After watching the replay of the final lap of the Daytona 500, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday he's "torn" over the way the race ended.  Despite a multi-car accident coming out of the final turn of Sunday's season-opening race, NASCAR did not call a caution and Kevin Harvick beat Mark Martin to the checkered flag in one of the most dramatic finishes in recent history.  Johnson, the 2006 Daytona winner and Nextel Cup champion, said his initial thought was that caution should have been called for safety reasons and Martin should have been awarded the win. But he also believes the biggest race of the season should not be decided that way.

"At first when I watched it, I felt Mark Martin deserved that win and the caution should have come out," Johnson said Tuesday.  "Then watching everything develop and the opinions from Mark and the opinions from fans and the whole scenario, I'm torn.

"For this scenario it worked out. Safety wasn't compromised. No one was injured.  Both drivers seem OK with the situation.  You want to determine a race at the start-finish line.  I guess Mark Martin's comments swayed my opinion more than anything."

Martin was initially critical of NASCAR's delay, complaining over his radio that the caution flag came too late.  It wasn't waved until Clint Bowyer's car flipped onto its roof - after Harvick and Martin crossed the finish line.  But Martin, who dropped to 0-for-23 in the Daytona 500, had accepted the outcome by the time he reached the post-race news conference.

more...

http://www6.autonet.ca/Motorsports/Story.cfm?S
tory=/Motorsports/NASCAR/2007/02/20/3648964-ap.htm
l