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Night fever
Gordon hopes to change evening woes at Bristol
Posted: Thursday August 23, 2001 6:57 PM
From CNNSI.com
Jeff Gordon? Dude isn't all that. Sure, he wins on short tracks, he wins on long tracks, he wins from the front, he wins from the back ... big deal. Run the race at night and Gordon is done.
Who won Richmond this year? Not Gordon. Who won the Coca Cola 600? Not Gordon. Sure, he won The Winston, but everybody knows that doesn't count.
But if further proof is necessary, look no further than Bristol: Gordon owns Bristol ... as long as the sun is out. Gordon won four consecutive races under the sun -- 1995-98 -- joining Darrell Waltrip as the only drivers to win four in a row. Come nighttime, the best Gordon has managed is a second in '96.
Whatever the reason for that futility, at least Saturday night presents Gordon another opportunity to erase that black mark from his otherwise fairly decent career. But if Gordon's disappointment is softened somewhat by the fact that he is first in the points race, Rusty Wallace can take no such satisfaction. Though Wallace has won nine races at Thunder Valley, including three at night, he is attempting to recover from two 43rd-place finishes in the past five races, a stretch that has dropped him from fourth in points to eighth.
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Mark Martin
In 29 starts at Bristol, Martin has 20 top-10 finishes and 15 top-5 efforts. He won this race in 1998 and was third last year. In the Food City 500 in March, Martin won the pole but an accident dropped him to 34th. |
Rusty Wallace
Wallace has nine victories at Bristol -- the most of any active driver. He won this race from the pole last season. He was seventh in the Food City 500 in March after starting fourth.
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Terry Labonte
Labonte has won the night race at Bristol twice, in 1984 and again in '95. He was sixth at the Food City 500 in March. That was the last time Labonte has finished in the top 10.
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Elliott Sadler
Sadler won the Food City 500 when he outdueled John Andretti and Jeremy Mayfield in a sprint through the final laps. Since that win, his only top-10 finish is a third at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona.
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Flattery
Matt Kenseth posted his best finish of the season Sunday when he finished fourth at Michigan. It was his first top-10 effort since he was seventh at the Tropicana 400 at Chicago and his first top-5 finish of the season.
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Flag
Ricky Rudd suffered another disaster Sunday at Michigan. He dropped a cylinder and finished 42nd, his worst finish of the season. Rudd was 39th in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
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Flattery
Dodge made a strong statement in Sunday's rain-shortened race at Michigan. Sterling Marlin gave Dodge its first Winston Cup win since 1977 and three of the top six finishers were in Dodges.
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Flag
During the Pepsi 400 rain delay, TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach told the listening audience that he, in fact, wore his wife's underwear at times. ... Really, do we need to know this stuff?
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Jeff Gordon increased his advantage in the standings to 298 points on second-place Ricky Rudd after finishing seventh in the Pepsi 400. It was his 16th top-10 finish of the year.
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Busch series points leader Kevin Harvick finished second to Ryan Newman in the NAPA Online.com 250 at Michigan on Saturday. His points lead is 236 on second-place Jason Keller.
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Scott Riggs' gamble to take just fuel in his final pit stop Saturday paid off when he won the Sears Craftsman 175 Truck series race. The win gave Riggs the lead in the standings by one point on Joe Ruttman.
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Food City 250 -- 8 p.m. Friday (TNT): 133.25 miles, 250 laps. 2000 pole winner: Kevin Harvick. 2000 winner: Kevin Harvick.
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Sharpie 500 -- 8 p.m. Saturday (TNT): 266.5 miles, 500 laps. 2000 pole winner: Rusty Wallace. 2000 winner: Rusty Wallace.
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Chevy Silverado 200 -- 12:30 p.m. Sunday (ESPN): 189.2 miles, 200 laps. 2000 pole winner: Joe Ruttman. 2000 winner: Dennis Setzer.
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• Jeff Gordon is fast becoming the New York Yankees of NASCAR. He may dump a few races here or there, but we all know he's going to win the chanpionship! -- Brian, Big City, Penn.
• FOX did a fantastic job during the first half of the season. NBC needs to quit going to commercials when the green flag is ready to fly! -- Debra, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Goodbye, Daytona. Four night race tickets just went to $130.00 each. After visiting Daytona since the late 70s, I bid farewell to ridiculous prices and parking fees, and I'm a stockholder! Who will be sitting in the stands in the near future if we can't bring our own children now!? -- Jeff, Morrilton, Ark.
• When Jeff Gordon is on a winning streak, I tend to watch NASCAR less. NASCAR needs more competition. I hate to watch a race for hours, only for Gordon to win! -- Bruce, Madison, Wis.
• We need more people like Tony Stewart? There is a difference between good action and someone who blatantly disregards rules set for drivers' safety. -- Steve, Richmond, Va.
• If we could just get Benny Parsons to replace Mike Joy on the FOX crew, life would be perfect. -- Jeanne, Springfield, Mo.
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