Bumpy End Good for LaJoie

Teammates Joe Nemechek and Randy LaJoie started one-two in the NAPA Auto Parts 300 Busch Grand National race Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, and after a long rain delay, almost finished that way in a pair of Nemechek-owned Pontiacs.

LaJoie, a two-time Busch series champion, was leading with Nemechek in tow and two laps remaining when Matt Kenseth bumped Nemechek, who bounced into Jeff Purvis, sending Nemechek and Purvis spinning along the backstretch.

This let LaJoie, who won in 1997 and 1999, to cruise across the finish line under a yellow caution flag, followed by Kevin Harvick of Bakersfield, last year’s Busch rookie of the year, and Kenseth, last year’s Daytona winner.

“You can lay your bets on it now, I’ll be back in 2003,” said LaJoie, the Busch champion in 1996 and 1997 who has chosen to remain in the series rather than move up to Winston Cup.

PJ Jones, who had been running with the leading four or five cars most of the race, was caught up in the collision with Nemechek and Purvis and finished 27th.

Defending series champion Jeff Green was fourth and Jimmie Johnson of El Cajon fifth.

A crowd estimated at 130,000 sat patiently for one hour 28 minutes while the race was halted by rain. Before it was half over and skies were darkening, NASCAR officials turned lights on around the track’s 2.5-mile oval.

Purvis, who led 65 laps in Joe Gibbs’ Pontiac, was dominant most of the day until LaJoie took the lead from him 11 laps from the finish. Jones was third at the time, but lost the draft and within a lap had dropped to eighth.

“I was trying to push Randy at the time, hoping I might get by him on the last turn, but hoping we finished together when Matt [Kenseth] got a little run and got underneath me and then I hit Purvis,” said Nemechek, who finished 32nd.