Post by jkelly57 on Jul 1, 2006 7:45:48 GMT -6
Earnhardt Wins Sloppy Busch race.
~ by Sarah Rothschild
~ srothschild@MiamiHerald.com
Kevin Harvick called it a ``pathetic show of racing.''
Dale Earnhardt Jr. described conditions as dangerous.
But the poor tire wear didn't derail Earnhardt, who seized the lead on Lap 16 of the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night and never looked back. In his second Busch start of the season, Earnhardt led 88 laps and earned his 21st Busch victory. Earnhardt held off Brian Vickers, who finished second, and third-place Harvick.
The poor tire traction resulted in several multicar wrecks, including a five-car accident on Lap 62 that led to a red flag and 12-minute delay.
''I'm not going to completely trash the tires, but they were terrible,'' Harvick said. ``It was an absolute joke. These cars are usually fun to drive, but they were a handful.''
Harvick, the series leader, has a 388-point lead over Carl Edwards, who finished fifth. Harvick made an impressive climb after starting 42nd because his crew chief, Shane Wilson, made an unapproved aerodynamic modification. Wilson was barred from the race for the violation. Even if Wilson is suspended, Harvick does not expect a dropoff.
''It's ours to lose,'' Harvick said of the Busch championship. ``If we keep overcoming circumstances as we have to this point in the season, we should be in good shape.''
SURPRISE POLE
Boris Said, a road-course specialist, will make a surprising start from the pole in the Pepsi 400 tonight. He turned a qualifying lap of 186.143 mph Friday and will start alongside Tony Stewart, the defending race winner.
Rookie David Stremme, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, had to qualify on speed and posted a lap fast enough to start on the inside of Row 2, next to Jeff Gordon. Said, 43, is coming off a 10th-place finish in last Sunday's Cup race, a road course at Infineon Raceway.
In that race, Said and Stewart clashed as they battled for position. Their cars bumped and then Stewart, angry that Said appeared to cut him off, made an obscene gesture.
''I told him last week, it's kind of like that movie Breaking Away,'' Said explained. ``It's about a bunch of bicycle guys -- the Cutters in Indiana -- and the guy's heroes were these Italian guys and he finally raced with the Italians and they ended up sticking a tire pump in his spokes and wrecking him. That's what I felt like last week with Tony, but we're good.''
Said is making his second of four scheduled starts for his start-up No Fear Racing team. Said has a unique partnership with Roush Racing. He purchased Ford Fusion bodies and engines from them and also receives technical support from Roush Racing.
''I feel like the chimp that gets to fly the rocket,'' he said of earning his second career pole.
NEEDING BACKUP
Jeff Burton and Casey Mears will have to use their backup cars in today's race when they start from the 39th and 40th positions.
They were slow in qualifying and made the race because of the owners' points provision.
They wrecked in the final Cup practice Thursday when Burton blew a left rear tire coming out of Turn 4, and Mears, the runner-up in the season-opening Daytona 500, didn't have sufficient time to slow down. He smashed into the rear of Burton's car.
~ by Sarah Rothschild
~ srothschild@MiamiHerald.com
Kevin Harvick called it a ``pathetic show of racing.''
Dale Earnhardt Jr. described conditions as dangerous.
But the poor tire wear didn't derail Earnhardt, who seized the lead on Lap 16 of the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night and never looked back. In his second Busch start of the season, Earnhardt led 88 laps and earned his 21st Busch victory. Earnhardt held off Brian Vickers, who finished second, and third-place Harvick.
The poor tire traction resulted in several multicar wrecks, including a five-car accident on Lap 62 that led to a red flag and 12-minute delay.
''I'm not going to completely trash the tires, but they were terrible,'' Harvick said. ``It was an absolute joke. These cars are usually fun to drive, but they were a handful.''
Harvick, the series leader, has a 388-point lead over Carl Edwards, who finished fifth. Harvick made an impressive climb after starting 42nd because his crew chief, Shane Wilson, made an unapproved aerodynamic modification. Wilson was barred from the race for the violation. Even if Wilson is suspended, Harvick does not expect a dropoff.
''It's ours to lose,'' Harvick said of the Busch championship. ``If we keep overcoming circumstances as we have to this point in the season, we should be in good shape.''
SURPRISE POLE
Boris Said, a road-course specialist, will make a surprising start from the pole in the Pepsi 400 tonight. He turned a qualifying lap of 186.143 mph Friday and will start alongside Tony Stewart, the defending race winner.
Rookie David Stremme, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, had to qualify on speed and posted a lap fast enough to start on the inside of Row 2, next to Jeff Gordon. Said, 43, is coming off a 10th-place finish in last Sunday's Cup race, a road course at Infineon Raceway.
In that race, Said and Stewart clashed as they battled for position. Their cars bumped and then Stewart, angry that Said appeared to cut him off, made an obscene gesture.
''I told him last week, it's kind of like that movie Breaking Away,'' Said explained. ``It's about a bunch of bicycle guys -- the Cutters in Indiana -- and the guy's heroes were these Italian guys and he finally raced with the Italians and they ended up sticking a tire pump in his spokes and wrecking him. That's what I felt like last week with Tony, but we're good.''
Said is making his second of four scheduled starts for his start-up No Fear Racing team. Said has a unique partnership with Roush Racing. He purchased Ford Fusion bodies and engines from them and also receives technical support from Roush Racing.
''I feel like the chimp that gets to fly the rocket,'' he said of earning his second career pole.
NEEDING BACKUP
Jeff Burton and Casey Mears will have to use their backup cars in today's race when they start from the 39th and 40th positions.
They were slow in qualifying and made the race because of the owners' points provision.
They wrecked in the final Cup practice Thursday when Burton blew a left rear tire coming out of Turn 4, and Mears, the runner-up in the season-opening Daytona 500, didn't have sufficient time to slow down. He smashed into the rear of Burton's car.