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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 30, 2002
Sterling Marlin, who three weeks ago had several competitors within striking distance of his Winston Cup points lead, would have preferred to leave Pocono with a victory.
He settled for breathing room.
Marlin, who led the most laps and finished third in Sunday's Pennsylvania 500, nearly doubled his lead to 106 points over Mark Martin. With his first top-10 finish in four races, Marlin gained on all but two drivers in the top 10.
"We led the most laps and gained some points," said Marlin, who led 106 laps in the No. 40 Dodge. "I wish we could have won, but that was all we had."
The race was shortened from 200 to 175 laps by two lengthy delays, one for an accident on the first lap and another for rain. Winner Bill Elliott passed Marlin for the lead on Lap 157. A few laps later, Kurt Busch also went by.
But several drivers who spent the past month closing on Marlin in the standings saw their efforts fade with subpar finishes at Pocono's tricky, 2.5-mile triangle: Jeff Gordon (12th), Martin (13th), Jimmie Johnson (17th) and Rusty Wallace (40th).
Marlin's lead is his biggest since June 16, when he led Johnson by 110. He'll be hard to catch.
SIGHTS, SCARY AND TOUCHING: The first-lap crash involving Steve Park, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Wallace was as frightening for the drivers as it looked to the fans. Earnhardt's car pushed Park's through the grass into the inside guardrail, which buckled and sent Park's car flipping.
"I saw that guardrail coming up fast and it scared me ... bad," Earnhardt said. "I thought Steve and I would both go right through it and end up among the fans and the RVs and the campers. ... I was sliding backwards and I just saw Steve flipping over and over. I knew I had to get to him and make sure he was okay."
Earnhardt, still wearing his full-faced helmet, sprinted to Park's car, which landed upside down, trapping the driver inside. Park, who suffered a head injury nearly a year ago, was not hurt Sunday, but it took safety workers a while to help him take off his helmet so he could slide out the window. Park and Earnhardt embraced, then walked to the ambulance with their arms around each other.
SEEING RED: It was a big weekend for Dodge, which swept NASCAR's three national touring series. Elliott's Winston Cup win was the first by a Dodge at Pocono since Richard Petty in 1976. Robert Pressley won the Truck race at Michigan and Hank Parker Jr. the Busch Grand National event at Pikes Peak. Also, Casey Atwood won Saturday's ARCA race at Pocono in a Dodge prepared by Ray Evernham Motorsports.
NO HEADLIGHTS: The Winston Cup race, which did not end until nearly 8 p.m., was shortened because of darkness. Though several drivers complained it was hard to see, rookie Ryan Newman logged his third straight fifth-place finish with little trouble. "I've driven on dirt before, so it doesn't really matter how dark it is when you've got a shield full of mud," Newman said. "You can see through just about anything as long as you've got your mind on it."
IT'S A DIRTY JOB: Seven Winston Cup drivers are scheduled to race Wednesday at I-55 Raceway, a .375-mile dirt track in Pevely, Mo., to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Expected to compete in the modified stock car event are Earnhardt, Park, Elliott, Kyle Petty, Johnny Benson, Mike Wallace and Ken Schrader, who owns the track near his native St. Louis.
PIT STOPS: Kevin Harvick's second-half resurgence continued. Harvick, who won at Chicago and was ninth at New Hampshire, finished sixth for his third consecutive top 10. ... Runner-up Busch logged his fifth top 10 in six races.
NORTHWEST NATIONALS: Darrell Russell won the Top Fuel category Monday at the NHRA event in Kent, Wash., which was delayed by rain Sunday. Russell defeated Kenny Bernstein in the final. Tony Pedregon won Funny Car by beating Bruce Sarver and Jeg Coughlin defeated Mark Whisnant in the Pro Stock final.
-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.