Marlin out for season with fractured vertebra (**NASCAR**)

Yahoo Sports ^ | 10/02/02 | JENNA FRYER

[NormsRevenge]

Marlin out for season with fractured vertebra

By JENNA FRYER
AP Sports Writer
October 2, 2002

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Sterling Marlin, who led the Winston Cup standings for 25 weeks, will miss the rest of the NASCAR season because of a broken vertebra in his neck.

Marlin was injured in a crash Sunday in Kansas, and the break in his vertebra was diagnosed Wednesday in Charlotte, said team co-owner Felix Sabates.

Jamie McMurray, who was hired to drive a third car for Chip Ganassi Racing next season, will drive the No. 40 Dodge Intrepid for the rest of the season as well as complete the Busch series schedule for Brewco Motorsports, Sabates said.

Marlin took over the points lead after the second race of the season and held it until three weeks ago. He has slipped to fifth in the standings, 121 points behind new leader Jimmie Johnson.

Now he will miss the remaining seven races and will fall considerably further.

``Sterling obviously is very upset,'' Sabates said. ``He felt like he had a legitimate chance at winning his first championship. Yes, the team had fallen off a little bit over the past few weeks, but with the tightness of the points race, he had a good a shot as anyone.''

[NormsRevenge]

OUCH!

[Catspaw]

As someone who has a squished disk in her upper back, I can say, "DOUBLE OUCH."

[Mo1]

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[donozark]

Most unfortunate. Great competitor.

[Joe Boucher]

Anyone who has ridden in one of these cars knows that the suspension isn't set up for a smooth comfortable cadillac type ride. The shaking and all would be unbearable much less dangerous. Better luck next year and we will all be praying for your return to good health Sterling

[Teacher317]

He helped make it a suspenseful year, always wondering when SOMEONE will catch him... once someone did, he is out for the season. Hope he gets better soon!

[Edison]

Perhaps if he'd had a HANS device on...sounds like just the type of injury it was created to prevent.

[Johnny Gage]

THat's a bummer. Sterling gave it a good run this year too.

Oh well....

GO JIMMIE & JEFF

[Wolfstar]

Actually, NASCAR mandated that all drivers in all of its series ware some form of head and neck restraint. There are two different types currently in use: the HANS, which is a device that sits on the driver's shoulders and straps to the helmet, and another which is more of a harness that straps around the chest and shoulders and attaches to the helmet. Sterling was wearing the latter type in the crash that cause this injury. It was a vicious right-front crash very reminicent of the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt. Without the head and neck restraint, it is very likely that Sterling's injuries would have been far worse, maybe even fatal.

[Wolfstar]

"Go Jimmie and Jeff." I second that! If JJ were to either win the WC championship or finish second in the overall point and yet lose the Rookie of the Year points battle with Ryan Newman, what do you think NASCAR should do? Both are terrific young drivers and good representatives for the sport. But Jimmie has three wins to Ryan's one so far, and has been a legitimate championship contender all season.

[Johnny Gage]

I think Jimmie's a near-lock for Rookie Award. He's a great driver, with a great attitude.

Hasn't Ryan been involved some on-track "incidents"?
Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.