GORDON GRABS WIN,
SWEEPS MARTINSVILLE
Martinsville, VA: For the second time this season, Jeff Gordon starts on the pole and wins at Martinsville. Even after a pit road mishap that caused him to fall back to 15th, Jeff showed that he had the fortitude to take the victory at the Subway 500.
The #24 DuPont Chevrolet pulled away at the start of the race and no one came close to getting past Jeff. But during a pit stop, one of the lug nuts flew up getting caught behind a tire. The tire had to be yanked off again and the lug nut removed before Jeff could get off of pit road. It was a minor set back as Jeff was soon able to resume the lead. Once he was back out front, no one could get by him.
Second place finisher, Jimmie Johnson's trek to the front was somewhat a surprise. Jimmie had been involved in an incident on lap 138 that saw the #48 Lowes Chevrolet spin around and tag Jamie McMurray in the #42 Havoline Dodge. Jimmie was not deterred as he maneuvered his way through the field past several cars that had already led at various times during the race. However, he could not get by his team mate and owner, Jeff Gordon.
For the 5th race in a row, Tony Stewart had another top 5 finish. Tony had been fighting a loose condition for most of the race. His crew kept making adjustments trying to get more front grip for their driver. Tony eventually led a lap, but could not hold that position. The #20 Home Depot Chevrolet battled in the top 5 most of the day and Tony ended the race 3rd.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr appeared to have a strong car when he took the lead on lap 148. He lost that position when Rusty Wallace made a decision not to pit. Jr felt he would be able to regain the top spot when a caution came out on lap 230. Current leader, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Jr failed to see the pit road flag was green. They stayed out while the remainder of the field made it onto pit road. Jr was so angry, he aggressively past both Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick to take the lead once again. But, Tony Stewart had fresher tires and took that position away from Jr. Later in the race, he and his crew made a decision to pit, hoping the newer tires would get him past Jeff Gordon. Unfortunately, the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet ran out of time and Jr finished in 4th.
Ryan Newman once again made it into the top 10. The #12 Alltel Dodge spun on lap 80 when tapped by Steve Park in the #30 AOL Chevrolet. Ryan recovered nicely and finished the race 5th.
It appears "Texas Terry" has secured his place on the stage for the Championship banquet. Should the #5 Kelloggs Chevrolet continue to have great days like today, Terry will have no problem staying in the top 10 in points. Terry used pit strategy to take the lead on lap 113. He stayed out front until lap 148 when Jr took over. Terry kept pace with the leaders and came in 6th.
No one had as bad a day today as Rusty Wallace. He was involved in 3 different wrecks. First on lap 55 when Jimmy Spencer lost the steering box in the #7 Sirius Dodge. Rusty could not see through the heavy smoke and smashed the right front of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge. He got caught up in another wreck on lap 138 when he was struck by Mark Martin in the #6 Viagra Ford. Still, he was able to get his car fixed well enough to lead the race for 10 laps. The final blow came when the #97 Rubbermaid Ford of Kurt Busch took a ride over the top of Rusty's left fender. Repairs were made, but Rusty ended the race 3 laps down.
Elliott Sadler's woes continued as he was struck by the #0 NetZero Pontiac driven by Jason Leffler.
The left rear tire on the #38 M&M's Ford went flat and Elliott struck the wall. Elliott started the
weekend badly when he missed qualifying on Friday. Apparently, the left rear camber was off, forcing
the crew to make adjustments. The car did not make it through inspection during the time allotted by
NASCAR.
Article by S. Kipple
10/19/03
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