Friday, Feb. 14, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch blamed a communications breakdown for his pit-road run-in with Kevin Harvick in Thursday's second 125-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
Busch was running fifth when the leaders made their mandatory pit stop on lap 32 of the 50-lap qualifier. Busch made a late entry into the pits and had to slam on his brakes to get down to the 55-mph pit-road speed limit.
Busch, who was on the outside lane entering the pits, inexplicably turned into Harvick while attempting to get to his pit box and was spun around. The rear of Busch's car struck his jack man, Scott Radel, as the car spun backwards into his pit box.
Busch was penalized a lap and finished 24th in the 25-car race.
Busch told the Sun that a radio failure between his car and crew chief Jimmy Fennig led to the confusion and caused him to overshoot the entrance to pit road.
Fennig could be heard over the radio telling Busch to "turn now" into his pits when Harvick already was beside Busch's car.
"A lot of events led up to the final outcome," Busch said. "The only real thing that we need to explain is that I'm sorry for making the mistake that I had made and I hope that all of the people on pit road are safe and that everybody that deserved to be in the show is in the show.
"So, I'm sorry to have that outcome."
Busch had to use a provisional to get into the field for Sunday's Daytona 500 and will start 37th in the 43-car field.
Harvick, who had to drop out of the race after 40 laps because of the damage to his car, said he was caught off guard by Busch's move.
"I don't know what happened," Harvick said. "I think Busch came in at about 500 miles per hour and couldn't stop himself. I didn't even see him come across me until it was too late.
"He was driving way over his head and it ended up costing us big."
Radel was examined and released from the track's infield care center with no apparent injuries.
The new section of seats will be built above the existing grandstand at the beginning of the front stretch of the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Construction will begin following the March 2 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Winston Cup race.
Pricing for the new seats was not announced but Powell said weekend ticket holders for this year's races would have priority to upgrade to the new seats.
Martin's attitude changed slightly last year, however, and it had nothing to do with his late-season battle with Tony Stewart for the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.
The 44-year-old driver said he has come to appreciate what he has accomplished in racing as a result of helping his 11-year-old son Matthew race quarter-midgets.
"Last year was far better for me and I had the time of my life racing with my son," Martin said. "Before, I had never put any focus on enjoying (racing).
"That was real good perspective for me because I was able to appreciate what I have more when I see these kids with a sparkle in their eye and know that they dream of being where I am -- and knowing that very few will ever have the opportunity to be there. So it helps me appreciate where I'm at."
Martin will make his 19th career start Sunday in the Daytona 500 and is looking for his first win in the "Great American Race."
Jamie McMurray will start the highest in the field Sunday, at 19th, after finishing 10th in the first qualifying race.
"These guys are a lot more aggressive than the guys in the Busch Series," McMurray said of the Winston Cup drivers. "It's just a completely different group of guys to race with. I'm having a good time, though, and that's what matters."
Joining McMurray and Fittipaldi in the field are rookies Jack Sprague, Greg Biffle, Casey Mears and Tony Raines.
Mears earned a spot in the field by finishing 15th in the first qualifier -- despite having trouble finding an all-important drafting partner.
"I didn't get any drafting help at all," Mears said. "That's the hard thing about being a rookie; you have to qualify to make the 500 and there isn't one guy out there who wants to help you.
"We were sitting pretty good there at the beginning and Kenny Wallace pulled out and made it three wide and everybody dumped me all the way to the back. It's a fight just to make it in the Daytona 500 being a rookie like this."
Mears hopes to get some drafting help Sunday from Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Sterling Marlin and McMurray.
"We got the whole team in the 500 and now we can work off some strategy to get together and run up front," Mears said.
Brett Bodine, Derrike Cope, David Green, Mike Harmon, Hermie Sadler, Kirk Shelmerdine and rookie Larry Foyt failed to make the 43-car field.
Foyt, the son of legendary driver and 1972 Daytona 500 winner A.J. Foyt, appeared to have a spot in the field locked up until he ran out of fuel while coming into the pits on lap 32.
"I really thought we were going to race our way into the Daytona 500 but then the car ran out of fuel coming off (turn) four," Larry Foyt said. "It didn't give any indication like fluttering -- it just quit.
"I tried swerving back and forth to slosh the fuel in the tank but that didn't help. Then I popped it into neutral and coasted through the pits but our pit was at the far end and it just cost us a lot of time."
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