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EXPERT LOOKS AT EARNHARDT AUTOPSY PHOTOS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - An independent medical expert viewed images from Dale Earnhardt's autopsy Monday as part of a compromise between the driver's widow and the Orlando Sentinel. Dr. Barry Myers, a Duke University crash expert, spent two hours inside the Volusia County medical examiner's office studying 14 slides, 46 digital images on a computer and other reports related to the autopsy. He said he would issue a report on the cause of death and type of head injuries Earnhardt suffered within weeks. "This is an interesting debate between the public's right to know and the right to privacy," Myers said after viewing the images. "To participate in that debate is an honor." Citing privacy concerns, the racing hero's widow, Teresa Earnhardt, got a judge to seal the images, which normally are public record, shortly after he was killed in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. The Orlando Sentinel then went to court so its own expert could see the photos for an investigation into NASCAR safety.
Stewart fined $10,000 for Gordon retaliation
BRISTOL, Tenn. - At the height of their feud last season, Jeff Gordon threatened to knock Tony Stewart into a wall the next chance he had. It took him six months, but he finally got a measure of revenge when he sent Stewart into a spin in the final turn at Bristol Motor Speedway. The tap sent Stewart up the high banking toward the outside wall. Stewart's retaliation -- he raced around the track on the cooldown lap and hit Gordon on pit road -- rekindled the rivalry between two of NASCAR's biggest names. On Monday, NASCAR fined Stewart $10,000 and placed him on probation until Aug. 29. Both drivers played down the bumps, the first of which cost Stewart a top 5 finish. "I've got no hard feelings against Jeff, and I don't think he has any against me," Stewart said. That's not how it looked Sunday, when the two resumed a feud that dates back at least to last August.
FOOD CITY NOTEBOOK: Another bad day for Roush
BRISTOL, Tenn. - The struggle continued Sunday for Roush Racing when teammates Jeff Burton and Mark Martin were knocked out of contention -- together. Burton and Martin were running in 21st and 22nd on lap 247 of the Food City 500 when Burton blew his right front tire coming out of Turn 3 and slammed into the wall. His car bounced off it -- directly into Martin's line. Martin, the polesitter for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, couldn't avoid hitting him and his car suffered heavy front-end damage. "We hit about as hard as you can hit and took two of us out in one shot," Burton said. "It's bad when you wreck, it's even worse when you take a teammate with you." Burton's car was totaled, and he finished in 40th place. Martin's crew eventually got his car back on the track, and he finished 34th.
If that wasn't enough to give owner Jack Roush a headache, Matt Kenseth later caused Kurt Bush's exit from the race. Kenseth wiggled a bit on lap 382, causing a pileup of five cars trying to avoid him. Busch, a rookie, was one of them, and was knocked out of the race and finished 42nd. That's the way the year has gone for the entire Roush team. Both Martin and Burton were expected to contend for the championship, but left Bristol ranked 27th and 36th, respectively, in the standings. Kenseth, last season's Rookie of the Year, is 25th in the points and rookie Busch is 34th. "Today's just a perfect example of the way this year's gone," Burton said.
HARVICK'S BAD LUCK: Rookie Kevin Harvick had the car to beat for most of the race until tire trouble ruined his day. Harvick, who led three different times for a race-high 137 laps, was dominating with 70 laps to go when debris on the track cut his left front tire. He was forced to give up the lead and pit, and in the time it took to change tires he fell a lap down and came out of the pits in 23rd place. He finished 24th -- his worst result of the year. "That's typical Bristol," he said. "We came from the back and we got a flat tire. It just wasn't meant to be, but they knew we were here and that's what matters." Harvick, in the late Dale Earnhardt's car, started third and took the lead on the third lap. He led for 77 laps, but gave it up during the pit stops because of a tangle with Sterling Marlin.
Marlin, in the pit stall in front of Harvick, had to back up and hit Harvick when he did. Harvick still beat him off pit road, but fell to the back of the lead lap because he had to return to the stall to have the damage from the collision fixed.
LEPAGE RAN WELL: Kevin Lepage, hired this week to drive for Morgan-McClure Motorsports on a race-by-race agreement, might have earned a little security with his 15th-place finish Sunday. Team owner Larry McClure hired Lepage on Thursday, a day after he fired Robby Gordon just five races into the season. The team struggled in qualifying and needed a provisional to make the field, starting 42nd. But Lepage had moved up to 29th just over 100 laps into the race and was still on the lead lap when it ended. "To start 42nd here at Bristol and to come home with a top-15 finish on the lead lap, that's a credit to this race team," Lepage said. "When they give the driver a good race car, it is easy on the driver." Gordon's best finish in the car had been 20th, two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"Kevin's first performance with us was admirable," McClure said. "This is what we needed. We needed a settling factor as much as anything." McClure said Lepage would test the car next week and probably drive it next in Texas. "One race does not say everything," McClure said. "This team just went through something that I do not want to go through again. I will make sure the right decision is made this time for Morgan-McClure."
