Sterling Marlin led 102 laps on Sunday. A tough restart may have cost him the race. Credit: Autostock
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
June 15, 2003
7:19 PM EDT (2319 GMT)
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- In a desperate attempt to get a head start on the pending post-race gridlock outside Michigan International Speedway - and leave behind a personal mistake that cost him Sunday's Sirius 400 - Sterling Marlin is running through the garage area searching for his rental car.
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As he hurdles pit carts, dodges toolboxes and acknowledges the condolences of competitors, Marlin hurriedly describes the missed shift that cost him his first victory in 39 starts.
"The guys worked real hard, and if we keep on running good, we're going to win one," Marlin said. "I apologized to all of them - I lost the race for us."
With that, he was gone.
In the eyes of his competitors, he was gone for most of Sunday's event. Marlin led more than half the race and held a 5.7-second advantage over second-place Jeff Gordon when the caution flew for debris on the backstretch with 42 laps remaining.
Gordon won the race off pit road, and when the race restarted five laps later, Marlin missed a shift and lost several valuable positions.
"I knew he was one of the guys to beat. He was really good," Gordon said. "I didn't know how good he was going to be on the short runs, and I did see (his missed shift) mainly just because I was happy to have some breathing room between me and the guy behind me.
"I knew that was a big help for us."
Without it, Marlin felt as if he was surely the man to beat.
"We led the most laps for the second straight week, and we just haven't got a whole lot to show for it," Marlin said. "I missed a gear on that restart and we got behind and that's all there was to it.
"We just lost track position and that's the name of the game. We led the most laps and finished sixth last week and did the same thing again this week.
"We could have easily won both races. This Dodge should have won today. I just messed up, and that's really all that I can say about it."
Marlin battled back to post a sixth-place finish. But that's little solace for a driver who hasn't won since March 2002 at Darlington, and had a bid at a first career championship stripped away by injury with two months remaining in the 2002 season.
"Maybe things will go our way and we'll get a top-five and a win before much longer," Marlin said. "It's tough on the team when the driver lets 'em down, but we'll bounce back and get us one soon."
Gordon, who went on to finish third Sunday and inch closer to points leader Matt Kenseth in the championship standings, knows Marlin's pain all too well.
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"It happened to me at Dover. I led almost every lap and (Bobby Labonte) won it on fuel mileage. So I've been there. I'm sure Sterling is disappointed," Gordon said.
"I don't know what happened to him on that restart, but he certainly had a good car and even looked like he was coming back there at the end.
"He was good. I was in second and he was taking off on me. He put a straightaway on me there at one time, so I'm sure he's disappointed."
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