| | Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The rain came and went at Michigan
Speedway, and so did Jeremy Mayfield's chances of winning the Kmart
400 after dominating the first three-quarters of the race.
Mayfield led 85 laps and was out in front of the 43-car field
when the track was hit with heavy rain on lap 150, stopping the
action for 94 minutes.
Following the restart, Mayfield went to the pits for fuel and
four tires on lap 153. When one of his worn tires bounced off a
crewman and onto pit road, NASCAR assessed Mayfield a violation and
placed him 13th. He later moved as high as sixth place before
engine trouble forced him out of the race.
"I don't want to win under rain," said Mayfield, who finished
41st. "I've already lost two races at Darlington like that. I want
to win straight up, beat them, get the checkered flag and be done
with it."
Mayfield said he would have won the race had the rain stayed
away.
"We were up seven seconds," he said. "And when we went back
to racing, we gave them that back. That's racing and that's part of
it. This team is good. It's almost better than winning in what
we've accomplished these last four or five weeks."
The race marked the return of Mayfield crew chief Peter
Sospenzo, who had been suspended for the last three Winston Cup
races. Sospenzo was penalized and the team was assessed 151
championship points for using an illegal fuel additive at Texas
Motor Speedway on April 2. The suspension began after Mayfield won
April 30 at California Speedway.
Struggling Martin finishes 40th
It's a rarity when you see Mark Martin at the back
of the field at Michigan Speedway. Sunday was one such day.
Martin entered the race with eight consecutive top 10 finishes
at the track, including victories in August 1997 and June 1998.
This time, though, he finished 40th.
Struggling in 38th place, Martin went to the garage area for
major chassis changes following the long red flag period.
"We're just in a situation where we can't gain a whole lot and
really can't lose a lot," he said. "I don't know what's wrong,
and neither does anybody else. We've just been off this week.
"I've raced here for 12 years twice a year and have never run
bad. But we've not run anywhere even close to good since we've been
here.
Shocking introduction to wall
The worst accident during the race occurred on lap
17 when Bobby Hamilton hit the wall entering turn four.
"Something fell off the car about five laps before that," said
Hamilton, who was uninjured. "I'm not sure what it was. I think I
was running without a right front shock. I ran about five laps and
it started flopping around real bad on the right front."
Hamilton, who finished last in the field, last placed in the top
15 at Michigan in August 1996.
"We've just got to button down as a race team and get it
together," he said. "We've just got to keep the wheels in line,
and we'll be OK."
Robinson released from hospital
Driver Shawna Robinson, injured during an
accident in Saturday's ARCA Flagstar 200 race, was released Sunday
from a Ypsilanti, Mich., Hospital after spending the night for
observation.
Robinson, the only woman racing in the ARCA series, hit the wall
in turn two on lap 82. She fractured three ribs.
Sadler starts
Elliott Sadler started Sunday's race from the
back of the 43-car field after his car was destroyed in an accident
during Saturday's final practice session.
Sadler, who finished 27th, would have started 21st. However,
during the practice his right-rear tire went down and the rim dug
into the track, sending his car sliding sideways and flipping
through the air. He suffered only a cut lip and tongue, and a
bruised ankle.
"This is not good timing for us," Sadler said. "We qualified
the first day and that's a big accomplishment for us at Michigan."
Sadler said the accident made him realize the closeness of the
NASCAR drivers.
"Id like to thank Kyle Petty," he said. "He stopped and made
sure my ignition and everything was cut off and took time to do
that. That's great to have friends like that in racing. Dale
(Earnhardt) Jr. came and checked on me. That's pretty neat the way
the NASCAR family works."
Spark plugs
Robert Pressley's fifth-place finish was the
second-best of his career, behind only a third place at Texas in
1998. ... Scott Pruett, who last drove at Michigan Speedway in a
Champ Car, made his stock car debut at the track and equaled his
career-best NASCAR finish of 19th, which he also had in the season-
opener Daytona 500. ... Sunday's race, cut short by rain, was the
first June Winston Cup race at Michigan Speedway to be stopped
before its scheduled race distance and only the second to be
shortened in track history. ... Sunday's attendance of 170,000 was
the largest crowd to attend a Winston Cup event at the speedway in
Michigan's Irish Hills, 60 miles west of Detroit. | |
ALSO SEE
Rain dance helps Stewart win Kmart 400
Kmart 400 results
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