Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994 TAG: 9403270124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DARLINGTON, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
Dale Earnhardt blew the sidewall out of a right-front Goodyear tire during morning practice Saturday.
Morgan Shepherd tore a chunk out of the wall of one of his tires, but came off the track before it gave out. Todd Bodine hit the wall in the morning practice, and Derrike Cope crashed in the final afternoon practice after his tires failed or lost air.
The source of the trouble, at least with the Goodyears of Earnhardt and Shepherd, was too little air pressure - as much as 8 pounds (per square inch) too little.
About the only adjustment teams can make with radial tires is the amount of air in them. Underinflated tires tend to grip the track better, as long as they hold together.
"Any time a radial tire is run underinflated, it's going to rip the wall away from the tire," said Goodyear's Wayne Torrence, examining Earnhardt's destroyed tire. He pointed to the inner sidewall of the tire, which had been separated from the tread all the way around the tire, and added, "That's what happens when you're low on air."
Cope, after hitting the wall in turn 3, said his team probably will have to use a backup car for today's race, which means he'll have to relinquish his 12th-place starting spot.
"The car is pretty banged up," he told a track reporter. "The right-front tire went down going into [turn] 3. I must have cut it down or something."
On Friday, 24 cars on Goodyear tires and two on Hoosiers broke the track record, with Bill Elliott leading the assault at 165.553 mph. Hoosier-shod cars had won three of four poles coming into today's race, but their best run Friday was with Geoff Bodine, who qualified seventh.
Saturday's Goodyear troubles seemed to lift spirits in the Hoosier camp, but it was anybody's guess how things would go in today's race. The best finish by a Hoosier car in Saturday's Grand National race was fifth, by Harry Gant. Both companies are running the same tire in both races.
Barring outright tire failures, the key today will be durability.
"We went about 50 laps" on a set, Gant said Saturday. "Mine are completely gone. It seems like after 46 to 50 laps, they wear pretty bad."
Other Hoosier teams said they might have to pit for tires as often as every 30 laps.
The consensus on the Goodyears is they will last about 40 laps.
"We made about 40 laps on a set [of Goodyears], and they were gone," Ken Schrader said. "I don't think the Hoosiers will be a factor from what I'm hearing."
In any event, the loss of speed from new tires to used tires is so great on this old, abrasive asphalt that Goodyear and Hoosier drivers will be pitting for new tires long before they need fuel.
\ ALLEN GOES HOME: No one has been quite as inconsistent this year as rookie Loy Allen Jr.
Allen failed to qualify for the second time this year during second-round time trials Saturday, and his team no longer has enough owner points to merit a provisional starting spot.
Allen, who is using Hoosier tires, won the Daytona 500 pole - a first for a rookie, then had to use a provisional to make the race at Rockingham. He failed to qualify at Richmond, then won the pole at Atlanta. He was 44th-fastest here.
Todd Bodine, who was 42nd-fastest, got the only provisional starting spot.
Those who failed to qualify, from 41st down, were Curtis Markham, Bodine, Rick Carelli, Allen, Bob Schacht, Billy Standridge, Norm Benning, H.B. Bailey and Andy Belmont.
Meanwhile, Wally Dallenbach Jr., who had missed the past two races, was a picture of relief after making the field in the 37th starting spot. Dallenbach stood on his Friday speed, and it was good enough.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Dallenbach said. "This helps. But we're going to approach the race more like a test session."
Dallenbach has been fighting a loose chassis that has infected his Pontiac Grand Prix like a virus.
\ RUDD'S NEW SHOP: Ricky Rudd's new race shop in Mooresville, N.C., is almost finished.
"We'll move in right before the Bristol race [on April 10]," Rudd said. "We're about 30 days behind schedule."
\ ALLISON STILL LOOKING: Although his driver, Chuck Bown, has turned in some impressive performances, particularly during qualifying, car owner Bobby Allison still is without a sponsor.
"We've talked to so many people," Allison said. "It seems like something is going to happen, then the next day it doesn't go or it goes somewhere else."
Bown qualified fourth for today's race. He was third on the starting grid at Richmond and qualified ninth at Atlanta. His best finish is 17th at Richmond.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB