Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Allegiant returns favor to local racer with sponsorship

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will sponsor local racer Spencer Clark in Thursday night's NASCAR Grand National, West Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Clark, 18, will be making his second West Series start of the season and second at PIR in the No. 26 Ford Taurus. In January, Clark qualified fifth and finished 14th in the 100-lap event.

"I'm thankful that Allegiant Air has come on board with us," Clark said. "This will help us step up our program and give us more opportunities to race and get valuable experience."

Clark is running a limited West Series schedule this season in addition to competing in the Super Late Models class in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"We have known Spencer for a few years now and he has helped my partners and I with our Legends Cars on and off the track, so we felt this is a great way to return the favor and get great exposure as well," Allegiant Air chairman Maury Gallagher said.

HOT SEAT: Tony Stewart suffered first-degree burns when the engine in his No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet detonated and sent flames up through the shifter boot and into the cockpit during Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

According to a team spokesman, Stewart suffered first-degree burns on the lower back of his right thigh and right elbow. The burn on his thigh was about the size of a fist and the area on his elbow was about half that size. Stewart was treated and released from the TMS infield medical center and is expected to start Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway.

PIR FAST FACTS: There have been 14 different winners in the 17 Cup races at Phoenix International Raceway. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and the late Davey Allison are the only repeat winners at PIR and all three won back-to-back races on the mile oval: Earnhardt in 2003 and 2004, Burton in 2000 and 2001 and Allison in 1991 and 1992. ...

Saturday's Subway Fresh 500 will be the first night points race of the season and the first Cup race run under the newly installed lights at PIR. ...

Of the six drivers who have competed in all 17 Cup races at PIR, Ken Schrader is the only one who has not scored a Cup victory on the mile oval. Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace also have started all 17 races.

DOUBLE DUTY: At least 10 Nextel Cup drivers are expected to step down in class and compete in Friday night's Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray, Joe Nemechek, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip are among the drivers expected to attempt both the Busch and Cup races under the lights at PIR.

SAUTER PENALIZED: Johnny Sauter's 14th-place finish in Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway was disqualified after NASCAR officials found an illegal carburetor on his car during postrace inspection.

Because the illegal carburetor apparently was installed on the car while it was impounded following qualifying, NASCAR officials threw out his 14th-place finish, moved the cars that finished behind Sauter up one spot in the results and redistributed his $27,790 in earnings throughout the remainder of the field. Sauter also was stripped of the points he earned in the race.

NASCAR officials are expected tp hand down additional penalties today.

AT THE BULLRING: Rookie Tom Lovelady earned his first Super Late Models victory Saturday night during the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Other main-event winners were Doug Hamm (Late Models), Brian Matzke (Chargers), Alex Haase (Pro Legends Cars), Rick Rochelle (Thunder Roadsters), Jeremiah Wagner (Bandoleros) and Gary Wyatt (Bullring Bombers).