Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 18, 1993 TAG: 9304180102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
EARNHARDT TURNS IN RECORD LAP
Dale Earnhardt set a track record at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, but it was good only for bragging rights and the 21st starting position in today's First Union 400.His lap of 117.616 mph nipped Rusty Wallace's 1989 track record of 117.524 mph and easily beat Brett Bodine's pole-winning run of 117.017 mph made Friday.
Since the fast lap came in the second round of qualifying, Earnhardt moved up only three spots in the 34-car starting field. The first 20 spots were locked in during Friday's first round.
Earnhardt, nevertheless, was delighted.
"That was neat," he said. "We just got it hooked up today."
Earnhardt's Chevrolet Lumina was not handling well Friday, but a tip from Rusty Wallace about springs helped improve the car Saturday. Even though providing advice may have cost Wallace a track record, he made a special trip to Earnhardt's trailer to offer congratulations.
The 34-car field for today's 1 p.m. race includes provisional starters Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Jimmy Means, who were too slow to make the regular field. Four drivers failed to make the race, including Dave Marcis.
\ OUT OF THE WAY: Junior Miller of Winston-Salem bumped Frank Fleming out of his path with seven laps to go and won the Lowes 150 for Modified Division cars Saturday at North Wilkesboro.
\ TEMPER, TEMPER I: NASCAR levied no fines or penalties in the wake of Friday's dispute between Ricky Rudd and Brett Bodine, which featured a Rudd punch that missed.
NASCAR vice president of competition Les Richter and Winston Cup director Gary Nelson met with both drivers separately, then brought them together for a 15-minute discussion Saturday morning to clear the air.
Afterward, Rudd had little to say.
"There was a big discussion and I listened," he said. "I don't have a side. I paid attention in the meeting. It's over."
Rudd was angry at Bodine for allegedly bumping him into the wall two weeks ago at Bristol, but a videotape of the incident supported Bodine's contention that he had done nothing wrong.
"We just met and cooler heads prevailed," said Bodine, who is on the pole for today's race.
\ TEMPER, TEMPER II: Dale Jarrett was the only other driver at Bristol as angry as Rudd.
And Jarrett made no apologies Saturday for hurling his helmet into the side of Bobby Hillin's car during the Food City 500. Jarrett blew his top after a collision with Hillin that sent him into the wall and out of the race.
"The reason I did what I did was simply because we had a car 70 or 80 laps behind that put me out of the race," Jarrett said. "What I did probably wasn't right, but I'm not real sorry for what I did. You've got to let your emotions show sometimes."
Jarrett said his car owner, former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, wasn't thrilled about the helmet toss but understood.
"He told me, `I've been around sports and competitive people long enough to know that you've got to have fire in you or you're not a winner,' " Jarrett said. "You won't see me throw a helmet again. I'll take something else out and throw it."
\ JUNIOR UPDATE: Junior Johnson held a news conference Saturday to clear the air about his race team and his life.
His recent open heart surgery, he said, included an angioplasty to open the arteries as well as a bypass operation.
"I'm pretty well back with my health to where I feel like I did 20 years ago, and I hope I keep improving," he said.
Rumors that his race teams were for sale are untrue, he said, stating, "Where that came from, I don't know."
His teams have had a slow start in 1993, Johnson said, because "with all the rules changes in the [Ford] bodies and some personnel switching around on the teams, it just hasn't all gelled together just yet." (His top driver, Bill Elliott, is 25th in the Winston Cup points standings. Hut Stricklin is 17th).
As for his divorce from Flossie Johnson, Junior said: "There'll be some sort of agreement between Flossie and myself down the road, but it won't affect the race teams. She owns half the company and I own half the company, and that's the way it's being run right now."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING