WALLACE FASTEST IN SOMBER QUALIFYING

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

DATE: SATURDAY, April 3, 1993                   TAG: 9304030231
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
WALLACE FASTEST IN SOMBER QUALIFYING
While stock car drivers got down to the business of qualifying Friday for the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn., the fun was missing because of the death of driver Alan Kulwicki.
The reigning Winston Cup champion was among four people on a twin-engine plane that crashed Thursday night as it approached the Tri-City Airport. All four were killed.
Rusty Wallace won the pole position in a Pontiac with a speed of 120.938 mph, far short of the 122.474 record Kulwicki set for last year's race. It was Wallace's second pole of the season and his second at Bristol, where he won this race from the pole two years ago.
Rounding out the top five were Brett Bodine, whose Ford was clocked at 120.581. Ernie Irvan's Chevrolet was third at 120.482 followed by the Fords of Morgan Shepherd (120.444) and Geoff Bodine (120.346).
The second five were Dale Earnhardt and Ken Schrader in Chevys, Martin in a Ford, Chevy driver Ricky Rudd and Davey Allison in a Ford.
\ BURTON BEATS KULWICKI'S RECORD: Ward Burton set a track qualifying record with a speed of 122.945 mph and will start from the pole in today's Budweiser 250 Busch Grand National stock car race.
Burton's lap around the .533-mile oval was not just a record for the Busch Grand National series, it was a track qualifying record.
The old series record, was set by Kulwicki, was 122.474 mph.
Burton's Buick Regal will be followed in the chase for the winner's share of the $207,261 purse by Terry Labonte and Todd Bodine.
\ RICHMOND QUALIFYING: Mike Stefanik broke the track qualifying record at Richmond International Raceway in winning the pole for the NASCAR Winston Modified Tour portion of the Winston Twins. Stefanik, of West Greenwich, R.I., turned the 3/4-mile track at a speed of 125.680 mph in a Pontiac in qualifying for today's race, breaking his own track record of 125.127 mph set in 1991 while qualifying for the Richmond NASCAR Twins.
In qualifying for the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car portion of the doubleheader, Mike Buffkin of Tabb won the pole with a speed of 114.203 mph in a Pontiac. Both divisions will run 150-lap races.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB