Notebook: NASCAR will check into Marlin’s missed penalty

Monday, March 4, 2002 | 9:12 a.m.

NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said the sanctioning body will look into the circumstances surrounding the penalty to Sterling Marlin that was not enforced midway through Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Marlin was to be assessed a 15-second penalty for exceeding the 45-mph speed limit on pit road, but left the pits before NASCAR officials could inform his team of the penalty. NASCAR later decided not to penalize Marlin, who went on to win the race.

Hunter said NASCAR elected not to bring Marlin in on the following lap to assess the penalty because at that point it would have been too harsh a penalty.

"We thought, under the circumstances, it would have been too severe because it was our mistake," Hunter said. "The official did not hear the message (from NASCAR race control) ... and neither did the other officials around him. In these situations, we always rule in favor of the competitor and that's what we did today.

"We need to find out what happened -- if it was faulty (radio) equipment or static -- so this does not happen again."

Hunter said he didn't believe the situation altered the outcome of the race.

"As it turned out, we think it turned out fine," Hunter said. "I think (Marlin) clearly demonstrated he had one of the fastest cars -- if not the fastest car."

Martin won the inaugural event in 1998, was 10th in 1999, third in 2000 and sixth last year.

"It's a flat racetrack where handling is a premium and Roush Racing is full of drivers and crew chiefs who are at the top of their game when it comes to making cars handle.

"When we get to racetracks where handling doesn't matter, it's much more difficult for us."

"When you take a day that you start way back and towards the end it looks like you're not going to finish with a top-ten finish and you end up seventh, you've got to be pretty happy about that," he said.

Jarrett and two-time Las Vegas winner Jeff Burton (who finished ninth) both improved 30 spots upon their starting positions.

Stewart, who took fifth in the race, was the highest finishing of five drivers eligible for the million dollars. He led four times for a race-high 76 laps.

Jeff Burton, who won the bonus in Las Vegas in 2000 and has claimed it three times in his career, finished ninth Sunday. Matt Kenseth (14th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (16th) and Bobby Hamilton (43rd) also were eligible to win the million-dollar bonus.

Jeff Burton is third after three races, 87 points behind Marlin, and is followed by Martin and Bill Elliott in the top five.

Las Vegas' Kurt Busch dropped from third to eighth with his hard-luck 20th-place finish Sunday.