FONTANA, Calif. -- Sterling Marlin keeps running up against obstacles as he tries to put himself into contention for the Winston Cup championship.
The latest barrier was the concrete wall at California Speedway. While practicing for Sunday's Auto Club 500, Marlin ran through oil from another car and wrecked.
"The 10 car (Johnny Benson) had an oil line dragging and we were right behind him," Marlin said. "I almost missed it, but we caught the wall a little bit."
Marlin's No. 40 Dodge was damaged enough to force the veteran driver to switch to a backup car for the race. Under NASCAR rules, switching cars or changing engines sends the driver to the rear of the field for the start.
"We're going to take the motor out of that car and put it in the backup," Marlin said. "We've got to start from the rear anyway.
"We were going to start 30th and now we're 43rd, but we'll make it up."
It's just the latest in a series of setbacks for Marlin in 2003.
In contention at Daytona in the season-opener, he was penalized for driving below the yellow line and wound up 17th.
A week later in Rockingham, a broken water pump relegated Marlin to a 40th-place finish.
He was taken out in a crash with Jimmie Johnson last month at Darlington, finishing 39th. Johnson acknowledged the accident was his fault.
A year ago, the second-generation stock car star came to California leading the season points and with two wins. He started 25th and finished seventh -- his best showing at California Speedway -- then went on to lead the standings until late in the season.
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| Sterling Marlin has struggled this year after suffering a neck injury late last season. (Getty Images) |
Instead, Marlin struggled. He has four top-10 finishes in the first nine races, but none better than sixth. He goes into the 250-lap race on California Speedway's 2-mile oval 12th in the standings, trailing leader Matt Kenseth by 329 points.
But three of those top-10s have come in the last four races, and Marlin arrived in California, after a rare week off for the Winston Cup Series, loaded with optimism.
Not even Saturday's crash could get him down.
"We just had some bad luck at the start of the season," Marlin said. "I think we're on a roll now and finishing like we should. We're going to be OK."
Team owner Chip Ganassi, who also fields cars for rookies Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears, expects Marlin to get into the title chase.
"When you see the way Sterling's team keeps bouncing back, things like that (crash) don't bother him," Ganassi said. "You've got to be prepared for those kinds of things.
"I'd call it more a speedbump right now. I'm not worried. We've got 36 races and we're a fourth of the way through right now. We're in fine shape with the 40 team."
Steve Park, who won his first pole in more than two years, will lead the way, with Bill Elliott alongside and defending series champion Tony Stewart and last year's top rookie, Ryan Newman, right behind.
Kenseth, who leads with seven top-10s in the first nine races, will start 23rd.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., second in the standings and trailing Kenseth by 51 points, starts eighth, with third-place Jeff Gordon, the only two-time winner in California's first six Cup races, 14th.
Gordon is coming off his first victory of the season two weeks ago in Martinsville and has moved steadily up the standings with four straight top-10s and five in the last six races.
He didn't get his first win last year until the 25th race of the season.
"It's such a relief to get a win this early in the season and to place ourselves in a competitive position for the championship," Gordon said. "I've said all year that this team has been running well. We just needed everything to come together for a victory.
"Our goal right now is consistency and winning a fifth championship."
Johnson, Gordon's teammate and last year's race winner, will start 20th Sunday.
AP NEWS
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