10A SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS KANSAN MONDAY OCTOBER 2 2006 NASCAR Stewart coasts to win; Emporia native finishes ninth Top two finishers end on empty to boost times, save fuel in Banquet 400; sold-out crowd packs Kansas Speedway BY DREW DAVISON KANSAS CITY, Kan. โ€” Out of fuel and with a 17-second lead, Tony Stewart glided to the finish line to win the Banquet 400 at the Kansas Speedway Sunday. "When the fuel pressure gauge was at zero and the engine was dying, I just kicked it in neutral and let it coast," Stewart said. "I got to see the checkered flag for a really long time." Stewart, who began the race in the 21st position, led for the final five laps en route to winning his third race of the season. It was Stewart's 27th career win and his first at the Kansas Speedway. The Banquet 400 was the third of 10 races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, the final races of the Nextel Cup season. Stewart, who is currently 11th in points, is not in the Chase because only the top 10 drivers are eligible to compete. "That is the thing about not being in the Chase, we can roll the dice," Stewart said. "I was driving half-throttle all the way around, letting the seconds tick off but trying to keep some momentum in case it did run out of fuel." Stewart wasn't the only one to finish short on fuel. Casey Mears also ran out of fuel but was able to finish fuel, followed by Mark Martin. "It was a fuel-mileage day," Mears said. "When we got in position to save fuel, I did." Jimmie Johnson led for the majority of the race, 105 laps, but with five laps to go, he was hesitant whether or not he should make a pit stop, deciding ultimately to stop. "Coming into pit road the No. 9 spun out in front of me, and I got back out on the race track," he said. "The caution didn't come out so we lost a bunch of time there" The 75,000-seat Kansas Speedway sold out, despite a Chiefs football game across town. Jeff Burton said the Speedway was becoming more enjoyable to drive on because it was not just a one-groove track anymore. "This track today, you see more grooves than any other race here," Burton said. "I think that is a good thing. It adds character to the race and the race track." While Burton remained the point leader for the Chase after the race, he said he was not worrying about points. "We've had zero conversations with this team about where we are in points," Burton said. "Our objectives and goals are trying to find a little bit better way than we've been doing it, and keeping ourselves in the hunt." The Chase will continue next weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Racing Notes: **Robby Gordon** was the first racer to wreck. During lap 10, he spun off the high groove in the fourth turn and lost control of his back end Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 10th. He remained in seventh in the Chase standing. The race lasted three hours and 18 minutes. Eleven caution flags extended the race 40 minutes. Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com. Rookie impresses governor, fellow drivers with spirited start in home state; early crash, subsequent damage end winning dreams Edited by Catherine Odson BY JEFF DETERS KANSAS CITY, Kan. โ€” NASCAR rookie Clint Bowyer was running in second place until lap 172 at the Kansas Speedway Banquet 400 on Sunday when he spun into the wall and sustained severe damage to his No. 7 Jack Daniels-sponsored Chevrolet. Bowyer, a native of Emporia and a fan favorite on Sunday, started from the sixth position Sunday and was leading by lap 37. With such a strong performance early on, Bowyer looked to be one of the favorites to win the race, but his spin and crash into the wall ended any chance of that happening. "I was really feeling good." Bowyer said. "I just had a good car, just trying to make the best of it" Bowyer pitted on lap 147 and won the race off pit road by taking only two tires. But his lead was short-lived, and 25 laps later Bowyer was out of the race. Even though his first NASCAR race at the Kansas Speedway didn't finish the way he would have liked, Bowyer won the adoration of his hometown fans. Bowyer got his start in racing on dirt tracks around Kansas and Missouri. "Thunder Hill up in Mayetta, Kansas, was kind of my old stomping grounds," Bowyer said. "Then towards the end of my local career around here was Lakeside Speedway and I-70. I won a lot of races there, had a lot of success, won a couple track championships, and a regional championship. That's where things really got rolling for me! Bowyer eventually worked his way through the NASCAR Busch Series and earned a full-time NASCAR ride with Richard Childress Racing. Though Bowyer is now part of one of the top racing teams in motor sports, he said his success wasn't really all