on a guy, but that's not what happened because he about
did it the caution before that,'' Jeff Gordon said. ``In that
situation, we kind of maintain our position because you don't
know what's on the track.''
Harvick
heard what Jeff Gordon said, but his only comment on the pass
was, ``It was good hard racing except for that chicken move under
yellow.''
Controversy
aside, the victory was particularly satisfying for Robby Gordon,
a former Indy-car star who had two NASCAR road races slip through
his fingers in the past.
Two years ago on this same course, Gordon dominated only to see
Tony Stewart slip past when Gordon wasted time trying to keep
Harvick a lap down.
Later
that year at Watkins Glen -- the only other road course on the
36-race schedule -- Gordon was again the best car but lost an
almost certain victory when the in-car camera battery exploded
and started a fire.
``I don't
think there was any luck here today,'' Gordon said. ``We had a
plan and we stuck to it all day. We stopped when we wanted to
stop and the strategy just worked out perfect.''
Robby
Gordon led 81 of the 110 laps on Infineon's 1.949-mile, 11-turn
road course and outraced Jeff Gordon over the last 25 laps to
earn his first NASCAR win on a road course and second overall.
Jeff Gordon
never led but pressured the leader after passing Rusty Wallace
for second place on lap 86.
``We had
the fastest car at the end,'' the runner-up said. ``Robby wasn't
very good, compared to us, but he was good in the right places,
the places where you can pass,'' Gordon said. ``This is a tough
place to pass.''
Jeff Gordon,
who moved past Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take second place in the
standings, didn't want to take a chance on wrecking.
``We've
got a points battle on the line here,'' he said. ``I thought,
`If I get a really clean shot, we'll take it.' I ran all over
him hoping he'd make a mistake, but he didn't.''
Bill Elliott
was fourth, followed by Ryan Newman. Wallace slipped back to eighth.
During
the early stages of the race, Ron Fellows and Boris Said, road
racing specialists hired just for this race, appeared to be fast
enough to challenge Robby Gordon and Harvick.
Fellows
slipped past both Gordon and Harvick under breaking on the hairpin
11th turn on lap 57. Both he and Said, who started from the pole,
lost their shot at the win when they got caught out by pit strategy
and wound up having to pit at the wrong time. Neither was in contention
again, but Said finished sixth and Fellows seventh.
Matt Kenseth
finished 14th and his series lead was cut to 174 points over Jeff
Gordon. Earnhardt, who came in 185 back, finished 11th and slipped
to third, two points behind Gordon.
BORIS
SAID ON POLE FOR SONOMA NASCAR RACE
SONOMA,
Calif. -- The last place Boris Said expected to find himself after
qualifying for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 was on the pole.
Said went
into Friday's time trials with modest expectations, especially
after he tore a gearbox near the end of the morning practice at
Infineon Raceway.
``Every
year I come out here, I overdrive the thing and I go off the road
and wreck and spin out,'' he said. ``This is big. I don't even
care about the race right now. I'll worry about that on Sunday.''
Said,
one of five road racing specialists brought in by Winston Cup
teams for Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway -- one of only two
road courses on the circuit -- celebrated joyously after setting
a track record on the 1.949-mile, 11-turn course.
``Never
would I have thought in my wildest dreams I'd win one of these
poles,'' he said after high-fiving every member of his crew and
hugging several of them. ``The (Cup) regulars usually come up
big at the end.''
He said
being hired only for an occasional Cup race is not an advantage.
``It is a disadvantage because you're not working with the team,''
Said explained. ``In the past, I came here with a team that put
me in a second car and threw together a crew.
``This
is different. This is an established team, and it's the best equipment
I've ever had for a Winston Cup race.''
Said,
a BMW M3 sports car driver in the SCCA Pro Racing Speed GT Championship,
is subbing for Jerry Nadeau, recovering from injuries he received
in a crash in April.
His lap
of 93.620 mph was easily good enough to knock Robby Gordon's 93.262
off the top spot and break the track qualifying record of 93.476,
set last year by Tony Stewart.
``We came
here today to get on the pole and we let it slip away,'' said
Gordon, a full-time Cup driver with Richard Childress Racing and
a former winner in the CART series.
Gordon,
who finished second here in 2001, will start the race with another
of the ``hired guns'' close behind his Chevrolet. Canadian Ron
Fellows was on top of the qualifying with a lap of 93.073 until
Gordon took his turn.
``I think
they shouldn't be here because I'd have been on the pole by five-tenths
(of a second) if they weren't,'' Gordon said jokingly. ``Actually,
both of them are really good race drivers and they should be able
to come here and race with us.''
This will
be Said's seventh Winston Cup road race since 1999. His best previous
qualifying effort was in Watkins Glen, N.Y., that first year when
he started second. Said's best finish was eighth in 2001 at the
New York track. His best finish here was 11th, also in 2001.
