Big crash wrecks Gordon, Busch

Monday, March 3, 2003 | 10:14 a.m.

It wasn't exactly "The Big One" that NASCAR drivers fear at Daytona and Talladega, its so-called "restrictor plate" tracks where the cars run in tight bunches at high speeds.

But when Mike Skinner's car moved up the track in Turn 2 during Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and made contact with Rusty Wallace on Lap 175, it touched off the biggest wreck in Las Vegas Motor Speedway's six-year Winston Cup history.

Wallace's car slammed into the outside wall, triggering a seven-car melee that collected the cars of Jimmy Spencer, Larry Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Todd Bodine and Las Vegas native Kurt Busch.

"I was going around the 4 car (Skinner), and I guess it got loose and got into me," Wallace said. "I don't know if I just didn't give him enough room or his front end pushed up, or what.

"He got me in the left-rear quarter panel. I know he didn't mean it. It was just one of those racing things."

Nobody was injured in the grinding seven-car wreck, although Wallace was taken to the infield care center for a cursory check-up before being released.

"I hit pretty hard," he said. "It caved the top of my helmet in."

Skinner also was unclear on what happened although he accepted the blame for causing the crash.

"I think Rusty pulled up on the outside of us," Skinner said, "and it took just enough air off the car that our car got a little bit loose and I just wiggled up and hit him."

Although the wreck didn't drastically alter the complexion of the race, it did put a couple of competitive cars behind the pit wall for lengthy repairs.

Gordon, who led the first 50 laps, and Busch, who ran among the pacesetters most of the day, suffered extensive front-end damage. Both returned briefly before parking their damaged cars for good. Spencer, Bodine and Foyt were able to continue.

"We had a great racecar," said Gordon, who won here in 2000. "We were working our way back up to the front. It's unfortunate."

Wallace said it was a hard way to exit. But given the nature of the race that featured few passes for position, he almost seemed happy to call it a day.

"It was hard to pass, a lot of follow the leader," he said. "I've been telling (NASCAR) they've got to get the rear spoiler cut off and soften these tires. They're just killing the racing by not doing that."