Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 12, 1993 TAG: 9309120227
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Martin, trying to win a modern record of five straight races, led 155 laps, but he slipped in the final 100 circuits around the three-quarter-mile oval and finished sixth.
Bill Elliott was second - three car lengths behind Wallace - after pressing Wallace closely in the final laps. It was Elliott's best finish of the year.
"I was really upset [about the penalty], but sometimes when you get that upset, it just makes you work that much harder, and that's what I did," Wallace said after taking a backward victory lap in honor of the late Alan Kulwicki.
Dale Earnhardt finished third, even though he nearly was lapped by Wallace in the second half of the race.
"Almost got him a lap down and he gets back to third. An amazing guy," Wallace said of Earnhardt.
Ricky Rudd finished fourth despite losing a number of positions late in the race when he spun coming off pit road after getting tapped by Earnhardt.
Brett Bodine was fifth, nipping Martin at the finish line. Behind Martin were Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty and Jeff Gordon, the only other cars on the lead lap.
For Martin, it was the end of the longest winning streak of his racing career - four straight Winston Cup wins and three Grand National victories.
Five laps from the checkered flag, with Martin in fifth and his first loss in eight races imminent, car owner Jack Roush owner conceded defeat.
"We've had a really good run," Roush told his crew and his driver. "Everybody hold your head up. This track finally got us, but we did really good for a long time."
Wallace, the defending champion in the race, had predicted he would be plenty strong. He was, taking the lead for the first time 12 laps after the race started.
He was in front and dominating when the complexion of the race suddenly changed after a restart on lap 92 after a yellow flag.
Starter Doyle Ford began waving the black flag - for Wallace.
When he came in, Wallace had been in front for 71 of the first 95 laps.
And he wasn't happy.
NASCAR officials said Wallace had brake-checked the field in the third turn before the restart and then jumped the green flag. Wallace received no warning, NASCAR officials said, because he had been repeatedly warned about the same violations at other short track races this year, including twice at Bristol last month.
"I didn't do anything!" Wallace told his crew. "I tell you, that's sick! Man, I tell you what - they're just out for us. They don't want me to stink up the show."
It still was a sore point more than 40 laps later as Wallace was clawing back through the field.
"I just want to make it clear that I didn't hit no brake," he told his crew.
"You hear that, Hoot?" crew chief Buddy Parrott said, addressing NASCAR race director David Hoots. "I know you're monitoring us."
By then, he was back up to 12th. By lap 195, he was sixth. And by lap 250, after a round of green-flag pit stops, he was battling Martin for the lead.
They raced close for the next 18 laps, until Wallace used a slower car as a pick and shot past Martin going into turn 3.
Wallace was pulling away when Sterling Marlin spun on lap 302, bring out the fourth yellow flag.
Wallace had his usual quick pit stop, but Martin was in for 23 seconds and slipped from second to fourth as his hopes for five straight grew dimmer and dimmer.
That gave Wallace a cushion because Martin became stuck behind Elliott, who was having his best run of 1993.
Martin was unable to pass Elliott, and on lap 343, Rudd charged past into third.
There were three yellow flags in the final 17 laps, but Wallace stayed in front.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB