Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 24, 1993 TAG: 9304240097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Chevrolet is leading the car maker's race 46-45 over Pontiac, with Ford third at 42 points. Points are awarded on 9-6-4 basis to the highest finishing team from each manufacturer.
The Pontiacs are in the thick of the car maker's battle because of Rusty Wallace's hot streak, with three victories in the first seven races. On the strength of Wallace's early-season performance, Pontiacs have led 1,001 of the 2,687 laps run this season.
Pontiac last led the manufacturer's championship in April, 1988. The last time a Pontiac won here was in the fall of 1986, when Wallace captured the Goody's 500.
\ PETTY MOVES UP: While Wallace hogs the headlines, fellow Pontiac driver Kyle Petty has quietly worked his way from 33rd to fourth in the Winston Cup points battle with five straight top-10 finishes.
"We're a whole lot further up in the points than we were last year at this time," Petty said. "We're pretty pleased with it."
Petty needs $27,830 in purse winnings to become the 15th driver in NASCAR history to reach $5 million in his career.
The other Pontiac drivers in the series - Rick Wilson, Michael Waltrip and rookie Kenny Wallace - are not faring as well. Waltrip is 22nd in points, Wallace is 24th and Wilson is 30th.
\ HERE'S HOW HE DID IT: Wallace will be featured on Wednesday's upcoming edition of the CBS television show "How'd They Do That?"
His claim to fame?
He survived that series of barrel rolls and flips in his Pontiac down the Daytona International Speedway backstretch in the Daytona 500. Wallace walked away with only a cut chin.
The program, which airs at 8 p.m., will focus on safety features of the Winston Cup stock car and will include excerpts of an interview with Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson.
\ TIME HAD COME: When Winston Cup rookie Bobby Labonte won the 200-lap Grand National race in the Winston Classic here last October, a highlight was receiving Martinsville's traditional grandfather clock trophy.
"They told me after the race that I could pick up the next week, but I said, `No, I'm taking it with me,' " Labonte said. "And it went back between my wife and me in the middle of the van and we had it up and running that night. I had wanted one of those clocks forever."
\ OFFSPRING: Among the entrants in today's Hanes 150 for Goody's Dash cars are Kerry Earnhardt, son of Dale Earnhardt, and Stanton Barrett, son of stuntman Stan Barrett.
Kerry Earnhardt is 10th in Dash series points, with two top-10 finishes in four races. Will Hobgood, winner at Daytona, is the series leader.
\ STILL A 49ER: Although Joe Montana, grand marshal of the Hanes 500, has left the San Francisco 49ers for the Kansas City Chiefs, driver Dale Jarrett still will be wearing a 49ers racing helmet Sunday.
Each race, Jarrett wears a helmet with a different NFL team emblem. But he already has used up his Chiefs helmet, having hurled that at Bobby Hillin's car at Bristol earlier this month.
\ FUN RUN: Rookie P.J. Jones, who hopes to make his Winston Cup debut here this weekend, had the slowest but probably most exciting qualifying run Friday.
He nearly spun in turn 2 on his first lap and nearly hit the wall on his second.
"I'm real eager to run with this crowd," he said. He'll need to go faster to do that. He was 36th in the 36-car field and needs to improve at least four spots to make Sunday's race.
by CNB