Motor Sports
Roundup: Nemechek completes weekend sweep

By The Orlando Sentinel and The Associated Press

JIM BARCUS / KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS Driver Joe Nemechek celebrates in victory lane after yesterday's Banquet 400, his second win of the weekend at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Yesterday was terrible for most Chase for the Championship contenders but a banner day for the new have-nots of NASCAR.

Pole-sitter Joe Nemechek led a 1-2-3 finish in the Banquet 400 of outsiders for the Nextel Cup Series title, outdueling Ricky Rudd in the final laps while Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., finished third at Kansas Speedway.

Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw was 12th.

Nemechek won Saturday's Busch Series race, the Mr. Goodcents 300, at the same track, by .041 of a second over Biffle.

For the Nextel Cup playoff drivers, it wasn't so much a Chase for the Championship as it was a stumble, spin and wreck toward the title.

The highest-finishing Chase contender was Elliott Sadler, fourth, to move from eighth to fourth in the standings.

"Today's race was the first one (of the 10-race Chase) not won by a Chase contender," noted points leader Kurt Busch, who wound up sixth after avoiding damage to his car in a spinout that left him "disgusted with myself."

But Busch's finish was enough to leave him 29 points ahead of second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr., who ran ninth.

The first three races of the 10-race Chase had been won, respectively, by Busch, Ryan Newman and Earnhardt. But NASCAR has an unusual system where title hopefuls still have to compete with those who didn't make the playoffs.

So yesterday, the Chase was mere background noise to the late show put on by Nemechek and Rudd, who ran side by side until Nemechek moved in front for keeps halfway through the final lap.
 
Nemechek actually led the last 37 laps but admitted he let Rudd sneak up on him near the end. Nemechek's Chevrolet was marginal on fuel for the finish, so he was trying to conserve.

"I was letting off 200 feet early (entering the corners), just trying to let the car roll," Nemechek said. "I didn't see him coming in the mirror. He snuck up on me on the bottom (of the track). Next thing I know, he's there. He caught me and got his nose up underneath and made my car push.

"Just lucky he didn't get far enough ahead of me to clear me. I just kept running up high and was able to get back in front of him and beat him to the start-finish line."

Busch felt satisfaction from taking the points lead on the track. Last week he had moved to the top by default, after Earnhardt was docked 25 points and fined $10,000 by NASCAR for blurting an expletive on live television.

"It feels very good to be ahead by what I'm looking at as four points," Busch said, declining to recognize the extra 25 in the deficit.

"But that four points is one position on the racetrack next week. ... We are leading by a legitimate four points, 29 as it stands. We want to beat him on the racetrack."

Jimmie Johnson and Newman fared worst of the title contenders. Both wrecked, each of them in an embarrassing solo case of losing control, to finish 32nd and 33rd, respectively.

M. Schumacher earns his 13th Formula One victory of season

SUZUKA, Japan — Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher asserted his authority in Formula One again with his 13th victory of the season, but the first since August.

The seven-time world champion captured the Japanese Grand Prix, which was run in sunshine after days of rain and a typhoon threat.

Schumacher won 12 of the first 13 races before losing three straight. In his previous race, he finished 12th at the Chinese Grand Prix, his worst finish since 1999.

"I didn't think too much about what happened at the last Grand Prix. I don't really take that into account, questioning anything," the German driver said. "There wasn't really the extra pressure."

It was Schumacher's sixth win at the Japanese GP. He was 14 seconds ahead of brother Ralf Schumacher, who finished second in a Williams-BMW.

Note

• Tony Schumacher clinched his second NHRA Top Fuel championship at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., then tied the record for victories in a season.

Schumacher captured the Top Fuel season title — and a $400,000 bonus — with a second-round win over Brandon Bernstein. In the final round, he beat Bob Vandergriff to win his ninth race of the season. Schumacher tied Gary Scelzi (2000) and Larry Dixon (2002) for the wins record.

Scelzi (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also were winners at the event.