Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 from Darlington

[Sequatchie]

CAROLINA DODGE DEALERS 400

 

WHEN: Sunday, March 16th

 

WHERE: Darlington Raceway

 

Track Specs:

Banking: Turns 1/2 - 25 degrees, width 79 ft; Turns 3/4 - 23 degrees, width 62 ft; Front - 3 degrees, Back - 2 degrees.

Frontstretch 1,229 ft long, 90 ft wide;

Backstretch - 1,229 ft long, 90 ft wide

Pit Road: Length: 2,025 feet, Width: 46 feet

Track Repaved in late 1995

Grandstand Seating: 65,000

 

 

STARTING LINEUP

 

ROW 1

1.) (38) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 170.147 mph.

2.) (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 169.374.

 

ROW 2

3.) (01) Jerry Nadeau, Pontiac, 169.170.

4.) (7) Jimmy Spencer, Dodge, 169.088.

 

ROW 3

5.) (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 169.071

6.) (97) Kurt Busch, Ford, 168.984.

 

ROW 4

7.) (22) Ward Burton, Dodge, 168.926.

8.) (40) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 168.816.

 

Row 5

9.) (15) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 168.769.

10.) (54) Todd Bodine, Ford, 168.764.

 

ROW 6

11.) (19) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 168.682.

12.) (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 168.665.

 

ROW 7

13.) (2) Rusty Wallace, Ford, 168.538.

14.) (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 168.469.

 

ROW 8

15.) (49) Ken Schrader, Dodge, 168.261.

16.) (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 168.175.

 

ROW 9

17.) (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 168.146.

18.) (77) Dave Blaney, Ford, 168.094.

 

ROW 10

19.) (42) Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 168.066.

20.) (18) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 168.043.

 

ROW 11

21.) (23) Kenny Wallace, Dodge, 168.025.

22.) (10) Johnny Benson, Pontiac, 167.980.

 

ROW 12

23.) (4) Mike Skinner, Pontiac, 167.951.

24.) (41) Casey Mears, Dodge, 167.876.

 

ROW 13

25.) (9) Bill Elliott, Dodge, 167.785.

26.) (43) John Andretti, Dodge, 167.767.

 

ROW 14

27.) (6) Mark Martin, Ford, 167.665.

28.) (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 167.619.

 

ROW 15

29.) (5) Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 167.368.

30.) (31) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 167.135.

 

ROW 16

31.) (32) Ricky Craven, Pontiac, 167.123.

32.) (30) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 166.913.

 

ROW 17

33.) (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 166.808.

34.) (0) Jack Sprague, Pontiac, 166.789.

 

ROW 18

35) (1) Steve Park, Chevrolet, 166.710.

36.) (88) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 166.394.

 

ROW 19

37.) (99) Jeff Burton, Ford, provisional.

38.) (25) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, provisional.

 

ROW 20

39.) (21) Ricky Rudd, Ford, provisional.

40.) (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, provisional.

 

ROW 21

41.) (74) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, provisional.

42.) (14) Larry Foyt, Dodge, provisional.

 

ROW 22

43.) (57) Brett Bodine, Ford, provisional.

 

 

 

FINAL RESULTS

 

 

1.) (32) Ricky Craven, Pontiac, 180

2.) (97) Kurt Busch, Ford, 175

3.) (77) Dave Blaney, Ford, 165

4.) (6) Mark Martin, Ford, 165

5.) (15) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 155

6.) (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 160

7.) (38) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 151

8.) (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 142

9.) (9) Bill Elliott, Dodge, 138

10.) (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 134

11.) (4) Mike Skinner, Pontiac, 130

12.) (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 127

13.) (25) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 129

14.) (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 126

15.) (21) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 118

16.) (2) Rusty Wallace, Dodge, 115

17.) (49) Ken Schrader, Dodge, 112

18.) (88) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 114

19.) (30) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 106

20.) (7) Jimmy Spencer, Dodge, 108

21.) (1) Steve Park, Chevrolet, 100

22.) (42) Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 97

23.) (23) Kenny Wallace, Dodge, 94

24.) (5) Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 91

25.) (10) Johnny Benson, Pontiac, 88

26.) (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 85

27.) (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 82

28.) (31) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 84

29.) (22) Ward Burton, Dodge, 76

30.) (19) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 73

31.) (57) Brett Bodine, Ford, 70

32.) (14) Larry Foyt, Dodge, 67

33.) (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 69

34.) (41) Casey Mears, Dodge, 61

35.) (01) Jerry Nadeau, Pontiac, 58

36.) (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 55

37.) (18) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 52

38.) (43) John Andretti, Dodge, 49

39.) (40) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 46

40.) (0) Jack Sprague, Pontiac, 43

41.) (74) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 40

42.) (99) Jeff Burton, Ford, 37

43.) (54) Todd Bodine, Ford, 34

 

 

2/1000th's of a second WIN!

