Martin Capitalizes on Gordon’s Error

Word around the Winston Cup garages is that the one way that Jeff Gordon can be beaten is if he beats himself.

Sunday it happened.

While leading in the 25-lap Bud Shootout for last year’s Winston Cup pole-sitters, Gordon overshot his pit box, neglected to back up before the Rainbow Warriors changed two tires in a mandatory pit stop, and was penalized one lap.

Mark Martin, runner-up to Gordon in last year’s Winston Cup season, capitalized on the mistake, came out of the pits in front and was never seriously challenged in the final 15 laps. His winning margin was only 0.215 seconds ahead of Ken Schrader, in a Chevrolet, with Bobby Labonte, in a Pontiac, third, but Martin’s Ford was clearly dominant.

“What happened, after we got the lead, was a product of parity in restrictor-plate racing,” Martin said. “If you have a reasonably good car and you’re in front, you’re in good shape. It’s just the way it is today.”

Restrictor plates reduce airflow through the carburetor in an effort to limit speeds. They are used only at Daytona and Talladega.

It was the first stock car win at Daytona International Speedway in 15 years of racing for Martin, a Daytona Beach resident.

He has, however, won four times here while co-driving Cougars and Mustangs in the GT-1 class of the Rolex 24-hour race, in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1995.

“Jack Roush has a reputation as being the ‘King of Horsepower.’ We haven’t done much to enhance that reputation at Daytona, but today we had the horsepower,” Martin said. “That, and the great pit stop my crew gave me, were what it took to win.”

When all 15 starters pitted on lap 10, Martin moved from 13th to third behind Gordon and Mike Skinner, who got into the Shootout by winning a 25-lap qualifying race earlier in the day.

Gordon, who had put on a clinic of how to go from eighth to first in nine laps, led the race into the pits, but couldn’t get stopped in time.

“I carried a little too much speed into pit lane and then I overheated the brakes trying to get it slowed down and just couldn’t do it,” Gordon explained. “Then I blew reverse trying to get it backed up. You’ve got to take risks in a short race like this. I just took one too many.”

Had he backed up into proper position before the crew worked on the car, it would have been only a 15-second penalty. But when they serviced the car out of position, it cost him a lap.

Gordon, who won the pole for the Daytona 500 with a 195.067-mph lap on Saturday, took a slow lap behind the pack and pulled into the garage area.

Martin averaged 181.745 mph for the 62.5-mile race. He collected $108,000.

When asked if he could have beaten Gordon had there been no penalty, Martin said, “I don’t dwell on ‘What ifs.’ ”

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There will be quite a difference, says Tony Stewart, between starting on the pole at the Indianapolis 500 and on the front row for the Daytona 500. He started in front at Indy in 1996 and will start alongside pole-sitter Jeff Gordon on Sunday.

“I’m not going to be sitting there Sunday worrying about five laps into the race, trying to figure out what lap my motor’s going to blow up on, like I did at Indy. I’m pretty sure my motor is going to stay together here.

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Joe Gibbs is the only coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks--Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien. Now he has a strong chance to win the Daytona 500 not only with two different drivers, but with two different makes of car.

Dale Jarrett won for Gibbs in the former Washington Redskin coach’s first 500 in 1993 in a Chevrolet. Sunday, he will have Stewart starting on the front row and Bobby Labonte, last year’s runner-up, in Pontiacs.

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The last time a Pontiac won the Daytona 500 was in 1983 when Cale Yarborough drove to victory. The last Chevrolet winner was Dale Earnhardt last year, the last Ford was Dale Jarrett in 1996.

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will serve as grand marshal for the 41st Daytona 500 on Sunday. Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre will serve as honorary starter.

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Bobby Gerhart, 40, from Lebanon, Pa., led 57 of 80 laps to win the FirstPlus Financial ARCA 200 Sunday. He averaged 121.910 mph driving a Knight Ridder Chevrolet.

Shawna Robinson, the only woman among the 41 starters, was second in another Chevrolet.

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Daytona International Speedway officials have added 12,000 grandstand seats and 28 suites, raising the seating capacity to about 150,000. Another 35,000 to 40,000 are expected to squeeze into the infield . . . . The first five finishers in last year’s Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will win an additional $1 million in the Winston No Bull 5 bonus program if they win Sunday’s 500. The five are Jarrett, Gordon, Labonte, Jimmy Spencer and Jeremy Mayfield.