| | Associated Press
Results
CONCORD, N.C. -- Jeff Burton went to school last weekend
during the Winston Cup all-star race -- then went out and won the
Carquest Auto Parts 300 race Saturday.
Burton took advantage of a mistake by Mark Martin's pit crew, a
gamble from his own team and a wreck by Matt Kenseth near the
finish for his second Busch Grand National victory this season and
12th of his career.
Burton watched Dale Earnhardt Jr. take on four fresh tires and
race from back in the pack to win last Saturday's Winston all-star
race. He used that same strategy again during a hot and humid day
at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"That was the thing to do," Burton said of the decision by
crew chief Tommy Morgan to pit alone under caution with 16 laps
left. "If he would have told me to stay out I would have overruled
him and come in."
Burton beat Martin, who had won three of the last four Carquest
300 races at Lowe's, by about one second. He also beat Martin under
caution March 4 in Las Vegas.
"This (track) has been our Achilles' heel," Burton said of his
Busch runs on the 1.5-mile track. "We just haven't run well here
but we really ran well today."
Burton and Martin are Ford teammates, so the win broke a string
of five straight Busch wins by Chevrolets.
"They're on the top of their game right now," Busch points
leader Jeff Green said of Burton and Martin.
Green started 26th, but finished third for his fourth straight
top three finish. Jeff Gordon was fourth and Todd Bodine fifth. All
three drive Chevrolets.
"I think I needed my Winston Cup car," Gordon said. "Those
guys were real, real strong. We did everything we possibly could. I
don't know what we could have done to go any faster."
Martin, who dominated the first half of the race, failed to win
because his pit crew didn't remove a gasoline catch can from his
Ford during a pit stop of the leaders with 36 laps left.
Martin was in second place behind Burton at the time, but had to
return to the pits to have the equipment removed and a stop-and-go
penalty dropped him to 10th.
"It was a good recovery for us," said Martin, who has four
Busch wins this season. "Jeff Burton just kind of outdrove us
today."
"Mark had a great car today but a tough day in the pits,"
added car owner Jack Roush.
Burton changed four tires with 16 laps to go -- a small gamble
that paid huge dividends when Kenseth wrecked with nine laps left
and Burton was able to outrace Gordon back to the start-finish
line.
"I raced back to the line because I didn't know if we would get
started again," Burton said. "That late in the race you always
race back to the flag.
Once the green flag dropped with five laps left, Burton was able
to pull away on his fresh tires.
"I didn't think Gordon could beat us with two tires. He
couldn't run with us before and we had four new tires," Burton
said. "I was more worried about Mark (Martin)."
Martin led 55 of the first 89 laps and was in front by five
seconds before the race's seventh caution for debris on the track.
All the leaders changed tires and Martin was beaten out of the pits
by three other drivers.
But Martin soon picked off Gordon and Bodine before settling
into second behind Burton as the two Winston Cup veterans took
charge of the 200-lap race.
"He's the master of this Busch racing. He's the best one,"
Burton said of Martin, who is the career victory leader with 44.
"I knew he'd make a charge at us."
The 13th race of the season got off to a sluggish start with
seven caution flags in the opening 89 laps.
"It was 98, 99 degrees outside so that means about 120, 130
track temperature," Green said of a series of early wrecks. "If
the sunlight hits this track just right it just drags the oil out
of it and brings it to the top and makes everybody loose. I was on
pins and needles to get around there."
Pole-sitter Dave Blaney didn't take long to fall from
contention. His Pontiac hit the wall out of turn four 12 laps in,
suffering damage to the right side of the car. Blaney returned to
the track one-quarter of the way through the race, but was more
than 40 laps down.
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