[Edited by Sequatchie on 3-16-03 9:53P]

 

[landergolfer]

WOW! WHAT A FINSH AND RACE

 

#32-Ricky Craven won the The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 is on at Darlington Raceway by a few inches [2/1000th's of a second] with him and #97-Kurt Busch beating and banging the last lap, both slapping the wall a few times. Busch had no power steering the last 10 laps. It is Craven's 2nd career Winston Cup win and he is the 40th driver to ever win a Cup race at Darlington [thanks Mike Joy]. It is the first career win for #32 Crew Chief Scott Miller and the first win by a single car team since Craven won in 2001. Crave last won at Martinsville in Oct 2001, 46 races ago. Busch has 3 top fives this year, all 2nds. #77-Dave Blaney was 3rd, his first ever top five finish in 116 races. Only 10 drivers finished on the lead lap. After a wild start, only 4 cars ended up in the garage. Kind of funny, the two best finishes this year so far are at the tracks rumored to lose their spring race dates [Rockingham and Darlington]. #17-Matt Kenseth keeps the points lead at 760, with #20-Tony Stewart at 703. If five races so far this season, there are five different pole winners and five different race winners. The top ten unofficial finishers:

 

#32-Ricky Craven (1 Lap Led - The final one, by an inch or two)

#97-Kurt Busch (23 laps led)

#77-Dave Blaney

#6-Mark Martin (71 laps led)

#15-Michael Waltrip

 

#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr (91 laps led - led the most laps)

#38-Elliott Sadler (12 laps led)

#17-Matt Kenseth

#9-Bill Elliott

#20-Tony Stewart

 

Laps Leaders (11): #38-Sadler (12 laps led); #12-Newman (1); #7-Spencer (4); #8-Earnhardt Jr (91 led the most laps); #88-Jarrett (4); #31-Gordon (1); #6-Martin (71); #24-Gordon (79); #25-Nemechek (3); #97-Busch (24); #32-Craven (1-the final one);

Cars on the lead lap: 11 (of 43 starters)

Off track/out of race (4): #54-Bodine (out-accident); #99-Burton (out-engine); #74-Raines(out-accident); #43-Andretti(out-accident); #40-Marlin (out-?);

 

Cautions 7 for 33 laps

Caution 7: Laps 237-242: Debris between turn turns 3 and 4.

Caution 6: Laps 191-196: #7-Spencer and #43-Andretti got together, sending Andretti hard into the inside frontstretch wall, car is pretty much done, Andretti is OK.

Caution 5: Laps 68-74: #12-Newman and #22-Burton were racing side by side in turn 2, Burton drifted up and they got together and both spun. The track sent the blowers out to clean off the debris on the track.

Caution 4: Laps 34-39: #99-Burton and #20-Stewart got together, Burton is smoking badly, looks like he lost an engine which caused Stewart toget into him.

Caution 3: Laps 24-28: #48-Johnson got into #40-Marlin, who then went into the wall, #18-Labonte spun out, then hit by #29-Harvick. This is a wild race so far.

Caution 2: Laps 13-16: #0-Sprague spun around on the backstretch, didn't hit anything.

Caution 1: Laps 7-9: #01-Nadeau spun around, followed by a spin by #17-Kenseth after getting tapped by #42-McMurray, no damage reported. Nadeau was running 2nd at the time.

 

NOTES: On lap 283, #24-Gordon went up the track and slapped the wall and #23-Wallace hit the car, but both drove off and continued. During caution 7 pit stops, #6-Martin's car left with a missing lugnut and had to come back into the pits to get it put on. Green flag pit stops happened around lap 128-132 range, and again around laps 185-190. #01-Nadeau had an oil leak and had to pit as he was running 3rd, was smoking bad. #40-Marlin, #74-Raines came back out to the track on lap 68-69 range but went back into the garage after running a few laps. During caution 5, ALL the cars came in to pit except #31-Gordon who led a lap, then pitted. all the cars who were a lap down (#'s 14, 57 and #29 got their laps back when the yellow flag came out. Lots of contact between many of the cars so far as of lap 30. During caution 3 all but #88-Jarrett and #24-Gordon came in to pit. All but 17 cars came in to pit on the first caution.

 

Re-Air: the race will be re-aired on Speed Channel, Wed, Mar 19th, 8:00pm/et (enhanced) and Thurs, Mar 20th, 1:00am/et and at 3:00pm/et.

 

 

Unofficial Top Five in Drivers Points

#17-Matt Kenseth, 760

#20-Tony Stewart, 703

#15-Michael Waltrip, 698

#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr, 634

#32-Ricky Craven, 617 (tied with #97-Busch but gets the spot as he has won a race)

for the full rundown of points, see NASCAR.com.(3-16-2003)

 

 

 

THANKS TO JAYSKI.COM FOR PROVIDING THIS

[TheAnswer9]

Finally, my man Bill in the 9 car finished a race and actually finished in the top 10 with a 9th. Wow!! And that finish wasn't too bad either my friends. Looked like the local dirt tracks!!