that uncommon. "Everybody comes from somewhere," Bowyer said. "All these guys in the Cup series had the same success I did back home at their local track." While Bowyer was racing on the track Sunday, he had one fan of prestigious stature rooting for him: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Sebellus said she has followed Bowyer's career and has enjoyed watching him succeed. "It's fun to see him doing well," Sebelius said. "He is, I think, very Kansan through and through." Bowyer said that while he skipped college to pursue a career on the race track, he was very familiar with the University of Kansas. Bowyer, it seems, has made the right decision to pursue racing. His popularity, both local and national, has increased during time, just like the popularity of NASCAR. Bowyer credited the popularity of NASCAR to the people who watch it. "I think it's how fan-friendly it is," Bowyer said. "I think on the driver's side the things that you don't like is what makes the sport good. Having a bad finish, getting out of the car having a camera stuck in your face and explain why what happened, running good wanting to celebrate having the camera in your face. But that's what gets the fans into our sport. Drivers are a lot more accessible than like a football player, a baseball player, and I think it's still somewhat of a grass-roots, blue-collar sport." Bowyer's talent and down-to-earth personality has been noticed by many in NASCAR, including teammate Jeff Burton. Burton finished fifth on Sunday and gave high praise to his rookie teammate. "He has the ability and the personality to go a long ways in this sport," Burton said. "He will be somebody that you're talking about 10 years from now." Kansan sportswriter Jeff Deters can be contacted at jdeters@kansan.com. BIG 12 FOOTBALL Edited by Catherine Odson Colorado loses to Missouri, 0-5 for first time since 1984 BY SHAWN SHROYER Sam Houston State (2-2) No. 7 Texas (4-1) - 56 The Good - Texas quarterbacks: 20-for-23, 300 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions The Bad - Sam Houston State quarterback Hicks Brett: 16-for-26, no touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble lost The Interesting - Texas quarterback Colt McCoy hit wide receiver Limas Sweed for a 42-yard touchdown. Colorado (0-5) - 13 No.25 Missouri (5-0) - 28 The Good - Missouri quarterback Clause Daniel: 24-for-35, 253 yards and four touchdowns The Bad - Colorado offense: Scoreless in the fourth quarter this season The Interesting - Colorado is 0-5 for the first time since 1984, and Missouri is 5-0 for the first time since 1981. Texas Tech (4-1) - 31 Texas A&M (4-1) - 27 back Stephen McGee: 9-for-20, one interception and two touchdowns The Interesting - The Texas A&M pass defense came into the game ranked sixth in the nation, allowing only 127.5 yards a game. Northern Iowa (2-2) - 27 Iowa State (3-2) - 28 The Good - Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer: 24-for-29, 323 yards, two touchdowns and one interception The Bad - Northern Iowa's fourth quarter special teams and defense gave up 14 points in the quarter on a punt return and touchdown pass. The Interesting - Iowa State punt returner Ryan Baum's 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the longest play of the season for Iowa State. The Good - Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell: 32-for-45, 392 yards, four touchdowns and led the Red Raiders to game-winning touchdown with 26 seconds left Kansas State (3-2) - 3 Bayior (2-3) - 17 The Bad - Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton: 18 carries for 38 yards, no touchdowns and one fumble lost The Good - Baylor wide receivers Dominique Zeigler and Trent Shelton: Combined for 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns The Interesting - This was Baylor's first victory all-time against Kansas State, improving its record to 1-5. The Bad - Texas A&M quarter- KANSIAN SPORTWINTER SHAWM SHROYER CAN BE CONTACTED @SSHOYER@KANSIAN.COM LIBERTY HALL 644 Mass 1912-1918 WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR (prd) 4:30 7:00 9:30 LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE(hr) 4:40 7:10 9:40 โ€” EDITED BY KATE SHIPLEY The Law Offices of David J. Brown, LC A Team of Attorneys Working for You Alternative Family Law 1040 New Hampshire 785-842-0777 Knowledge: Faith & Reason Os Guinness Theologian & author; co-founder of The Trinity Forum "A World Safe for Diversity: Living with our Deepest Differences in an Age of Exploding Piuralism" OCTOBER 3 7:30 pm ยท Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union Additional Dialogue: October 4, 10:00 am - Hall Center Conference Hall All events are free and open to the public. No tickets are required. For more information visit www.hellotown.edu or call 785-861-4708.