Ward Burton wins wild and crazy Daytona 500

<br>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ In one of the most bizarre finishes in Dayton 500 history, Ward Burton took advantage a blunder by fellow driver Sterling Marlin to win NASCAR's biggest race. <br><br>Marlin

Monday, February 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ In one of the most bizarre finishes in Dayton 500 history, Ward Burton took advantage a blunder by fellow driver Sterling Marlin to win NASCAR's biggest race.

Marlin was leading with a few laps to go and appeared in control of the race, but was penalized for getting out of his car and pulling on a damaged fender during a stoppage caused by a wreck. The mistake helped pave the way for a victory by Burton, the older of two racing brothers.

The improbable finish capped an unusual race that included an 18-car pileup that took out several contenders.

``These races, the nature of them, is that you never know what's going to happen until the race is over,'' said Burton, who speaks with a garbled drawl native to his hometown of South Boston, Va.

NASCAR rules state that no work can be done while the red caution flag is displayed. Marlin said he saw the late Dale Earnhardt do something similar 15 years ago.

``I saw Earnhardt do it at Richmond one time in 1987. He got out and cleaned his windshield, so I thought it was OK,'' Marlin said. ``I don't guess it was. Never read the rule book, so maybe I should. But it's the Daytona 500 and you got to do everything you can to win it.''

One year ago, Earnhardt died in the Daytona 500 after his car hit a wall at 150 mph. The racing legend's death was followed by the most comprehensive crash investigation in racing history. It concluded that Earnhardt died of a basal skull fracture, possibly caused by a broken seat belt.

His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., had two blown tires and lost 12 laps in the pits for repairs during this year's race _ only to return and get involved in the big wreck.