Gordon Captures Pepsi 400, Narrows Marlin’s Overall Lead
Auto racing
The “Big Three” were at the head of the pack again in the Pepsi 400, with Jeff Gordon holding off Sterling Marlin and Dale Earnhardt in a final-lap sprint to victory Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
It was the season-high fourth victory for the 23-year-old Gordon, but Marlin maintained his lead in the NASCAR Winston Cup standings when he edged Earnhardt for second, about two car-lengths behind the winner.
After 15 of 31 races this year, Marlin is seven points ahead of Gordon (2,200-2,193) and 16 in front of seven-time series champion Earnhardt. All three drive new Chevrolet Monte Carlos, which have won 12 times.
The race was rather boring by Daytona standards, with Gordon and Marlin overpowering the field until things got interesting at the end. Both Gordon and Marlin led 72 of the 160 laps, and there were only eight lead changes among four drivers.
Earnhardt, who started from the pole and led the first 11 laps, fell back after his crew made an errant adjustment. After returning to his initial alignment, Earnhardt worked his way back through the field and passed Marlin for second with just 13 laps to go.
With his car running higher in the corners, Earnhardt closed on Gordon before Mike Wallace’s spin brought out the third caution of the day with just over three laps to go.
It took two laps to clear the track, setting up a 2.5-mile dash to the finish with 19 cars bunched on the lead lap. While Earnhardt and Marlin battled behind him for position, Gordon kept his rainbow-colored car in front for a 0.21-second victory.
Marlin rubbed sheet metal with Earnhardt coming into the trioval, but edged him by less than a halfcar-length for second.
“We had a great practice (Friday), and I told the guys not to mess with the car; we’ve got what it takes,” said Gordon, whose four victories are two more than anyone else on the stock-car circuit this season. “We proved that today.”
Still, Gordon, who became the youngest winner of Daytona’s summer race, wasn’t pleased when the yellow flag came out on lap 157.
“I didn’t want to see that caution,” he said. “Earnhardt is the last guy you want to see in your mirror with one lap to go.”
The only other driver to lead the race was Ricky Rudd, who ran in front for five laps after the leaders came into the pits just past the midway point of the race. Rudd finished eighth.
Gordon went to the lead for good after Jeff Purvis spun out coming out of turn four on lap 129. The leaders came in for their final pit stops, with Gordon barely beating Marlin back onto the track.
“That’s where we won the race,” Gordon said.
Little qualifies 27th
Chad Little of Spokane qualified 27th for today’s $356,788 Sears Auto Centers 250 NASCAR Grand National stock car race in Milwaukee. Little’s Ford averaged 112.673 mph, nearly 2 seconds behind pole sitter Dennis Setzer (114.650).