Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203220062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Randy King sportswriter SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DMARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
After finding slim pickings in the first month of the 1992 Busch Grand National season, the Hensley racing clan will be looking for a huge helping of home cooking today in the Miller Genuine Draft 500 tripleheader at Martinsville Speedway.
The season has served up nothing but table scraps for the Hensleys' dual GN connection - driver Jimmy Hensley's team and the operation of his uncle Hubert and cousin Jeff.
"We need something, that's for dang sure," said Jimmy Hensley, referring to his Beverly-owned team, which without a sponsor, is operating on a week-to-week basis.
His cousin feels the same way.
"We can't stand any more of this. . . . We need something to go right for us," said Jeff Hensley, whose driver, Chuck Bown, has opened the season with a horrid string of finishes - 32nd, 35th, ninth and 41st.
Now comes Martinsville. And if any of the Hensleys ever hopes to get on track, it figures to happen here, right in their backyard.
Over the years, the .526-mile oval has been particularly good to Jimmy Hensley, whose win in last March's 200-lap GN race was his fifth career victory at Martinsville.
But 1992 has been tough for the 46-year-old driver. He has completed only one of three races - a seventh-place run at Richmond. He ended up with rib and foot injuries in a hard crash at Daytona. And last week, his team, struggling financially without a sponsor, opted to skip the Atlanta race.
"I don't know what's going to happen with the team," said Hensley. "Right now, it's a week-to-week deal. It's frustrating knowing you're capable and you still can't get the help to keep going.
"Things are pretty dead sponsor-wise right now. Something may come up tomorrow, I don't know. We'd like to win this race, but that doesn't automatically mean that we'd get a sponsor.
"Shoot, we won this race last year. Then we won two more and still didn't get a sponsor. So, obviously, winning doesn't have that much to do with it."
Hubert and Jeff Hensley's request from Martinsville today doesn't necessarily include a win. The way their luck has been running, they would settle for getting their race car back on the hauler in one piece.
"Our start has been so bad that's it's almost funny," said Bown, whose team has destroyed three cars in wrecks this season. "Sure, we like Martinsville and we feel good about our chances here. But to tell you the truth, if we just finish without wrecking, I'd be happy."
It takes some searching to find Bown's name in the GN standings. He is 28th.
"The big thing is we're just so far behind in the shop due to all the wrecks," Bown said. "It's been unbelievable. It's horrible. If it can go wrong, it has gone wrong for this team this year.
"Hey, where's Bill Elliott's lucky possum? I sure would like to have it to ride in my car these days."
Bown's rotten run of luck continued Friday, when NASCAR inspectors disqualified his fourth-place qualifying run after discovering an irregularity in the Hensley car's carburetor. Bown was forced to make today's race through Saturday's second 25-lap GN qualifying heat.
"Every time I think our luck can't get any worse, it does," Bown said Saturday. "Now we're [starting] back [in the pack] with the fun boys."
Bown's Pontiac starts 22nd in the 29-car field. Jimmy Hensley's Oldsmobile goes 11th.
Northerner Ricky Craven is the pole-sitter for the 105.2-mile race, which is the middle portion of the 500-lap card.
The GN race will be televised live on cable by The Nashville Network, beginning at 1 p.m.
\ Today's program starts at noon with the 100-lap Late Model Stock Car race. Fredericksburg native Curtis Markham, whose Buick starts on the pole, will be trying for his fifth career LMSC win at Martinsville.
The 33-car field includes such area notables as Paul Radford, Ronnie Thomas, Stacy Compton, Tink Reedy, Rodney Sawyers, Stan Akers, Jeff Agnew, Frankie Pennington and Rick Sigmon.
The 200-lap Modified event caps the three-race card. New Yorker Jan Leaty starts on the pole in the Modified tour's season opener.
A crowd of 15,000 to 18,000 is expected for the opener of the speedway's 45th anniversary season.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB