NASCAR

Burton Stays Out of Trouble to Win Daytona

Ward Burton stayed out of trouble in his Dodge to claim victory in the crash-filled Daytona 500 stock car race. Elliott Sadler was second, 0.193 seconds behind in a Ford, with 1986 winner Geoffrey Bodine in third place 0.319 seconds off the pace in another Ford.

"It was nerve wracking," said 41-year old Burton, who only led in the final five laps after the race at the Daytona International Speedway was stopped right after a restart on lap 195.

The red flag appeared when four-time NASCAR Winston Cup series champion Jeff Gordon, trying to hold off the Dodge of Sterling Marlin, who had led for 78 laps, spun into the grass in turn one. Marlin handed victory to Burton when he got out of his car during the stoppage to attempt a repair that was not permitted under the red flag. He was sent to the end of the line of leaders for the final restart and that ended his challenge.

After recovering from 41st to finish second, Sadler said the weeks leading up to the race had been a struggle for his team. "It's been tough racing in this business so to finish second down here, unbelievable," he said.

Earlier Burton, who averaged 230.09 kph, was almost caught up in an accident with 51 laps to go in the 200-lap race. The close call came when Kevin Harvick was trying to hold off Gordon by trying a blocking move, but instead went up the track triggering an 18-car accident.

"When the number 29 (Harvick) spun out we almost got it," Burton said in Victory Lane while celebrating his fourth career win in the series, worth $1.383 million. To say the race was chaotic would be an understatement as the full course caution flag was waved nine times.

"Crazy race out there," Gordon said. "I should have given up when he (Marlin) got beside me and still had a battle and a shot to win this thing. I hated to see that last caution."

Behind Gordon a number of back markers went spinning into the start-finish line infield. Explaining the importance of survival, the 52-year old Bodine said "that was experience... missing those wrecks".

Marlin, who won here in 1994 and 1995, said he thought getting out of a car for a repair was permitted.

"I saw (Dale) Earnhardt do it at Richmond one time in '87," he said. "He got out and cleaned off his windshield, so I thought it OK. It was a little disappointing."

Although there were no serious injuries, the 1543.6 kg tube framed stock cars made the 804-km race look more like a demolition derby than a high speed dance on the 31-degree banks of the 4.022-km Daytona International Speedway. Despite the accidents, 14 of the 43 starters were still running on the leaders' lap.

At the race track where Dale Earnhardt Sr, a seven-time Winston Cup Champion, lost his life in a last-lap crash last year, his son Dale Jr was involved in two accidents due to flattened tyres and the "big" 18-car crash on lap 149. Undaunted, the team founded by his late father fixed his injured racer time and again and he finished 29th - 29 laps behind the leaders.

Tony Stewart, a pre-race favourite, retired on lap three with a blown engine in his Pontiac. Shawna Robinson, the first woman since Janet Guthrie to race here, finished 24th.

Pile-Up

Eighteen cars were involved in a pile-up on lap 147 of the Daytona 500 after the second and third-placed cars, driven by Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon, made contact in between turns one and two. There were no reports of injuries on the 200-lap course.

The field was already bunched up from a restart four laps earlier and the cars following the leader had nowhere to go as Harvick's Chevrolet blocked Gordon who hit his right rear. Gordon, whose car was driveable, radioed his crew claiming Harvick "totally tried to block me".

Dale Earnhardt Junior, running 12 laps down, was involved in his third incident of the day, while driver Joe Nemechek said: "I couldn't tell you what happened, it was all smoke". Sterling Marlin's Dodge continued to lead followed by the Fords of Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler with 43 laps to go.

Report provided by Reuters

NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 1, Daytona 500, Florida, United States

Pos  Driver          Car
1.  Ward Burton      Dodge Intrepid
2.  Elliot Sadler    Ford Taurus
3.  Geoff Bodine     Ford Taurus
4.  Kurt Busch       Ford Taurus
5.  Michael Waltrip  Chevrolet Monte Carlo
6.  Mark Martin      Ford Taurus
7.  Ryan Newman      Ford Taurus
8.  Sterling Marlin  Dodge Intrepid
9.  Jeff Gordon      Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10. Johnny Benson    Pontiac Grand Prix