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Sunday Roundup

Fans leave their own mark at the Great American Race

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Padraig O'Sullivan couldn't pass up a chance to leave his mark at Daytona International Speedway.

So, like thousands of other fans on the track before Sunday's Daytona 500, he kneeled at the start-finish line -- pen in hand -- to leave his name on the tiny strip of back-and-white checkered pavement.

"Sully 'O1," it said.

"I can tell my friends back home that I did it," said O'Sullivan, an Irishman attending his first Winston Cup race. "This was a chance of a lifetime. I had to do it."

Fans are allowed on most tracks before races. It's become a tradition at Daytona for them to sign the start-finish line, often with messages cheering on their favorite driver.

The Earnhardts, Dale and Dale Jr., got the most ink. But O'Sullivan, in the United States visiting an uncle, rooted for Tony Stewart.

Asked what he expected from his first stock car event, O'Sullivan replied: "Crashes."

Crew chiefs honored before race

The crew chiefs who prepared winning cars for the Daytona 500 were honored before the race. Thirteen of the them attended the ceremony: the Wood Brothers, Ray Evernham, Larry McReynolds, Jimmy Makar, Ray Fox, Waddell Wilson, Buddy Parrott, Tony Glover, Todd Parrott, Ernie Elliott, Travis Carter, Jimmy Fennig and Gary Nelson.

"I always thought of the crew chief just as the guy working under the car," said Nelson, now the Winston Cup technical director. "But sitting up there with the rest of them gave me a special feeling."

Sour grapes for Purvis

Busch Series regular Jeff Purvis didn't get a chance to create any havoc in the Daytona 500.

Purvis was upset Saturday after he lost his chance to win the NAPA Auto Parts 300 when Joe Nemechek spun into him after a tap from Matt Kenseth on the next-to-last lap.

"They always seem to pick on the Busch drivers, and this is our living" Purvis said.

He added that if he wrecked any of the Winston Cup cars, "They better not say anything."

But he hit the wall -- and no one else -- on the 48th lap Sunday, and was the first car out.

Pit stops

Johnny Benson, Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler went to backup cars and had to drop to the rear of the field to start the race. ... Grand marshal Jim Kelly, CEO of UPS, delivered the green flag to the starter's stand and gave the command to fire up the engines. ... The Earnhardts, Dale and Dale Jr., received the loudest ovations from fans in pre-race introductions. Jeff Gordon got the most boos. ... Daytona USA returned the winning Ford of last year to car owner Robert Yates and driver Dale Jarrett. The winning car always goes for one year to the interactive racing attraction next to the track. ... The honorary starter was Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, now a football analyst for race broadcaster FOX. ... Tony Stewart taped a message to his dashboard preaching his new philosophy: "Patience."

 

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