Notebook

Marlin takes exception to NASCAR's late-race ruling

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) -- The way Sterling Marlin sees it, NASCAR's inconsistency in the rules has cost him a shot at two victories in the first two races of the season.

Marlin was in second place in the Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway when a caution flag came out with five laps to go. NASCAR didn't stop the race -- even though it did last week in the season-opening Daytona 500 under similar circumstances -- and Marlin was never permitted to attempt a pass on Matt Kenseth, who won the race under yellow.

The decision infuriated Marlin's crew, which went to NASCAR earlier this week for an explanation on when races will and won't be stopped.

"Whoever is running the show up there sometimes decides to do it and sometimes they don't," Marlin said. "If it had ended like this last week, we would have won the race, but I guess that's racing.

"I think all the drivers would like to see some kind of firm deal where we either stop it with five to go, or we run it with five to go, or we get out of the car and run around," he finished with a laugh.

Marlin was denied a shot at winning the Daytona 500 last weekend when the race was red-flagged after an accident with five laps to go. Marlin was the leader at the time, but had some damage to his fender that had to be fixed to give him a chance to win the race.

Because action was stopped, Marlin got out of his car on the track and tried to fix the damage. He was penalized for it and sent to the back of the field, working his way back to an eighth-place finish.

Marlin's team said that if NASCAR finished the Daytona 500 under yellow, he would have won because he was the leader at the time. And if NASCAR had finished Sunday's race with a shootout the way they did in Daytona, he at least would have had a chance.

"We had a discussion with NASCAR about consistency, and they said they had some, but it doesn't look that way to us," said Tony Glover, team manager for Chip Ganassi Racing. "It's pretty aggravating to have two taken from us this way."

NASCAR president Mike Helton defended NASCAR's decision Sunday, saying there weren't enough laps left to stop the race and set up the shootout.

Had they done so, Helton said it would have been a one-lap sprint to the finish after the field was brought around under yellow enough times to open pit road and give all the cars a chance to stop.

"Ever since we started this red flag, we said it would be used if there were enough laps to do so," Helton said. "There's wasn't enough time here."

One engine rule

Kurt Busch was the first hurt by NASCAR's new "one engine" rule, going to the back of the field for the start of Sunday's race after his team switched motors.

Busch, who qualified seventh for the event, started 43rd because his team changed engines after Saturday's practice when his crew discovered a cracked cylinder. He finished 12th Sunday.

Under the new rule, teams can use just one motor during an entire race weekend. If they have to change it, they are penalized by being sent to the back of the field.

But there's also the chance of an engine not lasting through an entire race, which happened to Dale Jarrett.

Jarrett was leading Sunday, when his engine blew on lap 145, knocking him out and to a 42nd-place finish.

"It didn't give any warning," Jarrett said. "Something just let go. As hard as we race, pieces and parts break sometimes, it just doesn't happen much in our camp. I had a top-10 car, maybe a car capable of getting a win."

Jarrett had finished inside the top 10 here in the past 12 events, including one win and six second places.

Stacy Compton also blew an engine Sunday, losing his on lap 25. Both Jarret and Compton said the problems happened too early to be attributable to the new rule.

Park update

Injured driver Steve Park had a successful test session last week in front of several observers, one of many he'll need to complete before he can resume his racing career.

Park, who had a severe head injury in a wreck last September, tested a car at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord in front of Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, several company executives and NASCAR officials.

"We were all in total shock," said Kenny Wallace, who has been filling in for Park at DEI since the accident. "Steve jumped in that car and it was amazing."

Park, who won this race last year, possibly could return to competition at Darlington Raceway on March 17. Park was injured in a Busch race accident at Darlington.

Pit stops

David Bryant, the right front tire carrier for rookie Jimmie Johnson, broke his right leg when he was hit by Mark Martin's car during an early pit stop. ... This was the final race for Kmart as the official sponsor of the Fords driven by Todd Bodine and Joe Nemechek, who finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and can't fulfill its commitment. Team owner Travis Carter said he has just enough money to take the cars to race in Las Vegas next weekend. ... Pole-sitter Ricky Craven led 116 laps and finished fifth. ... Tony Stewart, considered a contender for the Winston Cup championship this season, bounced back from his Daytona 500 disappointment with a fourth-place finish Sunday.

 

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