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Wallace wants win to keep streak alive

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- If the power of positive thinking is a factor, Rusty Wallace will be in Victory Lane next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Wallace was upbeat after Sunday's runner-up finish in the Checker Auto Parts 500K, his fourth in a season that could be the first since 1986 in which he did not win.

"Oh, man, I want it real bad," said Wallace, 45-year-old driver of the No. 2 Ford. "We've got one race to go and I hope I can win my first race of the year at Homestead. ... It's going to be a high-intensity week."

Wallace, whose streak of at least one victory in 16 consecutive seasons is the longest active, would set a modern-era record by stretching it to 17. His winless streak reached 61 races at Phoenix.

The only driver in the top 11 without a victory, Wallace gained one place in the standings and is tied for fourth.

"We gained a lot of points, but we haven't won yet," Wallace said. "We've got one race to go and, if it's meant to be, it will happen. I'd really hate to see that streak of 16 straight years with at least one win go away."

SMASHING DEBUT: Christian Fittipaldi's first Winston Cup race ended when contact from Jason Leffler sent the Brazilian's No. 44 Dodge into the Turn 3 wall. Fittipaldi, a two-time winner in the CART series, was four laps down at the time after running out of fuel early in the race.

"My spotter told me that he was on the inside and I gave him enough room," Fittipaldi said. "Maybe he wasn't looking, but it was a pretty big hit. I was trying to finish the race."

HIGH STAKES: Third through seventh place are separated by 23 points. Kurt Busch, who led a race-high 117 laps and finished sixth, climbed two spots to third with 230, followed by Jimmie Johnson (238), Wallace (238), Jeff Gordon (239) and Ryan Newman (253).

THE LAST WORD: Owner Jack Roush won the Busch series title Saturday with driver Greg Biffle, but his celebration was tempered by his disgust for last week's 25-point penalty to Mark Martin. He thinks unfair NASCAR penalties cost him the Winston Cup title with Martin in 1990 and the trucks title with Biffle in 1999.

"I feel like I'm 16 years old and my most unfavorite teacher gave me a good conduct award," Roush said. "That's what a NASCAR championship means to me right now."

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