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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993                   TAG: 9301070116
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Bob Zeller Staff
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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KULWICKI RUNS FAST LAP

Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki ran the fastest lap in practice Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway as testing for the Feb. 14 Daytona 500 resumed with a four-day session for Ford Thunderbirds.

Kulwicki drove the 2.5-mile track at 188.521 mph, followed by Bill Elliott (188.285 mph), Jimmy Spencer (188.245 mph), Brett Bodine (187.891 mph) and Davey Allison (187.539 mph). Mark Martin, Morgan Shepherd, Hut Stricklin, Wally Dallenbach and Bobby Hamilton also practiced.

The Fords are running with new body designs with minor changes for 1993 that are not readily apparent to the eye but can affect speed. Kulwicki, for one, was about four-tenths of a mile per hour faster Wednesday with the new body than he was in December with the old body.

Meanwhile, there's still no official word on Tim Brewer's replacement as a Junior Johnson crew chief. Johnson's office Wednesday couldn't confirm that Johnson had hired or was going to hire former crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine, as has been reported by some media.

Shelmerdine bowed out of the sport at the end of last season, citing burnout after 14 years of the high-pressure work, including nine with Dale Earnhardt.

Mike Beam, Johnson's remaining crew chief, worked with Elliott and Stricklin at Daytona Wednesday.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING

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