[TLK]

Bourdais Wins IROC in Texas

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer

April 15, 2005, 8:39 PM CDT

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais became just the fourth foreign-born driver to win an IROC race, leading the final 22 laps Friday night at Texas after Kurt Busch suffered the same fate that has plagued him in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.

Bourdais also held off a late charge by NASCAR's Mark Martin, the winningest driver in 31 years of the International Race of Champions. Martin, who started at the back of the 12-car field, finished second.

"The biggest chance we had was if he would have made a mistake. It didn't look like that would happen," said Martin, whose Daytona win in February was his 12th in IROC. "He did an awesome job. He is an incredibly talented young race car driver."

Based on the reverse order of finish from his IROC debut when he finished last at Daytona, Bourdais started first at Texas. After Steve Kinser of the World of Outlaws led the first six laps, the 26-year-old Frenchman went out in front.

"When I got passed at the beginning, I was not quite sure if I could make it," Bourdais said. "It was a different race. People could pass, there was a lot of action."

Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice finished third in the 67-lap race that was the 114th for IROC. Defending NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. was fourth and NASCAR truck champion Bobby Hamilton fifth.

Bourdais led when a caution flag came out on lap 37 for debris caused when defending Texas IROC champion and Outlaws driver Danny Lasoski brushed the wall. Busch took over the lead on the first lap after the restart.

Busch then led nine laps until he apparently cut a tire and slammed hard into the outside wall in the second turn. After starting the Cup season with three straight top-three finishes, Busch has crashed in the last three races.

"It's one thing after the next. I can't shake this deal," Busch said. "I'm really confused. It's tiring hitting the wall this many weeks in a row."

That allowed Bourdais back in front, and he stayed there the rest of the race.

The last foreign-born IROC winner was Geoff Brabham at Michigan in 1992. The last open wheel driver to win was Buddy Lazier at Chicagoland Speedway in 2002.

Busch seemed to get a break with a ride through the grassy infield to avoid a wreck on the fifth lap, when Grand American Road racer Scott Pruett was bumped from behind by Cup driver Matt Kenseth and slammed into the wall and was knocked out of the race.

But the trip through the infield included his car going over a drainage culvert. Busch went in for new front tires, but the right- and left-side tires -- the ones on the car when it crashed -- were inadvertently reversed by the IROC pit crew during the stop.

Max Papis was sixth, followed by Lasoski, Kinser, Kenseth and Helio Castroneves of the IndyCar Series.

Martin is the points leader through two of four races with 42. That's 10 more than Bourdais, who earned 29 points Friday night.

There next IROC race is Sept. 8 at Richmond, and the finale is Oct. 29 in Atlanta. The series winner gets $1 million.

Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

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