Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 23, 1993 TAG: 9304230012
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
After winning at Bristol (Tenn.) and North Wilkesboro (N.C.), Wallace will go for a hat trick at Martinsville in the third and final race of NASCAR's traditional April short track tour.
Last Sunday's win at North Wilkesboro vaulted Wallace to the top of the Winston Cup points race and solidified his position as the hottest driver in the 1993 season.
Wallace has been at the front or among the leaders in all seven races this year. And after his tumble down the backstretch at Daytona, which barely fazed him, Wallace has won three races. More importantly, he hasn't been out of the top five.
"I'm treating every single race like its the last race," Wallace said after his North Wilkesboro victory. "I'm going into every single race trying to lead the most laps. We've got six brand new cars. We're really set. We're ready to go. The way our team is right now, I sure don't put 10 wins past us."
Wallace said he expects Sunday's 12:30 p.m. race "to run pretty caution-free," but added, "I don't expect any short track to be incident-free for a long time."
Wallace is also a threat to win the pole during first-round qualifying at 3 p.m. today. His qualifying record since Atlanta: first, third, first, ninth.
The first 20 spots in the 32-car field will be set in today's qualifying. Mark Martin holds the track record at 93.171 mph.
Another driver to watch is Horsepasture's Jimmy Hensley, who could enhance his chances for a full-time ride with another stellar performance at his home track.
Hensley is driving the late Alan Kulwicki's Ford Thunderbird, but that ride may end as soon as a buyer is found for the Winston Cup champion's team. And that may happen as soon as the next race on May 2 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Hensley won the Martinsville pole for Dale Earnhardt in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo kept Earnhardt from getting to the track. And Hensley had solid runs in the Team III car in 1991 and in Cale Yarborough's car last year.
Gates open at 8 a.m. today, with Winston Cup practice starting at 11 a.m. Tickets are $5 each, but children 12 and under get in free if accompanied by an adult.
Also, some 20 drivers have agreed to participate in a "Racin' The Bases '93" charity softball game at 6 p.m. today at Hooker Field in Martinsville.
Admission is free, with proceeds from concessions and souvenirs to benefit the Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary and the trust fund for the late Clifford Allison's children.
Saturday's action features the Hanes 150, a Goody's Dash series race featuring four-cylinder subcompacts, at 2 p.m.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB