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New Hampshire track has few fans among drivers

By JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 13, 2001

Winston Cup drivers do not like New Hampshire International Raceway, but complaining will not change the 1-mile track in time for Sunday's 300-mile race.

"We know going to (NHIS) this weekend that we have a flat, fast race track," said Dale Jarrett, winner of the New Hampshire 400 in April. "That's what we have to deal with. We all know that going in, so there's no reason to complain about what's there."

New Hampshire is a one-groove race track, which makes passing difficult. Because Friday's qualifying was canceled after Tuesday's terrorist attacks, the field will be set according to owner points.

"If you have a good car, you can make passes. But it becomes more difficult as the day goes on," Jarrett said. "But you know what you have to work with. Would we like to see something different? Sure, we'd like to see some banking there. Is that feasible? I don't know."

PENALTIES ISSUED: Busch Grand National drivers Greg Biffle and Jay Sauter were fined a combined $25,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 by NASCAR on Wednesday.

The two were penalized for an on-track incident in Friday's race at Richmond in which Sauter intentionally wrecked Biffle, who responded by throwing a punch through Sauter's car window.

Biffle was fined $15,000 and lost 100 driver points for "actions deemed by NASCAR officials as detrimental to stock car racing." Sauter was fined $10,000 and 100 driver and owner points for "rough driving."

Sauter's crew chief, Gene Nead, was fined $5,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 because NASCAR said he was responsible for the actions of his driver and crew members.

LEPAGE OUT: Morgan-McClure Motorsports will not renew driver Kevin Lepage's contract for the 2002 season but has not made a decision about who will drive the No. 4 Chevrolet.

TIGHT RACE: Though Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick have comfortable leads in the Winston Cup and Busch Grand National championships, respectively, there is no safe margin in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

The lead has changed hands after the past six races.

"I don't want to be leading until the end of the last race because then nobody can knock you out," said Joe Ruttman, who lost the top spot last week to Richmond winner Jack Sprague.

"Right now, it's like a jinx."

With five races left, just 153 points separate the top six drivers. Sprague leads Ruttman by 27 while Scott Riggs, Travis Kvapil, Ted Musgrave and Ricky Hendrick also are contenders.

"We've got to race to win," said Sprague, a two-time champion and two-time runner-up. "There's no holding back when it's this tight. You've got to go."

CHANGING CHANNELS: ABC will televise the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race Sept. 30 from Indianapolis. Speedvision televises F1 races in the United States but agreed to step aside for the network's coverage. Speedvision will rebroadcast it twice on Oct. 7.

TRAVEL PLANS: All but three drivers are in Klettwitz, Germany, where the first CART race in Europe is scheduled for Saturday. Absent are Michael Andretti, Oriol Servia, and Dario Franchitti, though Servia and Franchitti are in Europe traveling to the course.

NEW LEADER: Rollie Helmling, a car owner whose past drivers included Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and John Andretti, will become president of the U.S. Auto Club in January. He will succeed the retiring John Capels.

QUOTABLE: "It's no easier for our guys to load up and head to New Hampshire than it is for anybody else going to work today. You want to stay home. You want to be with your family. You want to be glued to the television. We all have a job to do ... and moving forward with our lives is the best thing for the country right now." -- driver Jeremy Mayfield on NASCAR's decision to race Sunday.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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