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Fast forward Earnhardt Jr. charges past Gordon to win Bud ShootoutPosted: Saturday February 08, 2003 9:52 PM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The late Dale Earnhardt didn't like to play games on the racetrack. If he could lead, the man known as The Intimidator did just that. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the same philosophy. "We never really do play with them," the younger Earnhardt said despite waiting until the last five laps Saturday night to take command of the Budweiser Shootout. "I've just always gone to the front. "A lot of these guys I race against would rather me probably help them out and work and be a little more calm in the draft, but I want to be the guy leading. I don't want to have to make that pass on the last lap." Earnhardt Jr. powered past Jeff Gordon five laps from the end and held off the four-time Winston Cup champion to win the first Shootout under the lights.
Earnhardt appeared able to wheel his red No. 8 Chevrolet to the front any time he wanted, staying at or near the lead throughout the 70-lap event at Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt was already considered the favorite to win the Daytona 500 pole on Sunday and to win the big race on Feb. 16. His performance in the first NASCAR race of the season did nothing to change that speculation. With Gordon, a two-time Shootout winner, leading at the start of lap 66, Earnhardt, with some drafting help from Ryan Newman, took the outside line on the high-banked 2 1/2-mile oval, bumped past Kurt Busch and charged to the front. Gordon pushed his Chevy hard the last five laps, trying to get back past Earnhardt, but he never quite caught the high-flying third-generation driver. "I can't remember, there was so much happening the last two laps and there's so much going on in your mind," Earnhardt said when asked about his move to the lead. "You're trying to watch who is running up on the top and who is running on the bottom and you're trying to get help from those guys and get pushes. "But I stayed out front. That's a tough win." It was only the second time Earnhardt has qualified for the non-points race featuring the previous year's Winston Cup pole winners and former Shootout champions. Last year, he finished second to Tony Stewart. Earnhardt, who started last in the lineup determined by a blind draw, was hemmed in at the rear for a few laps, but finally broke free and began to move forward by diving to the bottom of the banking and making a three-wide pass. He moved steadily forward and took the lead for the first time on the 16th of 70 laps, passing the Ford of Busch, who had led from lap five. Under a new format, the 19 starters in the 25th Shootout raced for 20 laps, then took a 10-minute intermission, during which their crews were allowed to make adjustments on the cars. After the break, Earnhardt found himself in a battle with Busch's teammate, Matt Kenseth. The pair exchanged the lead five times before Gordon, who started just ahead of Earnhardt at the rear of the field, raced to the front.
Gordon stayed in the lead until all the cars pitted on lap 51. With some teams putting in gas only, others taking two tires and Gordon's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, taking four tires, there was considerable shuffling. Mark Martin and Ken Schrader came out of the pits on top, with Gordon fifth and Earnhardt sixth. It took Gordon until lap 56 to get back out front, with Earnhardt biding his time after following Busch up to third on lap 59. Earnhardt was actually fourth at the start of lap 66, but took the line at the top of the banking and shot past Rusty Wallace, Busch and Gordon to take the lead for good. "I was looking good with five to go," Gordon said. "But Junior is so strong on these restrictor-plate tracks." NASCAR uses the plates at Daytona and Talladega, it's two longest and fastest ovals, to sap horsepower and keep the cars under 200 mph in the interest of safety. Earnhardt's late father, a seven-time Winston Cup champion who was killed in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, was a master of the plate tracks. The younger Earnhardt is probably the best on those tracks today. He has won four of the last eight plate races at the two big tracks and finished second to Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip in two others. "This is a drivers' track sometimes, and you have to know what you are doing, especially when the tires get worn," Earnhardt said. "I love this track. "This is like coming home to your mom from college or something. It's great to be back here." Earnhardt, who won $205,000, beat Gordon to the finish line by 0.180 seconds -- about four car-lengths. There were no caution flags and the winner averaged 180.827 mph. Kenseth finished third, followed by Newman, 2002's top rookie; defending Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, Schrader and Johnson -- who came from last after the break. The only driver who didn't finish was Geoffrey Bodine, who started from the pole but came in after just three laps because of a broken suspension. Stewart, who won the 2002 Winston Cup championship in a Pontiac, had a disappointing night in the debut of his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. He never challenged for the lead and wound up 15th. There were 13 lead changes among seven drivers in a race that featured considerable two- and three-wide racing and passing in the pack on nearly ever lap.
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