Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 16, 1993 TAG: 9305160091
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SONOMA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
Petty visited a doctor twice last week and was advised not to fly to California for today's Save Mart 300, team spokesman Chuck Spicer said. Petty was supposed to be grand marshal for today's race and also had to cancel other public appearances.
Team manager Dale Inman said it was the first time he could remember that Petty had not been at a NASCAR race track for a Winston Cup race since 1965, when he boycotted the series for much of the year and went drag racing after NASCAR banned the Hemi engine.
Rick Wilson, the driver of Petty's No. 44 Pontiac Grand Prix, will start 20th today.
\ HOW'S THIS FOR A SWITCH?: Jimmy Hensley may be driving in relief for road racer Tommy Kendall at this 11-turn road course today.
Kendall is so sore from his hard crash in turn 10 during qualifying Friday that he might not be able to drive the entire race.
The team asked Hensley to make the trip from his home in Ridgeway, Va., to stand by in case Kendall's bruised ribs prevent him from running the entire 187 miles.
\ A DAY LATE: The fastest qualifier during Saturday's second round of time trials was Brett Bodine, whose speed of 89.987 mph secured the 25th starting spot. Had he run that speed Friday, he would have started 21st.
\ STUCK ON REPLAY: NASCAR has taken a lot of heat for allowing the chaotic two-lap free-for-all sprint to the finish in the Winston 500 on May 2 at Talladega Superspeedway.
It ended with Ernie Irvan winning the race as Rusty Wallace flipped eight times down the frontstretch in a crash that broke his left wrist.
Despite the crash, that final lap is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most intriguing - and most carefully studied - finishes in Winston Cup history.
Fans and competitors alike have watched replays of the final lap again and again, studying the nuances of every move, every pass and every bump as 14 drivers frantically battled.
Wallace said he's "watched the tape 100 times. I wanted to see all the maneuvers taking place that caused what happened." Most of the time, however, he's stopped the tape when his wreck started.
"I watched the wreck three or four times," he said. "I didn't need to watch the wreck a whole lot."
Dale Earnhardt, who started the crash when he hit Wallace in the rear, also has watched the videotape repeatedly.
Wallace's younger brother, Kenny, said he also "watched the replay over and over. And I think Rusty is taking a little too much of the blame" for the crash.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB