Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 28, 1990 TAG: 9005280135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: By RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.C. LENGTH: Long
Earnhardt, the heavy favorite entering Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, saw his Charlotte jinx continue when a right-rear tire blew on his Chevrolet on lap 103 of the 400-lap race.
Earnhardt's car was severely damaged. He lost 134 laps in the garage for repairs and finished 30th in the 42-car field.
"There was no warning," said Earnhardt, who was running seventh when the tire exploded.
"There must have been some debris on the track. It's just one of those things that happen in racing. There's nothing you can do about it."
Earnhardt's crew worked feverishly to get the car back in semi-running order, using a tow truck and a chain to help straighten the car's bent frame. Earnhardt drove the remainder of the race without a left shock on the car.
Team owner Richard Childress said Earnhardt and the crew did a remarkable job to finish 30th.
"I've never fixed a car like that in that short amount of time," Childress said. "They just about rebuilt the car so it would roll."
Earnhardt lost a shot at an unbeaten May - he won the May 6 Winston 500 at Talladega, Ala., and last Sunday's Winston at CMS - but he did manage to cling to his championship points lead. Earnhardt lost 69 points and now leads runner-up Morgan Shepherd by 21.
"In the long run, that might help us win the championship," said Childress, about his team's mad scramble to get the car back in the race.
Earnhardt's finish continued his recent Charlotte woes. He has now finished 20th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 38th, 42nd and 30th in his past seven regular-season starts at CMS.
"Charlotte might not have been good to me today, but it wasn't so bad last week," said Earnhardt, who won $325,000 in last Sunday's Winston all-star show.
"It paid off pretty good last week. I guess it doesn't take some people long to forget."
Dale Jarrett had two in a row on his mind until his Wood Brothers Ford lost an engine on lap 241 of the 400-lap race.
Jarrett, who won Saturday's Champion 300 Grand National race, was running three seconds back in fourth when the motor blew.
"The car was really, really good and I thought we had a shot at winning the race," Jarrett said. "I know a lot of people say that, but I think we showed that."
Jarrett finished 32nd.
A hot day became even hotter for Hut Stricklin on lap 169. Stricklin was running a competitive seventh when his Buick blew a tire, knocked off an oil cooler line and erupted into flames on the backstretch.
"I've hit walls and wrecked before, but that's as scared as I've ever been in a race car," Stricklin said. "Going that fast and having to stop the car. Then imagine a great big blow torch blasting right in your face.
"I'm just glad to be out of the car and standing here to talk about it."
Stricklin said the tire problem was caused by a rubbing left front fender, which had been bent only two laps earlier when Morgan Shepherd's Ford took him high in turn four.
Bobby Hillin's best run of the season was wiped out when his Buick cut a tire and smacked the wall on lap 210. Hillin was running fifth at the time.
Hillin, complaining of severe pain in his right shoulder, went to nearby University Memorial Hospital for X-rays, which proved negative.
Harry Gant was none too pleased with Ernie Irvan after the race. Gant accused Irvan of spinning him in the frontstretch just before a green-flag restart on lap 112.
"We're lining up and here comes Ernie Irvan on the inside, two laps down, and he runs into me. It broke a tie-rod and took us out of the race. The crew gave me the best-handling car I've ever had here. It's a darn shame that happened."
Gant's crew repaired the car. He got back in the race and finished 25th.
Irvan lost two laps early in the race for unscheduled pit stops, but charged back to finish fifth.
Winner Rusty Wallace said that Irvan and Brett Bodine, whose Buick blew an engine on lap 317, had the two fastest cars on the track in addition to him.
"I felt we had enough to outrun the leaders," said Irvan, who after making up his two laps, never got track position to make a run for the win.
Bodine said his car was capable of winning, too. "Don't worry," he said. "We're going to be a team to contend the rest of the season."
Richard Petty, succumbing to the heat, had to call the bullpen twice for relief.
Petty, 52, climbed out of his car on lap 211 for a breather and was replaced by Sterling Marlin, whose car had fallen out of the race.
Marlin, complaining his legs weren't long enough to mash the throttle, ran only a handful of laps before Petty climbed back into the car.
Petty got out again on lap 310, and early retiree Hut Stricklin drove the Pontiac to 27th place.
Fans watching at home missed roughly 90 minutes of the race when WTBS had an uplink problem with its satellite in Atlanta.
When the picture did come back on, there was an audio malfunction.
by CNB