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The Callahan Report: Martin Wins BGN AC Delco 200, Becomes Most Successful Driver In BGN History; LaJoie Clinches BGN Championship

26 October 1997

Mark Martin

ROCKINGHAM, NC: Mark Martin was victorious in the AC Delco 200 Busch Grand National race at Rockingham this afternoon. More importantly, he got a good feel for the track he will race on tomorrow as he continues to chase Jeff Gordon for the NASCAR Winston Cup championship. The victory made Martin the winningest driver in series history. Martin commented about his accomplishment, "I still say it isn't anything to compare to what Jack Ingram did. It took me 10 years to do what he did in five."

Busch Grand National series points leader, Randy LaJoie could do no better than a 20th place finish in today's race. He didn't mind. The low finish was still good enough for him to win his second consecutive BGN title. Todd Bodine was 200 points behind LaJoie entering the race. Bodine was involved in a crash which resulted in a 34th place finish.

Martin won by ten car lengths over Dick Trickle. The top four finishers were Winston Cup regulars. Ricky Craven crossed the line in third. Jeff Burton of South Boston, VA finished fourth.

The winner's average speed was just over 100 mph. There were eight caution flags that lasted for fifty laps. The lead changed hands 17 times between four different drivers.

Results of the AC Delco 200 NASCAR Busch Grand National race, with finishing position, (starting position), driver, hometown, car, laps completed, and reason out of the race:

 1. (8) Mark Martin, Batesville, Ark., Ford, 197
 2. (3) Dick Trickle, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Chevrolet, 197
 3. (7) Ricky Craven, Newburgh, Maine, Chevrolet, 197
 4. (1) Jeff Burton, South Boston, Va., Ford, 197
 5. (5) Hermie Sadler, Emporia, Va., Chevrolet, 197
 6. (31) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 197
 7. (9) Mike McLaughlin, Waterloo, N.Y., Chevrolet, 197
 8. (13) Mark Green, Owensboro, Ky., Chevrolet, 197
 9. (2) Tony Stewart, Rushville, Ind., Pontiac, 197
10. (29) Robert Pressley, Asheville, N.C., Chevrolet, 197
11. (25) Phil Parsons, Detroit, Chevrolet, 197
12. (35) Elton Sawyer, Chesapeake, Va., Ford, 197
13. (10) Shane Hall, Fountain Inn, S.C., Chevrolet, 197
14. (21) Michael Waltrip, Owensboro, Ky., Ford, 197
15. (11) Buckshot Jones, Monticello, Ga., Pontiac, 197
16. (24) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet, 197
17. (36) Nathan Buttke, Randleman, N.C., Chevrolet, 197
18. (16) Jason Keller, Greenville, S.C., Chevrolet, 197
19. (15) Tim Fedewa, Holt, Mich., Chevrolet, 197
20. (33) Randy LaJoie, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 197
21. (14) Glenn Allen, Cincinnati, Chevrolet, 197
22. (26) Joe Bessey, Scarborough, Maine, Chevrolet, 197
23. (22) Mike Dillon, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 197
24. (6) Blaise Alexander, Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet, 196
25. (28) Brad Loney, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chevrolet, 196
26. (20) Stevie Reeves, Speedway, Ind., Ford, 196
27. (40) Dennis Setzer, Newton, N.C., Ford, 195
28. (12) Elliott Sadler, Emporia, Va., Chevrolet, 194
29. (27) Greg Sacks, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 189
30. (19) Mark Krogh, Kamiah, Idaho, Chevrolet, 186
31. (18) Stanton Barrett, Hollywood, Calif., Ford, 179
32. (23) Matt Kenseth, Nashville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 177, crash
33. (17) Kevin Lepage, Shelburne, Vt., Chevrolet, 156, crash
34. (4) Todd Bodine, Chemung, N.Y., Pontiac, 155, crash
35. (42) Randy Porter, Greenville, S.C., Chevrolet, 116
36. (38) Lyndon Amick, Batesburg, S.C., Pontiac, 84, crash
37. (34) Tracy Leslie, Mount Clemens, Mich., Chevrolet, 72
38. (39) Kevin Schwantz, Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet, 71, crash
39. (30) Scott Lagasse, St. Augustine, Fla., Chevrolet, 54, crash
40. (32) Jeff Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 38, engine
41. (41) Ed Berrier, Winston-Salem, N.C., Ford, 8, crash
42. (37) Perry Tripp, Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet, 2, crash

Terry Callahan -- The Auto Channel

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