DATE: Saturday, September 13, 1997          TAG: 9709130674

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  148 lines

TWO FOR THE SHOW BROTHERS GREG AND DANNY EDWARDS JR. TAKE THE LEAP FROM LANGLEY TO RICHMOND.

If you're a race fan, getting from Langley Speedway to Richmond International Raceway isn't so tough. Just take Interstate 64 west and follow the signs.

If you're a Late Model Stock driver trying to move up to the Busch Grand National circuit, that trip becomes considerably more difficult.

That was the task in front of Langley Late Model drivers Greg and Danny Edwards Jr. last week.

The short-range goal for the Poquoson brothers: Get into last Saturday's Autolite Platinum 250, the Grand National race in Richmond, by beating out enough of the 61 cars in the qualifying field to earn spots in the 43-car race.

The mid-range goal: Use the experience to build on for future forays into Grand National racing.

The long-range goal: Join a team with a name sponsor and big budget and complete the transition from part-time short-track driver to full-time Grand National racer.

Here's a look at how the Richmond race experience unfolded for the Edwards brothers.

BEFORE THE RACE

``There's a lot you have to adapt to, especially if you're a short-track driver,'' Danny Edwards, 30, said a few days before heading up to Richmond for qualifying. ``The tires are different and the car's a lot heavier. The speedways take some getting used to. But short tracks are what we are used to, so we adapt quickly.''

And Richmond, with its 3/4-mile, D-shaped track, is a short track by NASCAR standards.

This will be the ninth career Grand National race for Danny, who started racing motocross 15 years ago before moving to stock cars in 1984. It was after winning two Late Model Stock season titles at Langley (in '89 and '92) that Danny started looking at running a Grand National race here and there.

Danny purchased a Busch car and started driving it in 1994, making qualifying attempts Richmond and Dover. But without bigtime sponsorship, it's next to impossible to qualify for a Grand National race, much less win one.

Danny entered a deal with the Ed Whitaker Llumar team, which would back him for three Grand National races, including Richmond.

Then Mike Wallace, who also drove for Whitaker, left the team to fill in for Kenny Schrader on the NASCAR truck series, setting the stage for Danny's biggest success in Grand National.

``They asked me if I wanted to go to St. Louis for the Gateway 300 (on July 26th), and then they asked me for Indianapolis,'' Danny said. ``They thought Mike (Wallace) might be available for the race, but he wasn't, so they asked me.''

Danny went on to finish 12th in the Aug. 1 race.

Danny's move to the Whitaker team left his original car in the garage. At this time, younger brother Greg had started a hot streak at Langley and was thinking about racing a Grand National event for the first time.

Under normal circumstances, Greg would have had a bear of a time trying to find a ride. In this case, all he had to do was look in his brother's garage.

``We didn't want to try anything in the early part of the season anyway, because were were having that bad run of luck at Langley,'' said Greg, 26, who has raced everything from bicycles to Late Model Stock cars in the past 17 years. ``Once we got things straightened at Langley, we made the decision to try (Danny's Busch) car out. It wasn't doing any good just sitting there. You got to do it sometime.''

Greg, who obtained a one-shot sponsorship agreement with Cook's Moving Service, posted encouraging lap times in a practice session the week before the race.

But drivers were on the final entry list for qualifying, including Winston Cup regulars Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. Not the easiest of competition for a Grand National novice.

``The big thing for anyone not in an established car is the qualifying,'' Danny said. ``You have to hit those two (qualifying) laps, because there's no provisional spots for you.''

Still, spirits were running high in the Edwards garage - about a half-mile away from Langley - and at Danny's Glass, where the brothers work. Danny is vice president of operations, Greg is general manager of the Gloucester shop. Both know a successful run in Richmond against a field fortified with Winston Cup veterans will look mighty impressive when trying to get a full-time ride. And both look good in the practice sessions.

RACE WEEKEND

Looking good in pre-qualifying sessions is like looking good during batting practice. And Greg would never get the chance for a real at-bat.

On the first lap of qualifying the day before the race, Greg would spin out coming out of turn 1 and nicks the backstretch wall, ending his first attempt at making the field.

``I jumped back into the gas too early and the rear end got loose,'' Greg said. ``You can get away with doing that at Late Model, where you can sling the cars around more, but it's a mistake doing it in Grand National.''

Greg would not make the same mistake trying to qualify on race day, but by this point it's too late: The track's gotten a lot hotter and slower, and nobody can beat his time from the day before, leaving the top 38 from Thursday intact for the race.

Danny would place 26th in qualifying Thursday, where he would start the race after posting a slower speed Friday.

But Danny would not be a factor in the race, dropping off the lead lap quickly. And after riding race leader Dick Trickle hard from lap 61 to 66 trying to get his lap back, Danny would fall back and finish 30th, six laps behind the winner, Steve Park.

``It was a fairly disappointing weekend,'' Danny said. ``We were satisfied with our qualifying, because Richmond's a tough show to get into. But once the race started, our tires got worse and we started fighting brake problems.

``We also missed the setup on the spring combination, and once that happens, there's not much you can do but ride it out.''

AFTER THE RACE

Neither Danny nor Greg had much time to reflect on their time at Richmond, because Sunday afternoon racing at Langley beckoned. And for Greg, at least, it was an opportunity to salvage the weekend.

Greg, back in his Late Model ride, was about the only car on the track not dropping fluids or getting involved in one of the nine cautions during the 100-lap event. As a result, he won his sixth race in the last nine weeks to continue his 11th-hour charge on points leader Phil Warren.

``After what happened (during the Richmond weekend), you start questioning yourself,'' Greg said. ``To win at Langley two days later really boosted my confidence and said that, `Yes, I can do this.' ''

Danny wasn't nearly as fortunate, struggling with the car from qualifying - he was 17th - to the end, where he placed 19th.

``We've been struggling recently to get the car in line,'' Danny said. ``We had motor problems and we solved those, but by that time we might have overengineered. Then we got caught up in a couple of wrecks and that was it.''

Both Greg and Danny still have full-time racing aspirations, and Richmond did little to change their long-term plans.

``We knew Richmond would be a tough race to crack,'' said Greg, who's looking to run a four- to five-race package in 1998 similar to Danny's this season. ``When we sit down and start looking at races for next year, we'll pick out those with lower car counts, so we know we'll get in the field.

``You really need the experience of running a Grand National race, not just trying to qualify for one.''

Danny, meanwhile, will run one more Grand National race this season - at Dover on Sept. 20. In 1998, tentative plans are for Danny to run a full season, thus qualifying him for Rookie of the Year honors.

``All we can do is chalk this (Richmond) up to experience,'' Danny said. ``We'll learn from our mistakes, then get everyone headed in the right direction. I'm a rookie driver, and it's a rookie team. The only one who's been around is the owner. But we'll get better.'' ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER PHOTOS

Danny Edwards Jr., making his ninth career Grand National start,

finished 30th, six laps back, last Friday at Richmond.

Greg Edwards failed to make the Richmond race but came back Sunday

to post his sixth Late Model win at Langley Speedway.

L. TODD SPENCER

A veteran short-track racer, Danny Edwards Jr. is familiar with his

equipment, which has been letting him down this season.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu