Busch notes: Bodine wins again; Newman pilloried

Biffle, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie, was attempting to win his first race in only his third NASCAR Busch Series start when he was in the lead with 37 laps remaining in the race.

Larry Foyt brushed the fourth turn wall with eight laps left to bring out the final caution flag of the race. The race was red-flagged with seven laps remaining to ensure a green flag finish. After a seven-minute clean-up, the cars refired to set up the last lap battle for the chequered flag.

The green flag waved with four laps remaining, with Biffle attempting to pass Bodine in the first and second turns. The two cars made brief contact before Bodine was able to pull his Chevrolet away to the chequered flag.

It was Bodine's 13th career Busch Series win and his second win in a row this season.

Bodine defeated Biffle by 1.085 seconds followed by Jason Keller, Tony Raines and Jeff Green. He won with an average speed of 125.625 miles per hour and earned US$94,450.

Kevin Harvick, who replaced the late Dale Earnhardt as the Winston Cup driver for team owner Richard Childress, finished 12th in the Busch race and is tied with Jeff Green in Busch Series standings with 467 points each.

When Ryan Newman made his NASCAR Busch Series debut in last Saturday's Alltel 200 at North Carolina Speedway, he was heavily criticized by the other Busch drivers in the race. Many thought the 22-year-old driver from South Bend, Indiana got in their way during the race and caused several accidents.

In fact, after the race, a long line of angry drivers met Newman when he drove onto pit lane. Elton Sawyer even reached into Newman's driver's side window and took a few swings at the Penske Racing South driver.

Newman will make his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in Sunday's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. He will start 35th in a Ford Taurus.

Todd Bodine, Busch Series winner at Rockingham and Vegas, will also compete in Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup series race and had some strong words for Newman.

"Ryan is a very good race car driver, but he has no respect for his fellow competitors and the kid better not get around me," Bodine said. "That's why the kid has such a big head, because Roger Penske picked him up, gave him all this equipment and all this money, he's gone out and dominated these ARCA races and thinks he is God.

"Well, he's not. He's got to get in a Busch car and a Winston Cup car and realize that he barely made this Cup race. If he hadn't been in a Penske car with all that horsepower, he would not have made it."

Newman is driving a 23-race schedule this year that includes ARCA, Busch and seven NASCAR Winston Cup events. Sunday's race will be his first-ever race in Winston Cup.

"I hate to be negative and down the kid, but when he learns to respect me and the fellow competitors, then I'll respect him," Bodine said. "Last Saturday, it was ridiculous. He was the problem all race and I was watching this go on and I wanted to go up and hit the kid and knock him out of the way. He was a lap down and he should have gotten out of the way. He has no respect for anybody."