Bumper cars
Another accident-filled day rules Daytona
Posted: Saturday February 13, 1999 08:00 PM
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Flipping out: Even NASCAR veterans were shaken after witnessing Casey Atwood's horrendous crash. AP |
By Denise N. Maloof, CNN/SI
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It was Crashfest II on Saturday at the season-opening Busch series NAPA 300 at Daytona International Speedway.
After numerous wrecks in Friday's Dash series and IROC races, and several crack-ups in the Busch Happy Hour, car parts were flying again. Accidents claimed 11 of the 43 NAPA 300 starters, including a grimly spectacular roll by 18-year-old Casey Atwood on the next-to-last lap.
Running with the leaders, Atwood was tapped from behind by Andy Hillenburg on the frontstretch. His Chevrolet flipped end-over-end four times, barely missing eventual second-place finisher Jeff Green. It landed upright in the frontstretch lawn, minus much of its sheet metal and all four tires. Atwood emerged without assistance, but was noticeably woozy as he was helped into an ambulance. He was taken to the Speedway's infield care center for observation.
"He just barely caught me, and I was lucky enough to save it and finish the race," said Green, whose Chevrolet sported a sizeable right-front-hood dent afterward. "I'm still shaking. I didn't want to go back out there and run those last couple of laps."
"I hated that we got into him, but man, coming down to the white flag at Daytona, you just don't back off," Hillenburg said. "He lifted and I hit him square. I didn't him in the corner and try to turn him. I hit him dead-square and he had the wheels turned and it shot him right."
Another youngster, 18-year-old Adam Petty, also had been running with the leaders in his first NASCAR race, but problems forced him to slow on the backstretch. He finished sixth, and immediately inquired after Atwood. The two are good friends.
"The good Lord put me in the right place in the right time, otherwise I'd have been caught up in that mess on the frontstretch," said Petty, who was greeted by his grandfather Richard and his parents Patty and Kyle as he exited his car post-race.
Their reaction?
"Thank God there's no more superspeedway races for a while," the younger Petty reported.
In an earlier, separate accident, driver Andy Santerre suffered a lower right leg fracture and was to be flown home to Charlotte, N.C., for surgery.
"I don't believe I'd do this if I had to do this every week," Green said. "I'd much rather go to Rockingham. Restrictor-plate racing is a nail-biting experience."
One last spin
Roush Racing's Chad Little had the top speed in Saturday final Winston Cup Happy Hour practice. He recorded a top lap time of 46.789 seconds, averaging 192.353 mph.
None of the top starters tipped their hands or took chances. Pole-sitter Jeff Gordon was 10th at 47.063 seconds per lap. Outside pole-sitter Tony Stewart was 30th at 47.297 seconds. No. 3 starter Bobby Labonte was eighth at 47.018 seconds. No. 4 starter Dale Earnhardt was 14th at 47.092.
Favre gets NASCAR baptism
Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre served as grand marshal and starter for Saturday's NAPA 300, and announced that he will become a part-owner of a Ray-o-vac-sponsored Busch team along with Dale Jarrett. Kenny Irwin will be the driver.
His command to Busch drivers was, "Gentlemen, let's get it on," a twist on the traditional phrase. Favre was attending his first NASCAR event.
"It is a business opportunity for me, but I'm not going to retire from football anytime soon," Favre said of the Busch team. "So I'm not out to make a large amount of money."
Favre, who will also serve as honorary starter for Sunday's 41st Daytona 500, said the business relationship grew out of a meeting with Jarrett last year.
"With me cutting my schedule back, we talked about drivers," Jarrett said. "We really didn't talk long, because I have a lot of confidence in Kenny Irwin and his abilities. Obviously he set out a goal last year to win Winston Cup rookie of the year and he did that. The only standing between Kenny Irwin and a lot of appearances in Victory Lane are time in the race car and learning these race tracks. We've got to give him good race cars to do that with."
Medical update
Two Dash series drivers who were injured in Friday's Discount Auto Parts 200 underwent surgery later that day.
Surgeons at Halifax Medical Center repaired Scott Weaver's left tibia fracture by placing a rod in his leg, and discovered a stable neck fracture in his second vertebrae. Titanium rods were placed in George Crenshaw's right leg. He suffered a right femur fracture, and sustained no other injuries.
The youngsters are coming
Atwood's crash and Adam Petty's mechanical problems notwithstanding, the two 18-year-olds proved to the rest of Saturday's field that they belong in the Busch series. The other name-brand youngster, defending Busch series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 20th. Petty was aided by a mixture of his grandfather's crew members and his father's crew members.
"You can really, really tell that even though they don't have the seat time, that their fathers have been talking to them and tutoring them, and you can see it on the race track," said fifth-place finisher Bobby Hillin.
"I'm going to be chasing them more than they're going to be chasing me," said former Busch champion Randy LaJoie, who won Saturday's race.
"I'm just as proud as a grandfather could be," Richard Petty said. "The situation was you'd watch him and hold your breath. He did a heck of a good job. He just watched what was going on and didn't try anything crazy. That was the good thing. He had a lot of help and he ended up finishing good."
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