Fukuyama's day ends early at Dover

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DOVER, Del. -- The much-publicized debut of Japanese driver Hideo Fukuyama came to a close about two-thirds of the way through the MBNA All-American Heroes 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Fukuyama, driving the No. 66 Ford of Haas-Carter Motorsports, started the race on a provisional in 43rd place. In his NASCAR debut, the oval track veteran lasted 243 laps to finish in 39th place.

Fukuyama had been setting a steady pace when contact with Kenny Wallace forced him to make a pit stop. After he returned to action for a few laps, NASCAR black-flagged the car for being too slow.

"He had a pretty good car, it ran good," said team co-owner Travis Carter. "It just takes getting accustomed to -- stamina. I think he's kind of worn out and tired. It was a long hard battle.

"We wanted to finish this race, but it just didn't work out that way."

The team is scheduled to take Fukuyama to Rockingham and Martinsville for more testing.