Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 18, 1992 TAG: 9201180130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CHARLOTTE SPEEDWAY STILL WORKING ON LIGHTING SYSTEM
Despite a test run in December that "totally failed," Charlotte Motor Speedway President H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler is enthusiastically forging ahead with the difficult job of installing a permanent lighting system in time to run The Winston at night this May.Musco Lighting, the Iowa company that won the contract to install the system, has already built the foundations for some of the 70-foot light towers around the outside of the track.
The company is also planning to install lights around the inside of the track at guardrail level that company President Joe Crookham said would provide essential lighting without blinding the drivers or the spectators.
Musco's timetable calls for the system to be ready for testing in early April.
A key problem at the moment is glare. It was a problem at Richmond to some drivers and considering Charlotte's higher speeds, would be a bigger problem there.
Glare, Wheeler said, was what made the December test fail. A 500-foot section of the track was lit, and inside the car, "the rear view mirror was full of glare," Wheeler said.
But Crookham, speaking at a seminar earlier this week during the speedway's preseason media tour, said he is confident he can solve that problem with new lighting technology.
The drivers certainly hope so.
"I'll probably feel better or worse about it after the test," said 1991 Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. "I didn't like the Richmond race under the lights because of glare. I don't want to lose, but I don't want to get in a wreck unnecessarily."
Then he admitted, "I'm going to be in that race wide open whether I can see a damn thing or not."
\ For the second day in a row, Bill Elliott sped to the fastest lap in winter testing at Daytona International Speedway with a speed of 193.340 mph. Teammate Sterling Marlin, who has also been over 193 mph, was second fastest at 192.802 mph.
Other speeds in the final day of a four-day Ford test session: Mark Martin, 192.596 mph; Phil Parsons, 191.002 mph; Rick Wilson, 190.557 mph; Davey Allison, 190.315 mph; Alan Kulwicki, 189.633 mph; Wally Dallenbach, Jr., 189.553 mph; and Dorsey Schroeder, 188.957 mph.
\ On the technical side, NASCAR engine specialists say the new Chevrolet cylinder heads for General Motors cars are allowing the engine to produce good horsepower, but the heads may not be particularly dependable.
Parts of the metal heads have been cracking and "we still don't know if this head is going to be reliable," said David Evans, chief engine builder for Rusty Wallace.
Last year, General Motors teams had been making modifications to try to improve the performance of the heads. The new head is similar to last year's modified heads. It is scheduled to become the required head for GM cars in July, along with a rule that it cannot be modified.
\ Although Ricky Rudd enjoyed his best season ever last year with a second place in the Winston Cup championship, chronic handling problems dogged him late in the year and kept him from mounting a challenge against Earnhardt for the championship.
So this year, Rudd's team has built all new cars.
Rudd said his new crew chief, Gary DeHart, a chassis specialist, scrapped last year's cars because he wanted to work with equipment he was familiar with.
Rudd's former crew chief, veteran Waddell Wilson, is now head of the vast engine shop of team owner Rick Hendrick, who provides motors to several teams.
"Last year, Waddell was doing everything from booking hotel rooms to making sure the truck was loaded properly, when his forte is engines," Rudd said.
"If everything comes together like we're capable of, we're going to have a great season."