Pepsi 400 -- Lap 135 Update
5 July 1997
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Lap 107: Schrader drifts high on the track between turns three and four and brushes the wall bringing out the second caution period of the afternoon. Schrader comes down pit road. A cut right front tire was the reason for his trouble. The pace car picks up the field. The leaders are down pit road....and there goes Earnhardt's fuel strategy. TLabonte gets blocked in again by a tire laying on pit road and has another long stop. He hits the tire as he exits and he'll make another stop to make sure there's no damage to the front end. Martin, WBurton, and Cope all took on two tires. JBurton took on fuel only. DW stays on the track to lead a lap and then makes his stop. Still under caution on Lap 111: Martin, WBurton, JBurton, Cope, RWallace, Musgrave, MWaltrip, Irvan, Andretti, Jarrett, Hamilton, Earnhardt, Speed There are 33 cars on the lead lap. Back to green on lap 113. Martin dispenses of the lapped car of Spencer and jumps out to a healthy two car length lead. Sterling (also a lap down) gets around Spencer and moves up on Martin's back bumper. Rusty gets around Cope and JBurton with a daring three wide move to take third. MWaltrip looks high and moves up beside Rusty but the Miller Lite Thunderbird rallies back and retains the third spot. MWaltrip looks again as they go through turn two but Rusty has the power as they get to the backstretch. MWaltrip finally makes the pass and Irvan comes with him. Lap 117: Martin, WBurton, And here comes Andretti...again. Andretti cuts to the apron on the backstretch and makes the pass on Rusty for 5th! I have no idea how he made it. Rusty fades back out of the top ten. Lap 120: Martin, WBurton, MWaltrip, Irvan, Andretti, Jarrett, JGordon, Musgrave, Earnhardt, Petty Andretti continues to gain positions as he takes Irvan and Marlin three wide to take fourth. Jarrett and JGordon make contact at the exit of turn two. JGordon bounces off the wall three times, spins, and comes back across the track in front of a HUGE pack of cars. Thankfully there is no more contact and Cope makes an amazing move through the grass to avoid Gordon. Marlin races the leaders back to the caution and he gets his lap back and we go under yellow for the third time on lap 124. Gordon comes down pit road. The Rainbow Warriors go to work and get him back on the track without losing a lap. Gordon makes a second pit stop. Again he gets back out on the lead lap. Still under caution on lap 127: Martin, WBurton, MWaltrip, Andretti, Irvan, Jarrett, Earnhardt, Musgrave, JBurton, TLabonte, Hamilton, Trickle, RWallace Back to green on lap 129: Andretti gets around MWaltrip and WBurton to take third. Andretti moves into second. Lap 131: Martin, Andretti, MWaltrip, Irvan, Jarrett, Earnhardt, WBurton, Musgrave, TLabonte, Trickle Andretti moves up on Martin's rear bumper and is content to follow-the-leader...for now. Lap 132: Andretti peeks low but drops back behind the #6 Ford. Martin snakes down the backstretch trying to keep Andretti behind him. With 25 laps to go: Martin, Andretti, MWaltrip, Irvan, Jarrett
