UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 qualifying, and another broken belt.
Las Vegas Qualifying..........
The single shot qualifying rule made an impact during yesterday's attempts to make the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. Dale Jarrett's pole speed was off the mark set by Ricky Rudd last year. This was the second time Jarrett has won the pole for this race, and the third time a Ford has set on the pole. The exception was for the second Cup race at this track, and it was won by Bobby Labonte with his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac in 1999.
Past winners were all driving Fords, Mark Martin in the inaugural race in '98, and Jeff Burton in '99 and 2000. Jeff Burton starts at 28th Sunday, and Martin will roll off from the 16th position.
The Chevrolets were represented by Jerry Nadeau and Michael Waltrip, starting 3rd and 4th respectively. The Pontiac fans will be happy to see Johnny Benson starting 2nd. The Dodge boys are represented by Sterling Marlin, starting 8th, and Bill Elliott, starting 15th.
The top ten following Jeff Burton across the finish line last year were: Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Johnny Benson, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Joe Nemechek, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Pontiacs were knocking on the door, and the Chevrolets were not far behind. I would not even try to speculate on a winner for this year, a lot can happen in 400 miles (267 laps) on this 1.5 mile speedway. If you are not able to attend, be sure to watch it on the regular Fox channel at 2 PM Eastern.
Another Broken Belt........
I've been following the story about the 'other broken belt' and it makes me wonder if NASCAR and Simpson Performance Products Inc. are guilty of a terminological inexactitude. They both claimed that this was the first time a lap belt had ever broken, and that they had no knowledge of anything like this ever happening before.
It is really amazing the lengths that corporations will resort to in order to protect themselves. We have all seen these tactics to some degree, and resorting to 'untruths' seems to be the status quo these days. It appears that NASCAR and Bill Simpson are not the exception.
The other broken belt happened last June at NASCAR sanctioned Seekonk Speedway in New England, allowing driver Dave Hutchins to be thrown down under the dash of his racecar, inflicting broken bones and other serious injury. Hutchin's attorney has been dealing with Simpson's insurance carrier since the crash. They filed suit after Dale Earnhardts death, because the statement made by Simpson claiming that nothing like that had ever happened before, infuriated them. Simpson claims that they are opportunistic, using Dale Earnhardt's death to capitalize on their claim. I do not see it that way, they had a claim months before the Daytona 500, and I can understand why Simpson's statements upset them. Simpson would have been smart to have settled with them months ago, but it did not pan out that way. Now, he will have to pay the fiddler. I hope he gets his just desserts, and I also hope he somehow manages to correct the manufacturing flaw that is allowing the belts to break. Also, I have noticed that some drivers are switching to other belt manufacturers. Who can blame them?
The copyright of the article Fun in the sun, minus one......... in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish Fun in the sun, minus one......... in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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