Shootout leads to another crazy finish

A green-white-checkered restart is likely to lead to drama, and the odds greatly increase when you do it on a restrictor-plate track like Daytona International Speedway.

Saturday's Coke Zero 400 was no different.

Before the final caution came out, ending the race less than one-quarter of the way through the last lap, there were several near-wrecks that could have stopped it sooner.

"I didn't want to be near anybody that was driving," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "It was crazy. They were running into each other and wrecking and carrying on and Clint [Bowyer] hits the wall and I think all that happened after the finish line. Dang!

"I still thought it was one [lap] to go, or something. If I'd have known it was the last lap, my mind would have been better prepared for what I saw. It was crazy."

For his part, Bowyer said he did all he could to salvage his finish. He was hoping for a top-five result, but NASCAR ruled he was ninth.

"That was unbelievable! We were fifth or sixth when that last wreck happened and I had to use the wall to hold on to the old girl," Bowyer said. "Anytime you can leave Daytona with a top 10 and four fenders still on the car, you've got something to be proud of."

Sadler ends up with a disappointing finish

Elliott Sadler had finished in the top 10 in seven of his previous 19 starts at Daytona. He had finished sixth or better in four of his past five starts at the 2.5-mile track.

His luck ran out this time, when he cut a tire and hit the outside wall on Lap 109. He finished 39th.

"It's just frustrating," Sadler said. "We had a top-five car and cut a tire. It's unfortunate because we made a move back up the field after I made a mistake during a pit stop and fell back to 20-something. It's a shame that a good racecar is all tore up."

Bad luck finally takes bite out of Burton

Jeff Burton had led a pretty charmed life in 2008, making it 17 consecutive starts without a finish outside of the top 15.

That came to a crashing halt, literally, in Saturday's race.

Burton was caught up in two different incidents and was forced out of the race after his car made heavy contact with the wall on Lap 140. He finished 37th, 22 laps off the pace.

The South Boston native fell to third in the points, 20 behind second-place Earnhardt and 202 behind leader, and race winner, Kyle Busch.

Carpentier picks up career-best finish

Patrick Carpentier has had quite a good two weeks. He captured his first Cup pole at Loudon, qualified 10th at Daytona and finished 14th, nine places better than his previous best.

"It was crazy, but fun," Carpentier said. "We fought a real loose race car early on in the race and kept working on it all night long. I had a great engine, maybe the best I've had all year." -- Jill Erwin