Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 1, 1993 TAG: 9305010155
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
Team business manager Don Hawk confirmed that two offers have been made, but would not say who made them.
"We've got two offers, either of which would be OK. We could accept them," Hawk said.
He called them "decent offers," but would not say how much was offered. "Money alone can't buy it," Hawk said. "We want to keep the team together, and in both offers, the intent is to keep the team intact."
Winston Cup car owner Felix Sabates, administrator of Kulwicki's estate, was in Las Vegas Friday, but planned to consult with Gerald Kulwicki soon about the offers, Hawk said.
Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 Winston Cup champion, was killed in an April 1 plane crash outside Bristol, Tenn.
Meanwhile, road racing specialist Tommy Kendall has been recruited to drive the car in a one-race deal for the May 16 road race at Sears Point, Ca.
"It's the kind of opportunity you wish wouldn't have come around . . . but as far as the opportunity itself, I am excited because it's not very often that you get a chance to do a one-off race with the defending championship team," Kendall told Ford's Wayne Estes.
Kendall, who drives fulltime on the IMSA road racing series for Jack Roush, said he received Roush's permission to race at Sears Point, which will pit him against regular Roush Winston Cup drivers Mark Martin and Wally Dallenbach, Jr.
Jimmy Hensley will drive in the Winston 500 here Sunday and will continue to drive it after the Sears Point race.
Hawk said Sabates and Roger Penske will jointly sponsor the car at Sears Point if other sponsorship cannot be found. The temporary sponsorship from Bojangles restaurants ends after Sunday's race. Following the Sears Point race, Hanes will pay the bills for The Winston and the Coca-Cola 600 races later this month at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
\ CROWN JEWEL: Sunday's race is the second of the four "crown jewel" races in the Winston Cup series. Any driver who can win three of the four races in the same year wins a $1 million bonus from series sponsor Winston.
Dale Jarrett, of course, is in the best position to win after capturing the Daytona 500, the first crown jewel.
"To me, the second leg is the most important leg because if you win you've got two victories out of the way," Jarrett said in a press conference here Friday. "Then you've got two more races to win another race . . . and it eliminates anyone else from being in play."
Jarrett said his team has taken special care of their Daytona 500-winning car.
"We kind of set that one aside," he said. "We didn't want any accidents happening near it. We were even a bit scared to paint the front end where it got sandblasted at Daytona."
Jarrett has had three other top-five finishes since winning at Daytona and is currently eighth in points.
\ PETTY CAR: Kyle Petty is here with the same car in which he won the pole position for the Daytona 500.
But his Daytona race came to an unhappy end after he crashed into Bobby Hillin's car and then got into a yelling and shoving match with Hillin.
The car needed a lot of front-end work, crew chief Robin Pemberton told team publicist Jane Gossage, and "we were able to save the roof by hammering out Bobby Hillin's footprints from the top of the car." Hillin climbed over the roof of Petty's car to confront him after the accident.
\ NEW DRIVER: After firing 1991 Winston Cup rookie of the year Bobby Hamilton Monday, TriStar Motorsports co-owner George Bradshaw has selected veteran road racer Dorsey Schroeder to drive the Country Time Ford Thunderbird in the May 16 Winston Cup road race at Sears Point.
Greg Sacks is driving the car here this weekend.
The team has not yet announced who will drive the car after Sears Point.
\ IROC RUNS AGAIN: Round three of the four-race 1993 International Race of Champions gets underway at noon today, with Dale Earnhardt filling in for the late Alan Kulwicki.
Davey Allison leads the series after winning at Darlington in March and finishing second at Daytona in February. As a result, Allison will start last in the 12-car field. Indy car driver Arie Luyendyk, who is last in points, will be on the pole.
ABC will televise the 38-lap race on June 27 at 4 p.m.
\ ARCA POLE: Loy Allen, Jr. is on the pole for today's ARCA Poulan Pro 500K stock car race today at 1 p.m. after qualifying at 191.130 mph Thursday. Jeff Purvis, who is also trying to make Sunday's Winston Cup race, will be on the outside pole of the ARCA race. Kirk Shelmerdine, Dale Earnhardt's former crew chief, starts fourth. And Page Jones, whose old brother, P.J., failed to make the race last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, will start seventh in the ARCA race. Both Page and P.J. are sons of racing legend Parnelli Jones.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB