Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994 TAG: 9403190113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Wayne Patterson of Richmond satisfied his appetite at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, chewing up the .526-mile track at 88.267 mph to post the fastest Late Model Stock Car qualifying time for Sunday's Miller Genuine Draft 500.
Patterson's time was nearly three-tenths of a second faster than that of second-place qualifier Johnny Rumley of Winston-Salem, N.C.
"It's usually feast or famine for me at Martinsville," Patterson said.
Sixty-seven racers each ran two qualifying laps. The top 20 earned berths in the 200-lap Late Model Stock Car portion of the Miller Genuine Draft 500 on Sunday at 3 p.m. The first half of Sunday's doubleheader, a 300-lap Busch Grand National race, begins at 1 p.m.
Late Model drivers who didn't qualify receive a second chance for the remaining 14 spots in two 50-lap heat races this afternoon.
"I really didn't think we had a shot [at the pole]," said Patterson, who won at Martinsville in 1988 and 1990. "I thought we had lost power compared to what we were doing in practice this morning. We were lucky, but I guess that's what it takes."
Patterson was the 37th driver to attempt to qualify. Most of the fastest times were posted toward the middle of the pack, after the track had warmed up and before the temperature cooled. Rumley was the 42nd driver, and Barry Beggarly and Jason Gullie, who finished third and fourth, respectively, ran 52nd and 28th.
The weather cooperated Friday, as qualifying was sandwiched between early morning showers and an evening wind storm.
Beggarly, the 1993 Winston Racing Series national champion and winner of the first-ever Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville, was not satisfied with his performance.
"We just didn't get hooked up good," Beggarly said. "We haven't hit a lick here the last year or two."
Gullie, 23, is viewed as a darkhorse. Although he has been racing for five years, he has yet to win a Late Model feature.
Several area drivers made the field. Floyd's Jeff Agnew qualified seventh, Bassett's Ray Young will start ninth and Stacy Compton from Hurt is 11th. Darryl Lacks and Tracy Owens, both from Goode, qualified 12th and 17th, respectively.
Lacks, whose last victory was in 1988, was especially pleased with his time and postion, his best-ever qualifying at Martinsville.
"Based upon the way we were practicing, I thought we'd finish in the top 10, maybe in the top five," Lacks said. "I went a little too high on turn 3, but we still ended up 12th."
Lacks was an early qualifier, and his time was the fastest of the first 14.
Roanoke's Tony McGuire claimed the 20th position.
"I was holding my breath for about 40 minutes," McGuire said. "I caught a bad break, going out in the steaming sun."
Heavy cloud cover moved over the speedway midway through the qualifying.
"I'm glad I don't have to run in the heat races," McGuire said. "They're nothing but a demolition derby."
Many prominent New River Valley and Franklin County Speedway drivers failed to make the field. Dicky Wilson, Kenny Wagner, Richard Goodwin, Rick Sigmon, Frankie Pennington, Kenny Prillaman, Tink Reedy and Ronnie Newman are among those who will be seeking better fates today.
During Friday's qualifying race, Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell announced that the starting field for the Hanes 500 Winston Cup race on April 24 will be expanded by two to 36 cars.
"Winston Cup racing never has been more competitive than this season," Campbell said. "With the large number of fast cars and good drivers, plus the abundance of top sponsors, we thought this was a necessity."
Construction of two new pit areas will begin after Sunday's Miller Genuine Draft 500.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB