#40 Chicagoland race report

July 14, 2002

COORS LIGHT TEAM SCORES TOP-20 FINISH IN TROPICANA 400
Marlin remains first in the Winston Cup championship points race

JOLIET, Ill. (July 14, 2002) - Sterling Marlin drove the No. 40 Coors Light
Dodge Intrepid R/T to a 16th place finish in the Tropicana 400 at
Chicagoland Speedway.  For the 17th straight race (Rockingham to
Chicagoland), Marlin remains the leader in the NASCAR Winston Cup
championship points standings; he has a 49-point lead over Mark Martin who
is currently in second place.  

Marlin started the 267-lap event in fourth position and ran in the top-10
for the first half of the race.  The car had an early vibration and the team
worked on giving Marlin more grip during pit stops.  On lap 137, close to
the half-way point of the race, the Coors Light team received a pit penalty
for pitting outside of the pit box.  Marlin came in for a gas-and-go pit
stop, but overshot his pit stall.  He attempted to move the car back but gas
was already being put into the car.  Marlin went one lap down to the leaders
after the penalty was assessed.

Team manager, Tony Glover, and the Coors Light team worked on a fuel mileage
strategy for Marlin in order to hopefully gain the lap back.  Unfortunately,
a late-race caution came out and the team didn't have another chance to gain
their lap back before the checkered flag flew.  Marlin finished in 16th
place; the first car one lap down.

"We were running good all day," Marlin said following the race.  "The car
was tight off three, and we kept making adjustments to it. We came in for a
gas and go about halfway through the race, and we got a pit penalty. That
put us a lap down. We tried to get it back by using good fuel mileage and we
might have had them in the end, but the caution came out and we didn't have
a chance after that. We'll just come back and try to get 'em next weekend at
New Hampshire."

Next on the schedule for the No. 40 Coors Light team is the New England 300
at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 21, 2002.