
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 28, 1993                   TAG: 9310280031
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HUEYTOWN, ALA.                                LENGTH: Short

BONNETT BACK ON TRACK

Neil Bonnett, who suffered a serious head injury in a 1990 wreck and crashed again in a comeback bid this year, plans to drive in five races during the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup season.

Three of the five races on Bonnett's 1994 schedule reportedly are the season-opening Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Birmingham News and The Charlotte Observer said Bonnett plans to drive Chevrolets owned by Floridian James Finch.

The Grand National crew of Bonnett friend Dale Earnhardt will serve as his crew in the five races.

Bonnett was en route from Hueytown to Phoenix on Wednesday and not immediately available for comment.

He is to hold a news conference today at Phoenix International Raceway, where qualifying for the Slick 50 500 begins Friday.

Bonnett, who has won 18 of NASCAR's major races, was sidelined after injuring his head in a multicar crash during the TranSouth 500 at Darlington, S.C., in 1990.

Suffering from a loss of memory for several weeks, Bonnett did not get medical clearance to return to racing until this summer. Then, in his comeback race, he crashed again at the DieHard 500 at Talladega.

"The more I'm around cars, the stronger the urge comes to drive again," Bonnett said last weekend at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. "For someone who never has done it, I guess it's hard to understand. For me, it's impossible to get the thrill of the competition out of my system."

Keywords:
AUTO RACING

by CNB