A year
ago, Said, driving a second car for Jasper Racing, qualified 10th
and was running near the front until an accident on lap 82nd of
110 laps ended his race and left him 41st in the 43-car field.
This is
going to be a really busy weekend for Said, who also will race
in Saturday's Southwest Tour stock car race and the Trans-Am race
that will follow the Cup event Sunday.
``I'm
going to qualify my Southwest Tour car now and then practice in
my Trans-Am car,'' Said noted, smiling. ``It's all downhill from
here.''
Series
points leader Matt Kenseth and Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch,
coming off a victory last Sunday in Michigan, ran identical laps
of 92.879. Kenseth will start fourth by virtue of being higher
in the standings.
Kevin
Harvick, Gordon's RCR teammate, was next 92.840, followed by Rusty
Wallace at 92.822, three-time Infineon winner Jeff Gordon at 92.800,
defending race winner Ricky Rudd at 92.732 and Stewart at 92.666.
Dale Earnhardt
Jr., second in the series standings, was 11th at 92.541.
ROAD
COURSE SPECIALISTS TO RACE AT SONOMA
SONOMA,
Calif. -- They are hired guns, specialists brought in to drive
in the only two road races on the Winston Cup schedule each season.
There
will be a handful of them trying to qualify for Sunday's race,
and it wouldn't be a shock if one of them won. Mostly, though,
they are just thrilled to get the chance to race with NASCAR's
biggest stars.
``I wait all year for the two Winston cup road races,'' said Boris
Said, who will drive the MB2 Pontiac in place of injured Jerry
Nadeau. ``It's like a starving kid who has never seen an ice cream
sundae. You slide a sundae in front of him and it's hard to eat
it slow.''
``I love
to drive fast, and in the past, I've had a tendency to be a little
too aggressive and sometimes that hurt me. But I am getting better
each time I go out there in a Cup car.''
Other
road racing specialists who will be at the Dodge/Save Mart 350
at Infineon Raceway, a hilly 1.949-mile road course in Northern
California, include: Ron Fellows in place of injured Jeff Green
in the Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1 Chevrolet; Scott Pruett in
a fourth Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge entry; P.J. Jones replacing
Larry Foyt in the A.J. Foyt Racing Dodge; and Johnny Miller in
the Morgan-McClure Racing Pontiac for Mike Skinner, fired earlier
this week.
``Someday,
I would like people to point at me and say, 'That Winston Cup
driver is also a pretty good road racer,''' remarked Said, the
reigning SCCA Trans-Am Series champion. ``My goal is to be a full-time
Winston Cup driver and I am not giving up on that. The series
has the best competition in the world.''
Said has
competed in seven Cup races -- six of them on the two road courses--
since 1999. His best Cup finish was eighth at the 2001 event at
Watkins Glen. He also finished 11th here in 2001 in a Cup car,
won a Craftsman Truck race here in 1998 and an American Le Mans
Series event at Infineon in 2000.
``Infineon
Raceway is a very demanding road course,'' he said. ``There are
no big straightaways to rest on and the surface makes it tough
on tire wear. It's a grueling 112-lap race, but I love it.''
Like Said
and Pruett, Miller, the current Trans-Am points leader, will do
double duty in Sonoma, competing in the Cup race and the Trans-Am
event that follows Sunday.
``I have
known the guys at Morgan-McClure for many years,'' he said. ``They
have been very helpful to me when I ran my own Trans-Am team.
I have been really pushing on Larry (McClure) for several years,
knowing I have the confidence to do well in one of these cars,
especially at a road course.''
Miller
was ninth in his sole Trans-Am Series start at Infineon.
``I like
the track. It's a very three-dimensional and technical track.
The hills add a lot to it and it's also pretty fast,'' he said.
Fellows,
a Canadian who has won 20 Trans-Am races and competed in Winston
Cup, Busch and sports cars, once teamed with Dale Earnhardt and
Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 24 Hours of Daytona.
``For
me, this is unbelievable,'' he said. ``I get goosebumps just thinking
about racing with this team. I spoke with Dale about racing Winston
Cup when we raced in Daytona. He was a hero to me, and to drive
for his race team and to be teammates with Dale Jr. and Michael
1/8 Waltrip 3/8 is going to be amazing.''
Pruett,
a two-time Trans-Am champ, former CART Champ Car star and a full-time
Winston Cup driver in 2000, drove a Ganassi car twice before,
finishing 11th and sixth in the past two races at Watkins Glen.
Jones
is the son of Parnelli Jones, the longtime open-wheel star and
Indianapolis 500 winner. The former sports car star drove for
Foyt last year at Watkins Glen, finishing fourth, the best result
in the team's history.
They will
all have the opportunity to qualify for the 43-car field on Friday.
``It's
going to be real competitive,'' Pruett said. ``Making the race
won't be the easy part of the weekend. And racing won't be easy,
either.''