PIT STOPS: Dale Jarrett finished 16th, high enough to hang on to his lead in the points standings. ... Marlin finished 12th, only his second finish out of the top 10 this season. It snapped his streak of three straight top-10 finishes at Bristol. ... Ward Burton finished fifth, his first time in the top 10 this season. ... Rusty Wallace, who won both races here last season and three of the last five, was seventh. ... Martin, Jeff Gordon and Marlin are the only drivers to lead at least one lap in every race this season. ... Elliott Sadler's victory earned him a spot in The Winston, NASCAR's all-star race, and knocked John Andretti and Joe Nemechek out of the field.
HOUSE HONORS EARNHARDT
WASHINGTON - The late NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt was honored by the House Tuesday in a resolution praising him as one of the greatest race car drivers ever. The House measure, passed by a voice vote, also honored Earnhardt "for transcending the sport of racing to become a role model as both a talented competitor and a loving husband and father." Lawmakers led by those from Earnhardt's home state of North Carolina spoke on the House floor about the contributions of the man who earned seven Winston Cup Series championships and was named NASCAR Driver of the Year five times. "Thousands of people were touched by Dale Earnhardt," said Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., whose district includes Kannapolis, N.C., where Earnhardt was born and buried last week. "His skill on the track made him a legend in the racing world, but it was his faith and actions off the track that made him a great man." Earnhardt, 49, died in a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
NASCAR ratings continue to climb
NEW YORK - NASCAR was the highest-rated sports event on television for the fourth straight weekend, according to the overnight ratings. The Cracker Barrel 500 got a 5.7 overnight rating and a 13 share on Fox on Sunday. The rating for the race was up 21 percent from last year, when it got a 4.7/11 on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said Monday. NASCAR rating are up this year, helped by its first national television package and publicity following the death of Dale Earnhardt in the season-opening Daytona 500. CBS's NCAA basketball tournament selection show got the second-highest overnight, a 5.5/10, down 4 percent from last year's 5.7/11. The overnights are based on 49 major markets. Full national ratings are expected to be available Thursday. The rating is the percentage of television households in the United States tuned to a telecast, and the share is the percentage watching a telecast among households with TVs in use at the time.
Earnhardt bill may face debate
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The sponsor of legislation that would make it a felony to release autopsy photos of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt said Monday the bill will run into some tough questioning. "It will be very heavily debated starting tomorrow," state Sen. Jim King said in an interview on CNN. "It will probably be amended." The Senate Criminal Justice Committee is scheduled to hear the initial testimony on the measure Tuesday in the Florida Legislature. Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, asked King to file a bill to change the state's public records law to stop a newspaper's request for autopsy photographs and videos. King's district includes the Daytona International Speedway where Earnhardt was killed. King's bill, which has the support of Gov. Jeb Bush, would make it a third-degree felony to release the records with a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
BRISTOL, Tenn. - Results Sunday of the Food City 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, type of car, laps completed, reason out, if any, and money won: 1. (38) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 500, $124,700. 2. (11) John Andretti, Dodge, 500, $136,842. 3. (30) Jeremy Mayfield, Ford, 500, $105,709. 4. (15) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500, $126,352. 5. (18) Ward Burton, Dodge, 500, $100,580. 6. (25) Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 500, $93,775. 7. (4) Rusty Wallace, Ford, 500, $93,335. 8. (6) Bobby Hamilton, Chevrolet, 500, $61,195. 9. (17) Steve Park, Chevrolet, 500, $79,283. 10. (14) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 500, $88,237. 11. (41) Stacy Compton, Dodge, 500, $58,690. 12. (2) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 500, $64,601. 13. (13) Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 500, $98,042. 14. (24) Matt Kenseth, Chevrolet, 500, $57,340. 15. (42) Kevin Lepage, Ford, 500, $56,480. 16. (19) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 500, $90,142. 17. (12) Bill Elliott, Dodge, 500, $73,088. 18. (33) Mike Skinner, Chevrolet, 500, $80,439. 19. (23) Jimmy Spencer, Ford, 500, $58,980. 20. (16) Casey Atwood, Dodge, 500, $49,450. 21. (40) Ron Hornaday Jr, Pontiac, 500, $47,440. 22. (29) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 500, $54,690. 23. (34) Ricky Craven, Ford, 500, $44,040. 24. (3) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500, $90,192. 25. (37) Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 500, $64,820. 26. (28) Johnny Benson, Pontiac, 499, $54,590. 27. (35) Brett Bodine, Ford, 493, $46,470. 28. (26) Robert Pressley, Ford, 487, $53,815. 29. (8) Dave Blaney, Dodge, 472, $43,210. 30. (22) Jerry Nadeau, Chevrolet, 459, $50,860. 31. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 456, $77,288. 32. (5) Todd Bodine, Ford, 437, crash, $42,000. 33. (21) Buckshot Jones, Dodge, 420, crash, $49,975. 34. (1) Mark Martin, Ford, 412, $91,261. 35. (10) Ken Schrader, Pontiac, 350, $49,865. 36. (27) Rick Mast, Chevrolet, 349, crash, $41,820. 37. (43) Mike Wallace, Ford, 345, crash, $49,785. 38. (31) Kenny Wallace, Pontiac, 307, engine failure, $41,740. 39. (36) Andy Houston, Ford, 265, crash, $41,705. 40. (32) Jeff Burton, Ford, 245, crash, $87,386. 41. (7) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 228, engine failure, $41,590. 42. (39) Kurt Busch, Ford, 118, crash, $49,535. 43. (20) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 108, overheating, $69,107.
