Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 6, 1994 TAG: 9407060054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Roush announced Tuesday that Pemberton, 37, would become crew chief for Ted Musgrave's Ford Thunderbird. Pemberton replaces Howard Comstock, who was reassigned to head Roush's research-and-development effort.
``I looked at a lot of different things, and when it was all said and done, this seemed to be the best total picture for me,'' Pemberton said.
Pemberton left Roush at the end of the 1991 season to become Kyle Petty's crew chief. He won three races with Petty, but was fired by car owner Felix Sabates during the Memorial Day weekend.
Pemberton had hoped to have some equity in his new team. But in the end, he opted for the familiar surroundings of the Roush shops in Liberty, N.C., which is one of the best-financed, best-equipped operations in the sport.
``I enjoy the thought that you'll never go lacking for anything when it comes to working on race cars,'' Pemberton said. ``If you race for a living, that's what you look to do.''
``When I left [Roush], I left under good terms,'' Pemberton said. ``I've got a lot of friends here, and Jack and I have always continued to get along. He called the day [the firing] happened and said he was looking for somebody for a different situation. But that was five or six weeks ago, and in the course of that time he has moved some other people around to fill other voids.''
Roush said in a telephone interview that he initially was going to make Pemberton the research-and-development manager, but as crew chief, Pemberton ``has specific skills I think will be of great value right now.''
``When I was deciding who would do which job, it felt like I shouldn't try to force it in the other direction,'' Roush said. ``There's nobody that I hire that I won't accept an assurance that they'll do whatever we need them to do. Howard liked very much being Ted's crew chief, but he's willing to do whatever I want him to do.''
Comstock retained his administrative duties and fills a research position that became vacant in December 1993 when Ken Glenn left to become Derrike Cope's crew chief.
Waltrip, meanwhile, cleaned house on a July 4 holiday that was a work day at his shop in Concord, N.C. He dismissed Barry Dodson and Lou LaRosa, saying he'd ``floundered in mediocrity'' long enough
Dodson, 41, was in his second season as Waltrip's top mechanic. LaRosa, 50, builder of engines for three Winston Cup championship teams, joined Waltrip as his chief in-house engine builder in 1992.
After firing the pair, Waltrip headed to New England for a few days of vacation before this weekend's Slick 50 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Waltrip could not be reached for comment, but he said in a statement: ``Making changes is the hardest part of being a car owner. Friendships develop and it's hard to make changes, especially at the top. But this team has floundered in mediocrity for over a year and in order to move forward we needed a breath of fresh air.''
Waltrip didn't say where that fresh air would come from, because he has no immediate plans to replace Dodson and LaRosa. He said the team had enough depth to get along without them. He said the leadership will be provided by general manager Clyde Booth and experienced chassis specialist Pete Peterson, who will act as crew chief on race day. Claude Queen, who has served as the engine tuner at the track, will oversee Waltrip's engine department.
BOWN AND OUT: Chuck Bown's head injury suffered in a June 12 crash at Pocono will keep him out of the Slick 50 300 this weekend in Loudon, N.H.
Bown made a trial run at a Winston West race in Portland, Ore., on Sunday, but experienced the same double vision he had when practicing with his Winston Cup car June 19 before the race in Brooklyn, Mich.
He also is recovering from a broken right wrist and left ankle from the crash.
ARCA driver Tim Steele will be in the car again in New Hampshire, said Carolyn Carrier, spokeswoman for car owner Bobby Allison.
RUDD NOT IN RUT: He hasn't threatened to win yet, but Ricky Rudd and his new team, headed by crew chief Bill Ingle, have posted a remarkably consistent record for an outfit that started from scratch last year.
Rudd is seventh in Winston Cup points, with six top 10 finishes in 15 starts. More importantly, when he doesn't finish in the top 10, he usually finishes. His only really bad race - the only one he did not finish - was at Bristol, where he crashed and was 32nd.
His best finish was fourth at Michigan on June 19.
``I feel like we're on schedule or a little ahead of schedule,'' the driver from Chesapeake said during the weekend at Daytona. ``Right now, we have the potential to be 15th in points at the end of the season or go all the way to third.''
As a new owner, Rudd struggled to get enough race cars built for the season. That process has taken some of the time a team usually would spend practicing or refining cars it already has.
Rudd has won at least one Winston Cup race a year since 1983, but he is not surprised he hasn't won this year.
``I don't think we could even seriously think of winning in the first half of the year,'' he said. ``We feel like three quarters of the way through this season we'll have our best chance to win a race.''
ON TRACK AT SOUTH BOSTON: Kenny Wallace, fourth in Grand National points, today will test on the repaved and enlarged four-tenths-mile oval at South Boston Speedway, the site of the Ford Credit 300 on July 16. It is the first Busch race at South Boston since 1991.
Wallace, driver of the Filbert Martocci-owned Ford Thunderbird, will be the first GN driver to test the new surface. Tommy Ellis and Larry Pearson are scheduled to test at the track Thursday.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB