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Too Tough to Tame Darlington Raceway stands to shake up points racePosted: Thursday March 14, 2002 2:18 PM
By B. Duane Cross, CNNSI.com NASCAR pays a visit to the "Lady in Black" this weekend, and qualifying will be a key factor in determining who will win Sunday. Only 11 of the 97 Winston Cup races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. Another challenge at Darlington Raceway is keeping the rubber on the road. Former Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace, who has never won at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, knows tires will be a concern. "When you go out on a set of sticker tires, the speed in them lasts for two laps at the most. Everybody's qualifying lap is always quicker than their second one because the surface is so bad, it just grinds the tires up down to the cords." The points race also could take a beating. Last year, Dale Jarrett overcame a series of unusual events before riding to victory. He started second, then fell to 31st by lap 60 when his pit crew failed to properly attach two lugnuts to his left front wheel. But in the race's most critical moment, it was Jarrett's pit crew that came through to get him out in front of Steve Park with 16 laps left. Jarrett's victory -- the fifth different driver in the first five races of 2001 -- gave him the points lead, while Jeff Gordon plummeted to fourth after a 40th-place finish. This season, its Sterling Marlin who comes to Darlington with the points lead. And there have been four different winners in the season's first four races: Ward Burton, Matt Kenseth, Marlin and Tony Stewart. Marlin holds a 74-point lead over rookie Ryan Newman, while Burton and Mark Martin trail by 80 and 88 points respectively. Stewart, after a last-place showing in the Daytona 500, is fifth, 101 points behind.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Little E was the big mover last week, jumping 11 places, to 14th, in the standings after a second-place finish in the MBNA America 500 at Atlanta. After a 29th-place showing at Daytona, it was the third consecutive week he has improved his race finish.
Tony Stewart -- Speaking of finishing strong, Stewart is charging up the points standings. After a forgettable season opener, Stewart has three consecutive top-five finishes, culminating with his victory has week at Atlanta, and has raced all 985 laps in the past three races.
Jimmie Johnson -- Has anyone noticed rookie Jimmie Johnson is ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon in the points race? Back-to-back top-10s have Johnson 10th, while Gordon, who hasn't been in the top 15 in the past two races, is 11th.
Mark Martin -- Roush Racing has four -- count 'em -- drivers in the top 10: Mark Martin (fourth), Matt Kenseth (sixth), Kurt Busch (seventh) and Jeff Burton (ninth). And things could get better by sundown Sunday; Martin (one) and Burton (two) have wins at Darlington.
Flattery -- Ryan Newman: After posting a seventh-place finish at Daytona, Newman raised some eyebrows. He finished 14th at Rockingham, but has bounced back with consecutive top-10s. His second-place points standing is no fluke.
Flag -- Shawna Robinson: About the only positive thing we can say: In three races (she missed the Subway 400), her average starting position is 34.3, while her average finish has been 33.3. At least she grasps the concept of moving up in the pack.
Flattery -- Dave Blaney: The most unsuspecting addition to this week's Top 20, Blaney has been consistent en route to his 17th-place showing. In each of this year's four races, he's improved his finish, beginning with a 25 at Daytona through a 17 at Atlanta.
Flag -- Johnny Benson: Talk about going the other way. ... Benson has three top-10 starts this year, but only one top-10 finish (Daytona, where he started 38th). In his last three races -- average start: 6.6; average finish: 27.3.
