RACE ANALYSIS
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14
DARLINGTON: Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, March 16
Talk about running roughshod. This oval's surface is tough on tires, so
much so that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has compared it with riding along on
crushed seashells. So if you're not confident in a driver's crew, move
onto your next choice when picking for this track. Pit stops are essential
here, because every time a car comes in, it needs four new tires. One slip
by the crew can cost valuable track position. With this track, starting
near the front is the key to success: Nine out of 45 spring races were won
from the pole. This track has one groove, making it difficult to pass.
Therefore, conservative drivers are rewarded, which is why you see so
many veterans with so many wins and top 10s here. Sterling Marlin,
Elliott Sadler and Kevin Harvick finished 1-2-3 in this race last year, and
Jeff Gordon led the most laps after starting on the outside pole.
Driver
Races
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Times Led
Laps Led
Laps Comp.
Money Won
Dale
Jarrett
14 3 7
7
1
17
301 3,338
$823,689
Bill
Elliott
24 2 9
15
3
19
303 7,952
$619,964
Sterling
Marlin
19 2 6
7
1
14
203 5,396
$624,482
Jeff
Gordon
10 1 4
6
3
24
682 2,568
$602,185
Jeff
Burton
9 1 4
5
0
15
320 2,447
$523,118
Ricky
Rudd
26 1 3
9
0
10
104 7,186
$534,903
Ward
Burton
9 1 1
2
1
7
196 2,249
$424,129
Mark
Martin
17 0 8
13
2
17
219 5,276
$593,445
Rusty
Wallace
19 0 5
10
0
9
125 5,683
$534,530
Terry
Labonte
24 0 3
7
0
3
7 6,295
$519,073
Jeremy
Mayfield
8 0 3
3
0
8
91 2,109
$334,444
Ken
Schrader
18 0 2
6
2
10
50 5,450
$388,812
Bobby
Labonte
10 0 2
3
0
5
73 2,621
$438,730
Michael
Waltrip
17 0 1
5
0
6
209 5,085
$355,855
Tony
Stewart
4 0 1
2
0
1
7
975
$249,438
Jimmy
Spencer
13 0 1
1
0
3
5 3,125
$312,430
Steve
Park
4 0 1
1
0
6
184
808
$238,333
Elliott Sadler
4
0
1
1
0
0
0
1,040
$214,560
Kevin
Harvick
2 0 1
1
0
0
0
586
$189,930
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3
0
1
1
0
1
10
791
$184,055
Ricky
Craven
6 0 1
1
1
1
18 1,014
$171,399
Ryan
Newman
1 0 1
1
0
0
0
293
$77,175
Bobby
Hamilton
12 0 0
4
0
1
19 3,349
$332,211
John
Andretti
9 0 0
3
0
1
1 2,169
$343,129
Johnny Benson Jr.
7
0
0
3
0
1
25
1,870
$256,975
Brett
Bodine
15 0 0
2
0
3
17 4,391
$291,235
Matt
Kenseth
3 0 0
2
0
1
3
878
$161,580
Kenny
Wallace
7 0 0
1
0
0
0 1,750
$157,645
Jimmie
Johnson
1 0 0
1
0
0
0
293
$48,900
Joe
Nemechek
8 0 0
0
0
0
0 1,946
$252,587
Mike
Skinner
6 0 0
0
0
1
8 1,603
$213,368
Jerry
Nadeau
5 0 0
0
0
0
0 1,261
$166,570
Robby
Gordon
4 0 0
0
0
0
0 1,058
$139,741
Dave
Blaney
3 0 0
0
0
0
0
857
$107,860
Kurt
Busch
2 0 0
0
0
0
0
566
$88,940
Mike
Wallace
5 0 0
0
0
0
0 1,179
$86,764
Casey
Atwood
2 0 0
0
0
0
0
574
$70,770
Jeff
Green
2 0 0
0
0
0
0
572
$56,920
Race No. 5 of 36
Length: 293 laps, 400 miles.
Time: 1 p.m. (Eastern).
Television: Fox.
Radio: Motor Racing Network.
Race record: Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 139.958
mph, March 28, 1993.
Qualifying: March 15, 2003
(Last year's pole winner--Ricky Craven, Ford, 170.089
mph).
Qualifying record: Ward Burton, Pontiac, 173.797
mph, March 22, 1996.
Size: 1.366-mile oval.
Front straight: 1,229 feet.
Back straight: 1,229 feet.
Banking: Turns 1 and 2, 25 degrees; Turns 3 and 4,
23 degrees; front straight, 3 degrees; back straight, 2
degrees
