| | Associated Press
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Need a little rain, wait for Darlington Raceway to hold a NASCAR race.
Three times in the last four years, a race at the 1.366-mile
track has been hindered by storms.
Jeff Burton swept both races a year ago as rain shortened the
TranSouth 400 and Southern 500.
Burton's brother, Ward, won the Mall.com 400 in March in a race
without rain, but under overcast and threatening skies.
Winston Cup points leader Bobby Labonte, who led only 10 of the 328 laps, took the soggy checkered flag Sunday. Car owner Joe Gibbs, Labonte and the crew crammed into a corner of the garage for the trophy ceremony as thunder sounded and heavy rain pinged off the metal roof.
Earlier rain delayed the race more than two hours.
Ricky Rudd huddled in the garage with other members of the Texaco-Havoline Ford team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. dashed from the pits through the garage to his hauler, covering his head to keep dry.
Track president Jim Hunter stayed in his office, worried if he left that rain would postpone the race until Monday. Hunter's tactic worked as the track dried enough to for Labonte to win.
The rain's timing, odd for NASCAR, works fine for South Carolina. The state has been in a prolonged drought the past three years. It had not rained much this summer leading up to the Southern 500.
"It doesn't rain for months and then we show up and we get some," Dale Earnhardt said this week.
DW's goodbye to Darlington
Darrell Waltrip said goodbye to Darlington Raceway, site of his 84th and final Winston Cup victory eight years ago, with a flash of success and eventual engine failure.
Waltrip, who was given his nickname "Jaws" by Cale Yarborough at Darlington, was second to 59-year-old Dave Marcis when the race was delayed by rain. When Marcis pitted soon after the restart, "Ole DW" was in the lead.
"I liked it when I was up front," Waltrip said. "It brought back some good memories."
But like much of Waltrip's farewell tour, things ended poorly.
Waltrip fell off the pace, left with electrical problems and was
42nd.
"This isn't so good," he said.
Waltrip won five times at "The Track Too Tough to Tame."
Elliott update
One of NASCAR's most popular drivers couldn't take being away from the sport for another week. Bill Elliott was in a chipper mood Sunday, in street clothes instead of a racing suit.
Elliott injured his kneecap in a home accident Aug. 22 and has
not been able to drive since. "It's been difficult sitting at
home," Elliott said. "But there's not much I can do."
The driver sat beneath his team's tent during Darlington's rain
delay, his left leg stretched out and encased in a large brace.
Elliott said he is undergoing rehabilitation and needs clearance
from doctors before he can drive again. David Green has subbed for
Elliott in Bristol a week ago and here.
Pit stops
Darlington flashback: when the race was flagged
after 37 laps for a two-hour rain delay, 59-year-old Dave Marcis
and 53-year-old Darrell Waltrip were one-two in the Southern 500.
Jimmy Spencer isn't afraid to point fingers and this time, it
was Brett Bodine. Spencer says that Bodine caused the accident late
in the Southern 500 that prevented the No. 26 car from a top five
finish. "What goes around comes around, though," Spencer said.
John Andretti's team switched its pit TV to the
Washington-Carolina NFL game during the long rain delay. The team
of Bobby Labonte, owned by former NFL coach Joe Gibbs, did not. | |
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Bobby's boys give Labonte wet Southern 500 victory
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