Sterling Marlin avoided one mishap with Robby Gordon, but he was taken out later in the race. Credit: AP

Marlin frustrated as late crash hurts top-35 hopes

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Petty wants nothing more than to secure a top-35 owners spot for next season, but the last thing he wants is to back into it.

When Petty saw Sterling Marlin crash in Turn 4 with only 22 laps to go in the Checker Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, he knew immediately that it was a tremendous boost for his own race team. And yet, it was not what he wanted to see, and he decided to let Marlin know.

Checker Auto Parts 500 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kevin Harvick Chevy 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 3. Denny Hamlin Chevy 4. Jeff Gordon Chevy 5. Carl Edwards Ford 6. Mark Martin Ford 7. Kasey Kahne Dodge 8. Kurt Busch Dodge 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 10. Jeff Burton Chevy • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneKevin Harvick celebrates his Checker Auto Parts 500 win Top finishersKenseth and Johnson talk about their day at Phoenix Final lapsKevin Harvick holds off Jimmie Johnson for the win at Phoenix Out frontJimmie Johnson charges through the field to take the lead Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Petty brought his car into the garage just behind Marlin, each man knowing that one of them would likely be out of the top 35 in owner points after Homestead.

Petty immediately jumped out of his car to talk to Marlin, the driver who is the odd man out of the top 35 heading into next week's season finale, the Ford 400.

"Kyle came over, and I appreciate it," Marlin said. "He said, 'You got took out by idiots.'"

"I want it to be settled on the racetrack, not in the garage area with people putting their stuff back together," Petty said.

Marlin posed a sympathetic figure for Petty, who finished 25th and has a 47-point lead in the owner standings on Marlin, who wound up 36th.

"It's the fifth week we have been took out," Marlin said. "I have been fine, we are going along and I have been minding my own business, and you get took out. It is part of it, I guess."

Only the top 35 cars in the owner standings are guaranteed spots for the first five races of the 2007 season. Because of the entry of Toyota next season, every team is cognizant of the fact that qualifying without a guaranteed spot is akin to playing Russian roulette with five bullets.

"It will be a long winter for somebody," Petty said.

Marlin has endured a brutal fall. Sunday's crash was his third in five weeks, and it came just 22 laps from the finish. Marlin had stayed on the lead lap all day at Phoenix and stood to gain ground on Petty, who was stuck a lap down for a large chunk of the race.

It was announced earlier this week that Marlin would return in 2007 as driver of the No. 14 for MB2 Motorsports, but his job will be much tougher next season if he doesn't beat Petty by roughly a dozen positions at Homestead.

Crew chief Slugger Labbe had a simple game plan for Phoenix: stay out of trouble, employ a conservative pit strategy, and score a top-20. That is what made the late crash Sunday so difficult to accept. Labbe even held Marlin on the track for a lap early in the race for five bonus points.

Kyle Petty remained in the top 35 in owner points after his 25th-place finish at Phoenix. Credit: Autostock

The crash came out of Turn 4 on Lap 290 when Marlin was running directly in front of Jeff Green. Marlin blamed the incident on Green, and he speculated that Green might have mistaken his No. 14 Chevrolet for the car of teammate Joe Nemechek, who was running an identical paint scheme.

"Well, I don't know, the 66 [Green] does stupid stuff sometimes," Marlin said. "I don't know if him and Joe had been into it. Our car was painted alike, [maybe he] took us out, thinking we was Joe."

Ironically, although the crash was not something Petty wanted to see, he greatly benefited from it after fighting to gain track position all day.

"For the last 4-5 races, we have had good luck," Petty said. "We were very blessed [Sunday] to be in the right place at the right time.

"[We] finally got a Lucky Dog and got my car driving better. We are here where we are at because of the misfortunes of someone else."

Petty was out of the top 35 for several weeks this fall, but he raced his way back into safe mode. Marlin came into Phoenix 36th in owner points and appeared to have made up ground before the accident.

"Sterling and these guys have just had crap luck. That is all you can say," Petty said.