Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 5, 1990 TAG: 9003052205
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRANK VEHORN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: ROCKINGHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Petty, 29, won the Goodwrench 500 from the pole to claim the $228,000 Unocal Challenge bonus, which gave him a total payoff of $294,450.
Petty said full benefits from the victory could approach $1 million because it makes him eligible for NASCAR's bonus plan for winners.
He became the first Winston Cup driver to win from the pole since Rusty Wallace accomplished the feat in last year's Goodwrench 500, when the bonus was worth $15,200.
Petty received a thunderous reception from a race-record crowd of 54,000 fans as he drove his Pontiac across the finish line for the most dominating victory of his 12-year career.
Petty finished 25.5 seconds ahead of second-place Geoff Bodine, the only other driver to complete all 492 laps in the 500-mile race.
Both of Petty's previous two victories on the circuit were considerably less convincing and came when stronger cars encountered misfortune.
"This feels like what I've been watching Dale Earnhardt do the last two or three years," Petty said.
"My other two victories [at Richmond and Charlotte], I was in the right place at the right time. I didn't have a winning car, but I won the race.
"Today, from the first lap on, everyone else had to chase us. My whole team was very confident about our chances."
Petty was so confident that before the race, he called a restaurant in Charlotte, N.C., to make reservations for a victory celebration.
Throughout the bright, cool afternoon, misfortune seemed the only thing capable of preventing Petty from collecting the richest prize in NASCAR history for a single race victory.
Petty led 432 laps, including 233 of the final 240.
He averaged 122.842 mph, just under the event record of 122.934 mph set by Bobby Allison in 1984.
His path to victory lane was made easier when two of his strongest challengers, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin, were forced to drop out because of mechanical failures.
Rudd was in second place when the oil pan cracked on his Chevrolet.
Martin, last week's winner at Richmond, also was in second place when his Ford was sidelined by engine failure.
"Ricky was awfully strong, and if he had been there at the end, I would have had to race him for the victory," Petty said.
"It seemed some of the others would run good for a while but drop back. Ricky could come through traffic and run me down."
Petty had won the first pole of his career Thursday by more than 1 mph, and his Pontiac was just as dominating in the long run.
As Petty celebrated in victory lane, he gave credit to his crew.
"The car was so strong that all I had to do was sit in it and turn left when I got to the corners," he said.
Petty also had to steer clear of seven accidents that necessitated caution periods.
His closest call came on the 443rd lap, when Dick Trickle and Ernie Irvan collided on the backstretch.
Irvan's car spun to the inside, and Trickle's car hit the outside wall and shot into the air.
"It happened about 200 yards in front of me as I was coming off the second turn," Petty said.
"I saw Irvan on the inside, and I saw Trickle's car in the air. The big problem was that I didn't know where Trickle's car was going to land.
"Fortunately, Trickle's car came down and stopped in the middle of the track, giving me room to get by on the outside."
Trickle said the accident developed when his Pontiac broke loose.
"I don't know if a tire went down or what," he said.
Petty's strong performance drew praise from other drivers, including Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip.
"Kyle surprised me in a lot of ways today," Waltrip said. "He and his car were a perfect match because neither one of them messed up. It was one of the best days anyone has had for a long time."
Earnhardt said, "That boy [Petty] sat on the pole and ran a smart race. My hat is off to him."
Petty's victory came on the track where his father, Richard, won 11 of his NASCAR-record 200 races.
The elder Petty finished 32nd after engine failure put him out of the race.
by CNB