THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996                  TAG: 9603030268
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Medium:   53 lines

PURVIS A WINNER, AT LAST WITH MARTIN SIDELINED, HIS ONLY QUESTION WAS: WHERE'S VICTORY LANE?

Mark Martin had another Grand National race in the bag Saturday at Richmond International Raceway, but a late-race encounter with a slower car sent him into the wall, opening the door for Jeff Purvis.

Purvis, who started on the pole in the Hardee's 250, passed Joe Nemechek with seven laps to go to post his first career Grand National victory in an unsponsored car owned by James Finch.

``I hated to see (Martin) get in a wreck, but we needed to win one,'' Purvis said. ``I think the traffic, if anything, hurt Joe Nemechek there at the end. I got a run off (turn) four and just slid by him.''

Martin, the winner at Rockingham a week ago, clearly had the best car here, too. He took the lead for the first time on lap 76 and led 138 circuits. But when Mike Laughlin Jr. spun in turn 2 on lap 232, there was a rush back to the flag. And coming off turn 4, Martin went to the outside of Mike Wallace, who was on the tail end of the lead lap.

``A lapped car didn't want to get lapped,'' Martin said of Wallace. ``I wasn't going to try to go around him, but he still did kind of run me out in the loose stuff . . . and I slipped out in the marbles and there was no stopping it.''

Martin hit the wall, then rushed into the pits. But when a quick check revealed several major problems, crew chief Steve Hmiel said, ``It's over. It's over.''

Wallace said he had no idea what happened.

``He was behind me,'' Wallace said. ``They said the caution was out and I was on the bottom of the track on worn-out tires. I don't know why he had to do that. He had a good race car and he didn't need to be racing anybody. He should have controlled that situation.''

Purvis led the first 30 laps but fell back. He was in eighth on lap 140.

``I thought my car was going to be real good, then it started getting too tight,'' Purvis said. ``I just fell back there, but each time we pitted, the car got a little better.''

After he took the checkered flag, Purvis couldn't find Victory Lane.

``We've never been here before,'' he said. ``I figured they would guide me in here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

``I hated to see (Mark Martin) get in a wreck, but we needed to win

one,'' said Jeff Purvis, a first-time GN winner in a

still-unsponsored car.

by CNB