SOUTHERN 500 RACE IN BRIEF

Ward Burton, driver of the No. 22 Catepillar Dodge, won the 52nd running of the Southern 500 under the 11th caution of the 367 lap event. It was his third career victory in 239 races and Bill Davis Racing's first in a Dodge. Burton outran and held off his competitors in a few bizzarre, but noteably typical, late-race incidents to win at the historical track 'too tough to tame.'

NASCAR put out the red flag on Lap 363 and stopped the cars for nearly ten minutes just after a caution (called when simultaneously, Jimmy Spencer's Kmart machine spun on the frontstretch and the No. 14 car of Ron Hornaday, the No. 33 of Joe Nemecheck, the No. 7 of Mike Wallace and the No. 5 of Terry Labonte were involved in an accident between Turns 3 and 4) while debris was cleared from the track.

After the restart and with four laps remaining, Jeremey Mayfield battled Labonte for second while Ricky Rudd challenged Gordon for fourth. The struggle allowed Burton to pull away. Then, on Lap 366 as Mayfield hit the wall and several others became tangled and wrecked, Burton's win was secured.

SOUTHERN 500 RACE STATISTICS

Time of race: 4 hours, 5 minutes, 0 seconds. Margin of victory: Finished under caution. Caution flags: 11 for 51 laps --- laps 56-61; laps 78-81; laps 138-144; laps 182-185; laps 192-195; laps 279-284; laps 310-314; laps 330-335; laps 350-354; 360-363; lap 367 Lead changes: 19 among 9 drivers. --- Leaders: K. Busch 1-23, J. Mayfield 24-56, J. Gordon 57-78, K. Busch 79-129, D. Jarrett 130-138, J. Gordon 139-148, D. Jarrett 149-181, J. Gordon 182-186, D. Jarrett 187-197, J. Gordon 198-246, J. Nemechek 247-248, B. Labonte 249, S. Marlin 250-251, J. Gordon 252-290, J. Mayfield 291-310, R. Craven 311, W. Burton 312-329, J. Gordon 330-342, B. Labonte 343-358, W. Burton 359-366.

Todd Bodine
No. 66 Kmart Blue Light Special Ford
Start 31 Finish 40 - Transmission

The overcast sky that loomed over Darlington, South Carolina was especially heavy and dark above Todd Bodine and his Blue Light Special team. Bodine qualified 31st for the Southern 500 and finished 40th after transmission troubles hindered the performance of the No. 66 Ford and eventually put it behind the wall.

Bodine was forced to pit early because of the car's handling. That stop put him a lap down to the leaders with only 35 of 367 laps completed. On Lap 82, he reported that he felt problems with the transmission. Bodine pulled the car into the garage after losing 3rd gear after the restart on Lap 144.

The Blue Light team changed the transmission and made some adjustments and were able to get the No. 66 Ford back out on the track to gain as many positions as possible. Bodine finished 40th and remains 32nd in Driver's points, but dropped to 35th in Owner's points.

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