Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 2, 1994 TAG: 9403020014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bonnett was killed Feb. 11 at Daytona International Speedway, after his Finch-owned Chevrolet slammed head-on into the turn 4 wall during practice for the Daytona 500.
"I knew that Neil would want me to carry on," Finch said in a teleconference. "I knew he would want his son, David, to carry on. I've talked to Susan [Bonnett's widow] and his family. They're a racing family and they would want to continue the way it is."
Purvis, 35, of Clarksville, Tenn., has run 20 Cup races. He and Finch have a 10-year relationship in short-track and ARCA racing, including the 1993 ARCA championship.
"No one will ever fill the shoes of Neil Bonnett," Purvis said. "No one will ever get over his loss. But I think anybody would be honored to receive an opportunity like this."
Purvis will enter the Purolator 500 at Atlanta on March 13, the Winston Select 500 at Talladega on May 1, the Winston Select Open at Charlotte on May 21, the Miller 400 at Michigan on June 19, The Pepsi 400 at Daytona on July 2, the DieHard 500 at Talladega on July 24, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on Aug. 6 and the Slick 50 500 at Phoenix on Oct. 30.
He also plans to run the Grand National races at Atlanta in March, Bristol in April, Charlotte in May, Talladega in July, Bristol in August, Richmond in September and Charlotte in October.
Country Time, the team's sponsor, does not plan to change the pink-and-yellow paint scheme on the Chevy, but the car will carry a memorial decal for Bonnett.
\ RICHMOND TICKETS: There still are a few hundred reserved seats - mostly in the lower rows - available for Sunday's Pontiac 400 at Richmond International Raceway, spokesman Dave Fulton said Tuesday.
Prices for those tickets are $40 and $50.
Another option is Saturday's Hardee's 250 for Grand National cars. All seats are general admission and cost $30, but children 12 and under are admitted free if accompanied by an adult.
Both races begin at 1:15 p.m.
Tickets for Friday, which is pole day, are $5 each, with children 12 and under admitted free with an adult. Pole qualifying begins at 3 p.m.
Fans can get free pole-day tickets by donating a pint of blood at a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Virginia State Fairgrounds in Richmond. The drive will be held in the main exhibition building at the state fairgrounds, which is where the track is located.
Terry Labonte will appear at the blood drive to sign autographs, Fulton said, and other drivers have indicated they will drop by during the event, which also will feature show cars and live radio broadcasts.
There are 300 acres of free parking at the fairgrounds. For more ticket information, call the speedway ticket office at (804) 345-7223.
\ EXPENSIVE RACE: For many teams in Sunday's Goodwrench 500 in Rockingham, N.C., the money they earned from the purse failed to pay their tire bill, much less any of the myriad other expenses they incurred during the weekend.
A typical team used a dozen sets of tires during the three days of practice, qualifying and racing at North Carolina Motor Speedway.
Goodyear Eagle racing radials cost $271 each. While most of the top teams have a tire deal with Goodyear that significantly reduces their costs, most lower-echelon teams have to pay the full costs.
Twelve sets equals 48 tires, which cost $13,008.
But 15 drivers on Goodyears failed to earn enough from the race purse to pay the cost of a dozen sets of tires. The purse awards to these 15 drivers ranged from a high of $11,925 for Bill Elliott, who finished 39th, to a low $6,900 for Rick Bickle, who was 41st.
\ NO FUN: Three of Kyle Petty's seven Winston Cup victories have come at North Carolina Motor Speedway, but they've been grueling successes.
"I've won a bunch of races down here, but I've never had that much fun running a race car down here," he said after finishing eighth in Sunday's Goodwrench 500.
Although speedway officials plan to repave the 1.017-mile track, Petty had his doubts about that.
"I don't know about them repaving this place," he said. "They're flying out there now. My neck's never been this sore down here."
by CNB