Sterling Marlin’s bad luck at Daytona International Speedway continued Saturday night when a cut tire on lap 115 of 160 sent his Waste Management Chevrolet into the outside wall and to a 40th-place finish in the Pepsi 400.
“We can’t catch a break, ” said Marlin, who was running in the 14th spot when the incident occurred. “As much as I like Daytona and as good as these Ginn cars are at superspeedways, we can’t seem to get a deserving finish. It’s been a frustrating weekend. “
Marlin was listed in the ninth position on the qualifying board when persistent rain forced NASCAR to cancel the session and set the starting field by owner points.
“First we had to start 29th because of rain and then this happened, ” said Marlin, who has three victories at the famed 2.5-mile track. “We just can’t seem to get away from bad luck here. “
In February’s Daytona 500, Marlin was headed for a top-10 finish before being collected in a last-lap incident and wrecking across the finish line in 17th place.
“It’s part of racing but it’s still hard to swallow, ” said Marlin. “We just have to keep looking forward and try to get them next week. “
The next stop for the Nextel Cup Series will be Chicagoland Speedway. The USG Sheetrock 400 (July 15) will be broadcast live on TNT beginning at 2:30 p. m. ET.
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