Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 25, 1991 TAG: 9102250138
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The significance of yellow-flag pit stops, which used to be the backbone of race-car servicing, has all but evaporated now that teams cannot change tires without a penalty.
Among the top finishers, only Harry Gant and Darrell Waltrip came to the pits during a caution period. And although Waltrip took on fuel, which still is allowed, Gant stopped simply so his crew could clean his radiator grill.
"Really, all we did was just throw the caution flags out as far as our [pit-stop] strategy goes," race winner Dale Earnhardt said. "I think that was pretty much everybody's strategy. It worked well here, and I think you're going to see a lot of it next week at Rockingham [N.C.]."
Richard Petty, one of the more vocal critics of the new rules after the crash-filled Daytona 500, was less upset Sunday.
"The pit rules worked better because there weren't many cautions," he said. "They probably wouldn't have played into the outcome anyway. Overall, the rules didn't play an important deal, so [NASCAR] got by with it again."
Dick Trickle, for one, still was openly critical.
"I'm waiting for them to keep making changes on the pit rules," Trickle said. "The way it is now, it's hard to keep many cars on the lead lap. It's going to hurt the show as time goes on."
At the driver's meeting before Sunday's race, NASCAR Winston Cup Director Dick Beaty said some modifications may still be made as the season continues, but "the pit-road procedures are here to stay. The pit-road procedures are not going away."
Earnhardt, who was far less upset with the rules after winning Sunday, said, "NASCAR seems pretty set on doing what they're going to do. I think they need to keep stressing that pit rules are there for safety on pit road.
"It's more dangerous pitting under green than pitting under caution. They still don't caution you during driver's meetings how important it is for drivers to keep cars under control on green-flag stops."
\ Brett Bodine is fast becoming the hard-luck driver of 1991.
He crashed again Sunday in the Pontiac Excitement 400, and again it was not his fault.
Bodine was cruising along in ninth place on lap 393, just trying to finish the race. "We weren't a ball of fire, but we were good," he said.
Suddenly, as he went through turn one, Hut Stricklin came flying up behind Bodine and slammed hard into the rear of his Buick. Bodine's car spun and then crashed into the outside wall.
Bodine emerged from his car, walked halfway down the banked turn and, as Stricklin passed by, held his arms out wide and shook them.
The message was clear: What did you do that for?
Stricklin, meanwhile, became confused as NASCAR officials and his own crew hurled different instructions at him. And when he failed to stop after coming down pit road, NASCAR said park it.
"Just take it in the garage area, we're done," a crew member radioed Stricklin.
Stricklin told Bodine after the race he had brake failure. "I believe him," Bodine said. "It's not his fault."
Stricklin completed 391 laps and finished 22nd. Bodine finished 24th.
"This just isn't a good situation, the way things have been going this season," said Bodine, who also destroyed a car at Daytona after being knocked out of control by Bobby Hamilton in a Twin 125 qualifying race. "We can't let this sort of thing get us down."
\ Daytona 500 winner Ernie Irvan had a lousy race at Richmond.
He fell back from the leaders after about a quarter of the race and then lost about 20 laps beginning on lap 224 when he had to make an extended pit stop to change a battery. He eventually finished 27th, completing 379 of the 400 laps.
"It was a long day," Irvan said. "We ran pretty good up to our first pit stop. Then we had a regulator go bad or something. The battery went dead and we came in and changed the battery.
"This is a race we need to forget."
Keywords:
LAUTO RACING
by CNB