Jeff Burton Holds Off Big Names

All the big-name drivers were bearing down on Jeff Burton at the close of the Pepsi 400 at Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday night.

But big names don’t win races, good driving does. And since the beginning of the 1999 season, Burton has won more races than all but one of the big-name NASCAR drivers.

Burton held off late challenges from Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace to come out on top in a four-lap dash to the finish at Daytona International Speedway.

It was 13th career victory for Burton, driving a Ford, and his eighth victory over the past two seasons. That’s more than anybody in that span besides Jeff Gordon.

Burton, who earned $152,450, won with an average speed of 148.576 mph. His margin of victory over Jarrett was 0.149 seconds, less than a car length.

Wallace finished third, followed by Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd as Fords swept the top five places, just as they did at Daytona 500 in February.

Points leader Bobby Labonte finished 12th, four spots behind Earnhardt, who trails Labonte in the series by 52 points (2,527-2,475). Jarrett is third at 2,446.

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NASCAR officials found no sign of mechanical failure in the car Adam Petty was driving when he crashed and was killed in May during practice for the Busch 200 in Manchester, N.H.

The 19-year-old, fourth-generation member of the Petty racing family died when he struck a wall at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

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Formula One points leader Michael Schumacher, with a lap of 125.746 mph and time of one minute 15.632 seconds in his Ferrari, won the pole position for today’s French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, France.

Schumacher, who has five Formula One victories this season, won his third consecutive pole position. It was the fourth time the German driver won the pole this season, and the 27th of his career.

With time running out in the qualifying, David Coulthard of Britain, completed a lap of 1:15.734 in his McLaren, to take the second spot.

Schumacher has a 56-34 lead over Coulthard in the points standings with the season at its midway point. Ten points are awarded for a victory.

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Roberto Moreno, a 41-year-old Brazilian driver who moved into the CART FedEx Series points lead with a career-best runner-up finish last Sunday in Portland, Ore., added to his margin by winning his first pole position in seven seasons for today’s Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland.

Moreno earned a point for leading qualifying to double his lead (69-67) over countryman Gil de Ferran by completing the 2.106-mile, 10-turn course in 57.436 seconds and 132.001 mph in his Ford. Gil de Ferran was timed 57.524 seconds and 131.799 mph in his Honda in qualifying second.

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Kurt Busch held off Randy Tolsma on two late restarts to win the Sears DieHard 200 at West Allis, Wis., to become the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event.

Busch, 21, led 156 of the race’s 200 laps--including the final 56--but wasn’t able to shake the persistent Tolsma at The Milwaukee Mile, winning by 0.564 seconds. Busch averaged 89.264 mph in his Ford.

Also at The Milwaukee Mile, NASCAR Busch Series leader Jeff Green won his fifth pole position of the season with a lap of 121.572 mph in qualifying for today’s Sears DieHard 250.