Marlin "Pops" into a Top-10 Finish at the Pop-Secret 400

 

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (November 9, 2003) --- After qualifying 31st for the
Pop-Secret 400, Sterling Marlin and the Coors Light crew decided they
needed a change.  Before the green flag waved at North Carolina
Speedway, the team changed the setup of the car and was optimistic about
working their way through the field of cars.  The new setup worked as
the Coors Light Dodge finished 10th, scoring their 10th top-10 finish of
the season.

 

"The guys did a great job today," Marlin said.  "We changed the whole
setup this morning. We were slipping and sliding.  On long runs we were
as good as anybody but we just had to fight traffic all day."

 

Marlin reported early on that the car was tight but continued to work
his way up through the field and jumped to 18th position when the first
caution came out on lap 75.

 

The Coors Light crew tinkered with the setup all day as the car went
from loose to tight but they never made any major adjustments.  Marlin
broke into the top-10 by lap 125 and stayed there for the majority of
the race.

 

When the final caution flag waved, Marlin reported that he was having
trouble seeing in turn 1 since the sun was setting.  He brought the
Dodge down pit road and the crew gave him four fresh tires and tape on
the windshield to block the sun for the remaining 15 laps.

 

On the restart, Marlin was in the ninth position but he lost a spot on
the last lap and finished 10th for the day. 



Marlin maintained his 19th place standing in the Winston Cup
championship points. Ganassi teammates Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray
finished 33rd and 35th respectively.

 

The Coors Light team races at Miami-Homestead next weekend. The race
will be broadcast live on NBC television and MRN radio on Sunday,
November 16th at 12:30 pm EST.