Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 13, 1991 TAG: 9102130087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
The pole winner was David Green, 33, of Owensboro, Ky., who has competed in only two previous Grand National races - both on a short track - and has never raced at Daytona.
But Green has showed some strength in January testing and during practice this week and he captured the pole with a lap at 188.675 mph. The outside pole winner, 26-year-old Jack Sprague of Spring Lake, Mich., driving for the Greensboro, N.C.-based Fred Turner Racing team, posted a lap at 188.300.
Sprague has a bit more experience. He competed in 22 Grand National races as a rookie last year and had one top-10 finish.
Green knocked Dale Earnhardt off the pole and then Sprague came along and pushed "The Intimidator" back to the second row. Earnhardt's lap of 188.245 mph was good for third spot. Fourth was Ken Schrader (188.084) and fifth was Tommy Ellis (187.602).
A number of Grand National heavyweights, including Jimmy Hensley, Steve Grissom, Harry Gant, Robert Pressley and L.D. Ottinger, failed to crack the top-20 and will have to run again today for starting positions 21 through 40.
Green, who is indeed green, is driving the Oldsmobile piloted by Bobby Hamilton last year. His only superspeedway experience before he began testing at Daytona was "20 or 30 laps at Charlotte" last fall. Most of his racing has been on short tracks in the NASCAR All American Challenge, ASA and All-Pro series.
"I guess we surprised a lot of people," he said. "Bobby Labonte, Sterling Marlin and a lot of others have been giving me advice and help. I thought we had a shot at the pole."
"To qualify the way we did in front of the people we did - words can't describe it," Green said.
"Right now, I'm thinking about Saturday's race. I wish I could go downtown and find a store where I could buy myself a year's worth of experience.
"Jack and I are very aware of who is behind us," Green said. "We both saw what Mr. Earnhardt could do last Sunday and all I want to do is gain the respect of some veteran drivers."
\ PIT STOPS: For Ken Schrader, the price of Sunday's Busch Clash wreck, aside from one lost Chevrolet Lumina, will be 12 starting positions in his Twin 125 qualifying race Thursday.
Instead of starting fourth in the second 125-mile qualifying race, Schrader will start 16th.
"We'll be OK," he said Tuesday. "Starting 16th in the qualifying race doesn't make too much difference. We can get up there, pretty much."
Schrader lost his primary car Sunday when he was pinched into the front stretch wall by Derrike Cope during the second segment of the Clash.
Schrader's Kodiak Chevrolet crew decided the car was too badly damaged to repair, so he had to requalify his backup car Monday in the second round of qualifying.
Under NASCAR rules, second-round qualifiers must start the Twin 125s behind all first-round qualifiers who stick with their times.
Veteran Winston Cup campaigner J.D. McDuffie, who has one of smallest low-budget teams on the tour, qualified Tuesday for the Twin 125s with a little help from his friends and supporters in the garage.
A fund-raising drive, reportedly launched by Dale Earnhardt, generated enough money to rent McDuffie an engine for Daytona. McDuffie, 52, of Sanford, N.C., ran 185.277 mph in a Pontiac Tuesday in the third and final round of qualifying and will start 27th in Thursday's second 125-mile race.
McDuffie has raced in 15 previous Daytona 500s. His best finish was seventh in 1976. His last 500 was in 1989, when he finished 24th.
Mike Swaim, of High Point, N.C., captured the pole for Friday's Florida 200 NASCAR Dash Series race for four-cylinder cars. Swaim, a three-time winner of the race (1984-86), won the pole with a speed of 163.197 mph.
The outside pole was captured by Lee Farthing of Myrtle Beach, S.C., with a speed of 162.484 mph.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB