Sports

Motorsports

Truex true to winning form

Associated Press
Published August 7, 2005

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CLERMONT, Ind. - Faster in the pits, faster on the track, Martin Truex held off Clint Bowyer on a final two-lap shootout Saturday night to win the Kroger 200, his sixth NASCAR Busch series win this season.

The rain-interrupted race was scheduled for 200 laps, but a late crash kept it going under yellow while the track was cleared. The green came out after 202 laps, and Truex pulled away, padding his lead over Bowyer in the standings. Pole-winner Reed Sorenson, a rookie who won in St. Louis a week earlier, finished third.

There were a flurry of cautions in the final 20 laps, starting with a three-car tangle involving Tony Stewart, Tim Sauter and Carl Edwards and ending with Tyler Walker's crash into the wall with five laps to go.

Bowyer, who started eighth, had taken the lead after a 1-hour, 35-minute rain delay 59 laps into the race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Most of the leaders pitted under caution just past the halfway point, and Truex came out ahead of Bowyer.

Both still trailed Ashton Lewis and Walker, who had not come into the pits, but three laps later, when the green came out, Truex and Bowyer quickly passed the two slower cars and held their 1-2 positions the rest of the race.

Sorenson dominated early and began lapping the slowest cars within the first 15 laps. His lead was about 1.1 seconds over David Stremme after 40 laps, but Bowyer began his move to the front and passed Stremme for second on Lap 49. He went by Sorenson the next time around for the first lead change.

When the rain hit three laps later, most of the leaders came in for pit stops under yellow, and the scramble coming out left Bowyer sandwiched between two other drivers.

Stewart didn't stay up front for long, however. He was black-flagged because of a loose lugnut and was running 31st - the last car on the lead lap - when the rain stopped the race after Lap 59.

Stewart finished 23rd.

Johnson's bad Indy luck

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has not been a lucky track for Jimmie Johnson.

His latest setback at the historic track came Saturday when his No. 48 Chevrolet failed inspection and was not allowed to make a qualifying attempt for today's Allstate 400. It cost Johnson a shot at the pole, and he'll start 42nd in the 43-car field.

Crew chief Chad Knaus said Johnson and the team will overcome the poor start.

"We're a team that does well in adverse situations," he said. "I really feel like even though we're starting in the back, midway through the race you're going to see us somewhere in the top 15 and by the end of the race you'll see us in the top 10."

Johnson and Knaus are in a good situation to deal with a problem like this. While other drivers are fighting to get into the top 10 or simply to stay there, Johnson can remain focused on winning the championship that has eluded him the past two years.

Johnson lost to Matt Kenseth by 90 points in 2003 and missed the title by just eight last year when Kurt Busch won the first 10-race, playoff-style Chase for the Championship.

[Last modified August 7, 2005, 01:31:12]

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