Accident Mars Latest Martin Win

It doesn’t seem to matter to Mark Martin where he starts in an International Race of Champions, he just wins.

The feisty little Winston Cup campaigner from Arkansas came from next to last Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win the fourth and final IROC of 1998, as well as his fourth series championship in the last five years.

Martin, who started 11th in the 12-car field of Pontiac Firebirds, moved steadily up through the field and finally overtook leader Jimmy Vasser three laps from the end of the 40-lap race.

“This was the highlight of my racing career,” Martin said. “It was all-out racing, no pit stops, just drive as hard as you could. I showed I can drive with these guys. I’m very proud of winning, especially here at Indianapolis, where the folks were so kind in inviting us to race our stock cars here a few years ago.”

Vasser, who started on the pole, led the first 36 laps. The 1996 CART champ car champion finished third after also being passed by Al Unser Jr.

Unser kept pressure on Martin in the last three laps but could not mount a move to pass. Martin averaged 156.386 mph for the 100 miles and won by .247 of a second.

Martin became the first to win three consecutive IROC titles. And the victory was also his second in four starts this year. He also won the second round at California Speedway in June.

A violent accident involving two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and Winston Cup driver Jeff Burton eliminated Martin’s only competition for the $225,000 series prize. Despite the accident, which sidelined both drivers, Burton won the $100,000 series runner-up money.

Occurring only five days after debris from an accident at Michigan Speedway killed three spectators and injured six others, the accident here was similar in that debris got into the stands, but far less serious. Two spectators were injured, neither seriously. One was treated for scrapes and the other for bruises.

On the third lap, Trans Am road racing champion Tommy Kendall was running fifth when his green car scraped the wall in the fourth turn. His car then bumped Luyendyk’s, which turned abruptly and headed straight across the track into the inside wall, where a new barrier had recently been installed to prevent serious injury from high-speed impact.

Luyendyk’s bright orange Firebird seemed to explode, scattering debris across the track.

“Unfortunately, I kind of started the whole mess,” said Kendall, who was not hurt and continued, finishing 11th. “I got a little loose, got out of the groove and got up by the wall. I tried to keep it there, but it pushed into the wall and turned into Arie.”

Most of the trailing drivers managed to get through without serious damage, but Burton was not so fortunate. Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon slowed to pick his way through the mess when Burton hit him in the rear. Burton was not hurt, but his car was damaged beyond repair. Gordon got his car’s rear end taped up and raced to a ninth-place finish.

Luyendyk suffered a slight concussion and was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was to remain overnight for further evaluation.