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American Le Mans Series GTS champion Ron Fellows
overcame starting last in the field and finished a close and
competitive second in Sunday's Sirius at the Glen NASCAR Nextel Cup
race at the Watkins Glen International circuit.
Fellows, driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo fielded by the Dale
Earnhardt, Inc., team, matched his best previous finish in NASCAR's
top series with the runner-up effort. He finished 1.5 seconds behind
race winner Tony Stewart.
"I'm disappointed," said Fellows, who finished second to Jeff Gordon
at WGI in 1999. "Second again. I've finished second before; I wanted
to win. I just didn't have anything left for Tony at the end. All I
could do was match his lap times."
The popular Canadian racer, who was driving for DEI in a one-race
arrangement, was fortunate to even be in the race after Friday's
qualifying was canceled due to wet track conditions. NASCAR set the
starting lineup based on a formula that includes team owner points
and qualifying attempts, and the No. 1 Chevrolet had been in enough
races this season with driver John Andretti that Fellows was granted
the 43rd and final starting spot.
Once racing began on Sunday, Fellows used his years of road racing
experience to carefully work his way through the field. He passed 20
cars in the first 10 laps on the 2.45-mile circuit and was in the
top 10 by lap 30.
With 34 laps remaining in the 90-lap race, Fellows made his final
pit stop, being serviced by the crew that normally pits DEI driver
Martin Truex, Jr., in the NASCAR Busch Series. He was in ninth place
after the pit stop cycle had completed but continued his march
forward.
Fellows was in fourth place when Brendan Gaughan slid off the track
to create the race's final full-course caution with 18 laps to go.
Casey Mears and Dave Blaney were ahead of Stewart and Fellows on the
track, but both were trying to stretch their full mileage and
neither could match the lap times of Stewart and Fellows. After
getting past the two quicker than Fellows, Stewart stretched into a
two-second lead and once free of traffic Fellows could get no closer
than the final margin.
"This is one of the best teams in NASCAR and it's a privilege to be
able to drive for them," said Fellows, who has five career NASCAR
wins in the Busch and Truck Series and is in high demand among
NASCAR teams for the two annual road racing events on the Nextel Cup
schedule because of his prowess. "I hope I can do this again next
year. I really want to win one of these Nextel Cup races before I
get too old and too slow."
Fellows will return to the factory Chevrolet Corvette team in the
American Le Mans Series for this weekend's Road America 500 at
Elkhart Lake, Wis. He and co-driver Johnny O'Connell have won the
GTS class in four of the six ALMS races held this season and lead
the class driver championship standings. Fellows is trying to win
what would be a record third consecutive title.
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