Notes | Not a good night for chasing

Saturday, Jul. 04, 2009

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Kasey Kahne hit David Stremme from behind as the field got onto the backstretch on Lap 77, which ignited a 13-car wreck that collected several contenders, including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman.

Including incidents earlier in the race, the drivers in positions 10 to 15 in the series standings entering the race had all been collected in an accident by Lap 78.

“I tried to stay high (on the track) because I thought they would spin down off the wall,” Earnhardt said of his wreck. “We were just getting going. The car was driving good and we thought we had a chance to get up there and fight with the leaders.”

Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth made contact on Lap 13, prompting the first caution of the race.

“Matt ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was trying to keep it down and leave us room and I just pinched him. Front wheels were cut and it just didn’t turn quite enough,” Martin said.

“It’s really slick out there. It’s my fault.”

Martin lost two spots in the series standings and is now 13th, 65 behind Kahne, who is 12th - the cutoff to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

CARTER'S CHALLENGE: Vince Carter's off-the-court driving skills don't even compare to his on-the-court driving skills.

Carter spent several hours driving a car back and forth in his driveway one night this week, trying to perfect his stick-shift prowess before serving as the honorary pace-car driver for Saturday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

The eight-time NBA All-Star, the Orlando Magic's biggest offseason addition, said he had never driven a car with a stick shift before this week. So his first few attempts left a lot to be desired, so he went to the practice court - his driveway.

"If I have a bad night in basketball, I go practice the next day," Carter said before the race. "That night, my friend who works at a car dealership, I made him put a car in my driveway when I got home and I was riding up and down, up and down the driveway. All my neighbors were looking at me like, 'Something has to be wrong with that guy.'

"I just didn't want to stall."

Carter, a Daytona Beach native, accepted the invitation to drive the pace car before the Magic acquired him in a draft-day trade with the New Jersey Nets last week.

"So much has happened for me in the last week," Carter said. "It's been a whirlwind, and it hasn't all hit me. I think becoming a Magic player, first off, probably won't really hit me until that first day of practice because every morning I wake up it's like, 'This can't be real.' I'm excited by it. I've been there, talking with the other guys and everything. But it's nothing like actually putting that uniform on and starting the season. I can't wait."

WORRIED WINSLOW: Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow served as an honorary race official for Saturday's race.

A budding NASCAR fan, Winslow jumped at the opportunity to be part of a race at NASCAR's most famous track. But he stopped short of getting behind the wheel. That's right. The guy who wrecked his motorcycle attempting tricks, damaging his knee and shoulder in Cleveland a few years ago, passed on a chance to try something many would consider a little dangerous.

He even refused a ride in the NASCAR simulator.

"The simulator was a little too shaky for me so I didn't go through it," he said. "Looked like a bad car wreck, so I said no."

OUT BACK: Three drivers had to start at the back of the pack in Saturday's race. Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. went to the rear of the field because they switched to backup cars following an accident during practice Thursday. David Reutimann joined them back there because his team swapped engines following practice.

SORRY, GOTTA GO NOW:It was a short night for drivers Dave Blaney and Patrick Carpentier. No one expected them to finish the race in the low-budget teams often referred to as "start-and-park" cars, but few could have anticipated them heading home this early. Blaney took his No. 66 Toyota to the garage after just two laps. Carpentier wasn't much better. He turned 18 laps before calling it quits.

The Associated Press contributed.