Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993 TAG: 9302070025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GN STARS MOVE UP TO WINSTON CUP
NASCAR's Grand National division, like any minor league, knows that anyone who succeeds in its ranks soon will advance to the big leagues.At first glance, however, 1993 would seem to be a particularly lean year for the Busch Series - its new, official, sponsor-driven title - given the graduation of three of its top regulars to the Winston Cup Series.
Kenny Wallace, 1991 champion Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon, winner of a record-setting 11 pole positions in 1992, have departed, leaving 1992 champion Joe Nemechek to fend for himself among the rest of the Grand National regulars.
"We definitely did lose some tough guys," Nemechek said. "Bobby Labonte was very consistent throughout the year. Jeff Gordon had all that speed in qualifying. And Kenny Wallace, he was right there all year, too.
"With those guys gone, Robert Pressley [winner of five races last year] will probably be one of the toughest ones. And Todd Bodine, he's going to be tougher than ever. Ricky Craven is good, too.
"There's probably 10 tough guys who are going to be a challenge for any race. I would say that with a 30-car starting field, 18 of the guys will be capable of winning every race.
"But when you win a championship, you have a lot of momentum going into the next season. And I think our team has enough experience now where we can really stay focused on what we're doing."
Winning the championship, Nemechek said, was "a better feeling than I ever thought I could have. Since winning, I'm kind of loosening up a little bit. The feeling of winning the championship gets your adrenaline going and it stays that way."
Nemechek's plans for 1993, in addition to another full Grand National season with his own team, call for a few Winston Cup starts. In five years, he hopes to be running Winston Cup full time, sticking with his own team.
Meanwhile, new faces are appearing to fill the void left by Labonte, Wallace and Gordon.
Labonte's car will be driven by David Green, a GN race winner in 1991 who had to sit on the sideline last year as a Labonte crewman.
The quickest Grand National driver in winter testing for the Goody's 300 on Feb. 13 was not any of the regulars, but Rodney Combs, a former Winston Cup driver. Combs' lap of 187.578 mph on Jan. 16 was almost a mph faster than anybody else's.
Sprint car ace Sammy Swindell reportedly will run a limited GN schedule, as will midget racer Page Jones, son of former Indy Car star Parnelli Jones.
Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien is forming a team for a limited schedule with old buddy Chad Little.
Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville is back for a limited schedule with his own team. He has three new Fords and hopes to start one in his first race of the year - the March 13 Atlanta 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The 28-race series also will feature a new race at a new locale - a 250-mile race around the flat "Milwaukee Mile" oval on July 4 in Elkhart, Wis.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING