| | Associated Press
DOVER, Del. -- Crew chief Jeff Hammond, who reached a milestone Sunday with his 500th race, remembers a simpler time in NASCAR.
"We used to bring up the cars on flatbed trucks and the crew would all hop into a van or a station wagon and drive to the track for that week's race," said Hammond, who began as a tire changer for three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip 26 years ago.
Hammond, now the crew chief for Chad Little, has 43 victories, including the 1989 Daytona 500, and two Winston Cup championships to his credit -- all with Waltrip.
Despite his longevity in a sport that makes so many demands -- including constant travel -- Hammond has no intention of quitting anytime soon.
"I still enjoy what I do," Hammond said after Little finished 20th in the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover Downs International Speedway. "It's still fun."
Rookies do it again
Both Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded their fifth top-10 finishes of the season Sunday.
Earnhardt, who finished 10th, is the only driver on NASCAR's top
circuit with more than one victory this season.
"I just didn't make the right call at the end," said Kenseth,
who finished second.
He and Earnhardt, friends and rivals before both moved up this
season from the Busch series to Winston Cup, are having a good
battle for the rookie points lead.
"Matt had another good day, so I guess this rookie deal is
getting serious," said Earnhardt, who now trails Kenseth by 99
points in the series standings.
Not his day
Mark Martin, who had mastered Dover Downs International Speedway, winning the last three fall races, failed in his bid to win a spring race there on Sunday.
Martin blew an engine on lap 269 and wound up 36th.
It was the second straight week that Martin had engine trouble.
He finished 12th in last week's Coca-Cola 600.
"We were real fortunate last week at Charlotte," Martin said.
"We broke there, too, but managed the 12th-place finish. This is
pretty devastating for us here.
"I felt that by the time the end of the race came around we
were going to be competitive, but that's how it goes, I guess."
Bad luck follows Mast
Rick Mast, who last week battled food poisioning and engine trouble in the Coca-Cola 600, was able to complete just three laps Sunday at Dover.
Mast, who won the Busch series event at Dover in the fall of
1987, hit the wall on the backstretch after contact with Steve
Park.
"That damn yellow car that wrecks every other week got me this
week," Mast said.
Strong run for Elliott
Bill Elliott had a strong run in his final spring race at Dover Downs in a Ford.
Elliott, who will switch to a new Dodge fielded by Ray Evernham,
finished 12th despite having to drop to the back of the field
before the green flag.
Even though he qualified on the outside of the front row,
Elliott wrecked his car on Saturday and had to drive a backup.
"That car, to me, wasn't as good as the other car," Elliott
said. "It's just unfortunate we had to start that far in the
back."
Elliott and Ricky Rudd share the track record among active
drivers with four victories.
Straight to the point
Bobby Labonte, the Winston Cup points leader, was asked after the race if he thought his car had a chance to catch Tony Stewart, who won the race, or second-place finisher Matt Kenseth.
"No, Not really," he said. "I just didn't think we had
enough. We just gave it our best shot."
Pit stops ...
Sunday's race was the slowest spring race at Dover since 1994 and the fifth-slowest in the history of the event.
Scott Pruett had a difficult first race at Dover. He spun on lap 72
and was done for good on lap 206.
Jeff Gordon had his second DNF of the season, wrecking with 20 laps remaining.
Only four of the top-10 drivers in the Winston Cup point standings entering
the race were able to finish on the lead lap.
For the 52nd time in 61 races at Dover, the pole-sitter failed to win. This year it was Rusty Wallace's turn to start first but not finish there.
Pontiacs have won two of the last three races at Dover.
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