Drivers fume over Reutimann’s stall,
Newman wins; Earnhardt irked
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Danica Patrick won’t return to Sprint Cup until May 12 at Darlington Raceway, but her nascent career in NASCAR’S premier series indirectly made a heavy impact Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
Ryan Newman, Patrick’s StewartHaas Racing teammate, held off A.J. Allmendinger to win the Goody’s Fast Relief 500, which was extended 15 laps beyond its advertised distance by two attempts at a greenwhite-checkered finish.
Newman, who led only the final 12 laps, admitted the primary factor in his 16th career victory (and first at the 0.526-mile oval) was circumstantial — a caution caused when David Reutimann’s Chevrolet stalled on the frontstretch on lap 497.
“It worked out for us,” Newman said. “We were going to be sixth at best. We’ll take what we can get. We’ve lost them that way several times here, and it’s nice to be able to win one.”
Other drivers weren’t able to be so cavalier about the circumstances involving Reutimann, who is sharing the No. 10 car with Patrick. Sunday’s 35th dropped the car to 36th in the standings, one point outside the top 35 positions guaranteed a spot in each race. If it remains there, Patrick would have to qualify on speed for the Southern 500 at Darlington, the toughest track on the circuit.
Mindful of the points at stake, Reutimann wrestled a wounded car for most of the day after spending more than 60 laps on garage repairs earlier in the race.
Third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Reutimann changed the outcome by “driving around at 15 mph for two or three laps” before the yellow and should have went to the pits rather than risk stopping on the racetrack.
“I would like an explanation on why that happened,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It doesn’t seem like there could be a logical reason to end up stopped on the track. You got a problem, get on pit road. I would like to hear a good excuse, to be honest with you, because I’m sure it would be laughable.”
Brad Keselowski, who finished ninth, said, “That was really, really uncalled for and ruined the day for a lot of people. I think we’re all really, really frustrated with (Reutimann).”
NASCAR officials met with Reutimann afterward and said there would be no further penalties after accepting his explanation that the car lost power before he could reach an opening to the garage.
“I just hate that I was involved in anything that changed the complexion of the race, so I’ve got to apologize to the guys that it affected,” Reutimann said. “It broke a tie rod or something. I was just trying to limp around. We needed to finish the next couple of laps to try to stay in the top 35.
“The thing quit going down the back straightaway, and it shut off. I just didn’t stop there intentionally. I know it sucks, but I can’t get out and push the thing.”
The yellow for Reutimann essentially cost Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory. Teammates Jeff Gordon, who led a race-high 328 laps, and Jimmie Johnson, who led 112, were running 1-2 and elected not to pit when the rest of the lead-lap cars did. On the next restart, Clint Bowyer made contact with Gordon on an inside pass for the lead, triggering a crash that also collected Johnson, who finished 12th, and handed the lead to Newman.
“Jeff and I had been the class of the field so I really thought it was going to be a race between the two of us,” Johnson said.
Gordon, who ran out of gas before the final restart and settled for 14th, added, “That’s (a) Martinsville green-white-checkered. There are no guarantees at this place.”
And for Patrick, there now might not be a guarantee at Darlington.