Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993 TAG: 9309100027
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Martin has no trouble answering that question. Of course he can.
His only question is whether his luck will hold out.
"It doesn't matter where we go right now," Martin said Wednesday. "We've got good stuff because our cars are fast. We will run well enough to be in contention. But one of these days something is going to break. We'll have to see just how long we can keep things from going against us."
Martin no longer is worried about whether his car is good enough to win, so there's not much to do except play the odds in his mind. In that sense, Martin does not see Richmond International Raceway as the perfect place to seek No. 5.
Richmond doesn't owe him anything. He's had a victory and two second-place finishes at the three-quarter-mile oval since 1990.
"Richmond is OK," he said. "It's not necessarily as . . . Let's say Dover would probably be better because Dover owes us one, as Darlington did and as Bristol did. But at Richmond we've run well before."
One of Martin's best runs came in this race last year, when he finished second to Rusty Wallace, who flat outran Martin and everyone else.
After dominating at Bristol but losing to Martin in the end, and after finishing third at Darlington, Wallace is itching to get back to Richmond.
"I've got a brand-new killer car for up there," he said after the Darlington race. "I can win that one. We've got a lot going for us there."
Pole-position qualifying is at 5:30 p.m. today, and the 300-mile race starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Since the March race at Richmond, promoter Paul Sawyer has shortened and reconfigured the safety wall exiting turn four and added 15 feet of asphalt apron in the bottom of the turn.
"The only difference is the wall is not there. The track is still the same," Martin said. "I really don't see any change other than the safety factor for the driver."
Sawyer also has added 18 permanent, 110-foot-high light towers to illuminate the track for night racing.
In addition to qualifying, today's activities include the expanded Autolite 250 for Grand National cars. Fifty laps have been added to the race, which may force the drivers to make an extra pit stop.
Among the more than 50 entrants vying for the 34 starting spots is Elton Sawyer of Chesapeake, making a rare appearance on the GN circuit in the Akins Sutton Motorsports Ford Thunderbird.
Qualifying for the Grand National race is at 4 p.m. today.
Although all 71,350 seats for Saturday night's race have been sold since April, tickets are available for today's action.
All of today's tickets are general admission. They are $30 each, but children under 12 will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Tickets are on sale at the raceway ticket office. For information, call (804) 345-RACE. Gates open at 8 a.m.
The track is located in the Virginia State Fairgrounds at 600 East Laburnum Ave., and there are more than 300 acres of free parking.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB