#21-Kevin Harvick’s dramatic efforts to protect his lead from a furious charge by Kasey Kahne was just one of many wild moments during and following Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300. Kahne tried to pass Harvick exiting Turn 4 on the last of 200 laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but Harvick blocked him on the bottom of the track to claim the NASCAR Busch Series victory by 0.119 seconds. It was the 12th series win for Harvick and first of the season. Harvick, who will not run the whole series schedule, remains the series points leader. #32-David Stremme finished third, #99-Michael Waltrip fourth and #25-Bobby Hamilton Jr. completed the top five. The race was slowed four times by caution for 32 laps. There were 13 lead changes among nine drivers.
Lucky Dog? The wild ending provided just a taste of the drama surrounding Saturday’s race. When awarding a lap back to the first car not on the lead lap under caution, NASCAR has directed the car receiving the benefit to restart at the tail end of the longest line. During Saturday’s race, series director Brian DeHart said officials discovered there were instances where the car receiving the lap back should start at the tail end of the lead lap, so as not to gain an advantage or position. DeHart said they altered the positioning of the car the remainder of the race, which affected driver Stacy Compton, who twice received a lap back. The first time, Compton was sent first to the tail end of the longest line; the second he was sent to the tail end of the lead lap. His crew chief, Jeff Chandler, was arguing with NASCAR officials about the second instance when the race restarted. In an act of frustration, he stood on his pit box and directed obscene gestures toward the scoring tower. Chandler was summoned to the Busch Series hauler after the race.(ThatsRacin.com)
See results at ThatsRacin.com, BGNRacing.com, MotorsportsOne or NASCAR.com.(3-7-2004)
