Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 18, 1991 TAG: 9102180117
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Long
"From what I saw today, I was pleased," Richter said after the race. "It's changed the strategy of the racing, but it hasn't changed it to the point to where the procedures on pit road are determining the out come of the race."
Among other things, Richter said, there were fewer tire changes, no incidents on pit road, more careful entries into the pits by drivers and, because drivers didn't want to lose track positions, no processions into the pits during yellow flags for fuel.
But some drivers, notably Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty, did not like the impact of the new rules.
"We're out there running on tires that have 300 miles on them," Petty said. "Everybody was loose. Everybody was squirrelly. So, yeah, they had a big impact on the race. Nobody had on good tires because you can't pit for good tires because you lose a lap."
Earnhardt, who crashed after losing control three laps from the end [taking out Petty and Davey Allison], was another critic.
"I don't like the tire rule," he said. "Not changing tires under caution . . . really makes it tough on the drivers, because you're running them on the ragged edge. There's a lot of torn-up cars today, and I think a lot of that can be blamed on the pit-road rules."
Others disagreed, even some who crashed.
"I never had any problem with tires," said Rusty Wallace, one of the crash victims. "The tires worked fine for me."
Richter said there are "a couple of things" NASCAR may change about the rules, but not much.
Although he wouldn't say what might be modified, one thing to watch for is a change to allow cars with flat tires to pit for replacements without adhering to the odd-even system that follows a caution period.
Under the current rules, tire changes are prohibited during caution periods, unless a team is willing to accept a one-lap penalty.
After the green flag comes out, the entire field must take a full lap. Then, on the second green lap, cars in odd-numbered pit stalls may pit for new rubber. On the third green lap, cars in even-numbered stalls may pit. After that, any car can pit during periods of green-flag racing.
One interesting moment relative to this procedure came as the leaders were on lap 28 - two laps after a caution period ended - when Bill Elliott struggled into the pits running on a blown right front tire.
Elliott, who wasn't having a good day, was at least fortunate in that he was in an odd-numbered pit stall and was allowed to pit without penalty. Had he been in an even-numbered stall, he would have had to decide whether to take a penalty or risk another full lap around the track on a blown tire.
Fans who noticed that made "an astute, learned observation," Richter said, but he would not say if anything would be changed relative to a situation like that.
Most importantly, Richter said, there were no incidents on pit road, such as the accident last November in Atlanta that killed crewman Mike Rich of Bill Elliott's team.
Kyle Petty led the Daytona 500 longer than anyone, which just made him more disappointed about Sunday's 16th-place finish.
Petty still beat his father, Richard. A slow start and late wreck left the elder Petty in 19th place.
"It was a bad day," Richard Petty said.
Kyle Petty, who started sixth, lost his low gear early in the race but still led 51 of 200 laps. He was third behind Earnhardt and eventual winner Ernie Irvan with 10 laps left, but a wreck on the backstretch sidelined Petty's Pontiac less than seven miles from the finish.
"I had as good a shot as anybody else to win this thing," he said, "until we came off Turn 2."
Earnhardt's car became loose, hit Allison's Ford and went into a spin that left it in Petty's path.
"I ran right over him," Petty said.
Richard Petty had his best spot in the starting grid since 1977 - third - but slipped out of the top 15 after 30 laps. He was 18th with 50 miles to go, and his Pontiac backed into the outside retaining wall three laps later.
"We had a loose car to a certain extent," he said.
Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip were running 3-4 late in the race but were knocked out of contention by a four-car wreck 11 laps from the finish.
Wallace said the crash occurred when he was high on the track and Kyle Petty pushed his car into the wall.
"I was sitting there having a great day," said Wallace, who started eighth and finished 27th. "It was probably one of the best days I've ever had here. . . . The car ran great. It ran perfect all day long."
The race was Waltrip's first as owner of his own Winston Cup team. He started 10th and finished 24th.
"The good news from the driver's perspective is I ran great," he said. "From the owner's perspective, it's bad because I didn't win. . . . I think we're going to be a team to be reckoned with - like always."
Although Rick Mast of Rockbridge Baths, Va., raced well most of the day and eventually finished fourth, he was not entirely happy.
"Well, the cautions at the end killed me," he said. "We had the car set up for long runs of green. I think we had second place sewed up at worst until the cautions came up. My car on cold tires simply wouldn't run."
Mast did get one special bonus. He was leading on the 100th lap - the halfway point - and won $10,000.
One of the more unusual moments of the day came in the first few laps, when Earnhardt obliterated a sea gull on the backstretch.
Besides creating a mess, the bird also created some worries for Earnhardt's team.
"It could have knocked a hole in the cooler or messed up the screen over the oil cooler opening," crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine said. "But we stopped a couple of times and put a new screen on it a couple of times. It was just a source of aggravation."
Driver Jimmy Spencer inhaled smoke after fire erupted briefly in his Chevy.
When the car came to rest on the grass in front of pit row, Spencer quickly climbed out and then went to his knees, struggling for breath. He soon was on his feet and walking back to the garage.
"I feel all right now," he said. "I just got a lot of smoke in me. I couldn't breathe."
A.J. Foyt watched the race from a sponsor's booth, ending his streak of 25 consecutive starts in the Daytona 500. Foyt, 56, is recovering from leg injuries sustained in an Indy-car crash last season.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB