Only one slip-up for Junior
Dale Earnhardt was nearly perfect on the racetrack. His only real slip-up Sunday came in Victory Lane during a postrace television interview.
Junior, who charged from 11th place to a victory and the series points lead in the last five laps of the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., put that lead in jeopardy by cursing during an NBC Sports interview.
In February at Rockingham, NASCAR president Mike Helton explicitly told drivers to watch their mouths on radio and television. Less than a month later, Johnny Sauter was fined $25,000 and docked 25 points after cursing during a radio interview following the Busch Series race in Las Vegas.
“I’m worried about losing some points,” said Earnhardt, who moved into the series lead by 13 points over Kurt Busch, who finished fifth Sunday.
“Johnny said it in a fit of anger. I said it in Victory Lane,” Earnhardt said. “I hope they understand that it was in jubilation and I know me and those other guys that got fined let it slip, but it’s two different circumstances.
“I think that when you’re happy and joyous about something and it happens, I think it’s different than being angry and cursing in anger. Of course, we don’t want to promote that.”
NASCAR spokeswoman Denise Maloof said Nextel Cup director John Darby and vice president for competition Robin Pemberton were “aware of the situation and would address it on Tuesday or Wednesday. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be fined or lose points.”
The verbal slips took some of the edge off a very big day by Earnhardt.
“I’m a little worried about that, but I’ve won five races this year and I’m pretty thrilled,” Junior said. “I wasn’t expecting to have such a great season.”
Although he was at or near the front for virtually the entire EA Sports 500, leading a race-high 78 of the 188 laps, Earnhardt fell behind when crew chief Tony Eury Sr. decided to gamble on two fresh right-side tires on his final pit stop.
Eury decided to take advantage of the fact that Earnhardt was already on pit road for his final stop when a yellow flag came out for a crash involving Sterling Marlin and Bobby Labonte.
Still, other drivers got ahead of Earnhardt by staying on the track or taking only fuel on their final stops during the last of five caution periods in the race. But it made little difference once the green flag waved for lap 184.
“Those brand new rights just drove around the corners so much better than those other guys with old tires out there,” Earnhardt said. “I wasn’t worried. They make the calls in the pits and I just drive the car.”
Kanaan wins IRL points title
Shortly after the checkered flag, there were two drivers and their racing teams yelling and jumping gleefully, exchanging hugs and high-fives.
Adrian Fernandez had just won the Toyota 400, and runner-up Tony Kanaan had locked up the Indy Racing League points championship.
In an unusual but dramatic finish at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., the drivers ran five of the last six laps under a caution flag, getting the green flag for the final trip around California Speedway’s two-mile oval.
Fernandez outdueled Kanaan in the final sprint, with their cars separated by just .0183 second — about three feet — when they crossed the line.
Kanaan needed only to finish fourth at Fontana to beat out second-place Dan Wheldon for the points title, with the season finale coming up Oct. 17 at Fort Worth, Texas.
NHRA Nationals
Three NHRA POWERade points leaders earned a trip to the final round Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
None of them emerged with a victory.
Doug Herbert (Top Fuel), Del Worsham (Funny Car) and Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) drove to upsets in their respective categories at the $1.8 million event.
Herbert earned his first win since August 2002, beating points leader Tony Schumacher in the final with a 4.516-second pass at 329.75 mph in the Snap-on dragster for his eighth career victory.
Worsham beat 12-time NHRA POWERade champion John Force for a category-leading fifth win this season and 19th of his career.
Connolly continued his recent chase of two-time defending Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson. He grabbed the win over Anderson for his third victory in eight final rounds this season.