Race Statistics Time of Race: 3 hours, 3 minutes, 54 seconds. Margin of Victory: 0.426. Caution Flags: 13 for 87 laps. Winner's average speed: 86.949 mph. Lead Changes: 18 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M.Martin 1-2; K.Harvick 3-79; M.Wallace 80; K.Harvick 81-82; S.Marlin 83-149; M.Kenseth 150; K.Wallace 151; S.Marlin 152-160; J.Andretti 161-180; J.Gordon 181-246; S.Marlin 247; J.Gordon 248-291; S.Park 292-337; S.Marlin 338; J.Andretti 339-342; S.Marlin 343-345; J.Andretti 346-372; K.Harvick 373-430; E.Sadler 431-500.
Winston Cup Points (Through Sunday's Food City 500) 1. Dale Jarrett, 871. 2. Jeff Gordon, 826. 3. Sterling Marlin, 823. 4. Johnny Benson, 776. 5. Steve Park, 758. 6. Rusty Wallace, 752. 7. Ricky Rudd, 743. 8. Bobby Hamilton, 716. 9. Elliott Sadler, 709. 10. Bill Elliott, 701. 11. Ward Burton, 695. 12. Michael Waltrip, 694. 13. Kevin Harvick, 665. 14. Jimmy Spencer, 658. 15. Jerry Nadeau, 654. 16. John Andretti, 644. 17. Ken Schrader, 643. 18. Tony Stewart, 632. 19. Bobby Labonte, 622. 20. Robert Pressley, 620.
Money Leaders 1. Jeff Gordon, $2,052,203. 2. Michael Waltrip, $1,594,725. 3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, $1,390,100. 4. Rusty Wallace, $1,164,551. 5. Dale Jarrett, $982,328. 6. Ricky Rudd, $949,178. 7. Bill Elliott, $781,164. 8. Bobby Labonte, $707,768. 9. Sterling Marlin, $686,423. 10. Steve Park, $674,835. 11. Tony Stewart, $673,426. 12. Jeremy Mayfield, $672,524. 13. Mark Martin, $668,582. 14. Mike Skinner, $608,170. 15. John Andretti, $604,776. 16. Terry Labonte, $600,556. 17. Ward Burton, $580,859. 18. Jeff Burton, $567,174. 19. Joe Nemechek, $554,093. 20. Kevin Harvick, $537,920.
Driver Leaders DRIVER NAME POINTS STARTS WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 ----------- ------ ------ ---- ----- ------ 1. Dale Jarrett 871 6 1 3 4 2. Jeff Gordon 826 6 1 4 4 3. Sterling Marlin 823 6 0 2 4 4. Johnny Benson 776 6 0 1 4 5. Steve Park 758 6 1 2 4 6. Rusty Wallace 752 6 0 1 4 7. Ricky Rudd 743 6 0 1 4 8. Bobby Hamilton 716 6 0 0 3 9. Elliott Sadler 709 6 1 1 1 10. Bill Elliott 701 6 0 1 1
Lap Leaders 1. Jeff Gordon, 524 2. Steve Park, 379 3. Sterling Marlin, 170 4. Kevin Harvick, 155 5. Dale Jarrett, 103 6. Jerry Nadeau, 91 7. Elliott Sadler, 72 8. Dave Blaney, 70 9. Mark Marting, 60 10. Ward Burton, 53
Mile Led Leaders 1. Jeff Gordon, 598.76 2. Steve Park, 423.38 3. Sterling Marlin, 213.53 4. Dale Jarrett, 155.12 5. Jerry Nadeau, 139.22 6. Ward Burton, 132.50 7. Dave Blaney, 107.80 8. Kevin Harvick, 100.74 9. Mark Martin, 88.49 10. Michael Waltrip, 68.52.
Pole Winners 1. Dale Jarrett, 2 2. Bill Elliott, 1 Jeff Gordon, 1 Mark Martin, 1
Rookie Standings 1. Kevin Harvick, 66 2. Ron Hornaday, 56 3. Kurt Busch, 50 4. Casey Atwood, 50 5. Jason Leffler, 41 6. Andy Houston, 28
Manufacturer Standings 1. Chevrolet, 46 2. Ford, 40 3. Dodge, 24 4. Pontiac, 22 Last Update 3/29/01
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