Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``Every doctor who goes in and out of his room says it's phenomenal how far he has come in 21/2 weeks,'' said Ford motorsports publicist Wayne Estes, who visited Irvan for three hours Tuesday evening and saw him again Wednesday morning.
``He was transferred out of the intensive-care unit into a private room Tuesday and he had his [tracheotomy] tube removed today,'' Estes said. ``He can speak. He can answer questions. He has his voice, and there's nothing out of the ordinary about his voice.
``But he's still going to have some work to do on his road to recovery.''
Irvan was listed in fair condition Wednesday at St.Joseph Mercy Hospital, near Ypsilanti, Mich.
Former Winston Cup champion-turned-broadcaster Benny Parsons was similarly impressed when he visited Irvan on Tuesday with a group that included drivers Rusty and Kenny Wallace.
``I thought he was doing wonderfully,'' Parsons said Wednesday. ``Basically, when I walked in, he said, `Buffet Benny.' Ernie is the guy who gave me that nickname. He knew exactly who we were and who he was.''
Parsons said Irvan talked racing with him and the others during the visit.
``I'm not sure he knows exactly why he's there, but, obviously, when you get a group of us together, that's what we're going to talk about. ... And he talked a great deal.
``I went up there strictly as a friend. I did not go as a media type,'' Parsons said. ``And I was very encouraged by what I saw. Anybody who knows anybody who has had a head injury knows exactly what's going on. It's a long road. The progress he's made is absolutely miraculous.
``But there is still some road to go. We just started this race, and there's no way of knowing at what point in the race he is.''
RUDD'S RUN: How does team ownership suit Ricky Rudd?
Quite well, thank you.
In the second half of the 1994 season, the Chesapeake racer has been the most consistent driver and has amassed more Winston Cup championship points than anyone else.
In the eight races since the Slick 50 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, which Rudd won, he has finished no worse than 12th. And he has finished in the top 10 in six of eight events.
That streak has boosted Rudd into fourth place in the championship hunt, 395 points behind leader Dale Earnhardt and a 168 points behind second-place Rusty Wallace.
``We're right in there,'' Rudd said Wednesday in a telephone interview from his shop, taking a break from opening baby presents with his wife, Linda, and from feeding his 12-day-old son, Landon.
``We're fairly close to second. And we haven't completely written off the championship. I guess it's a matter of how much can you expect or how greedy can you be, but it would be nice, hopefully, to finish in the top five.''
Since New Hampshire, which was the 16th of 31 races this year, Rudd has racked up 1,197 points. He is followed closely by Bill Elliott, who has 1,185 points in that span, with a victory and four other top-10s. Rusty Wallace is third with 1,118 points, followed by Earnhardt with 1,114 and Mark Martin with 1,071.
``At the beginning of the year, I said if we finished in the top 10, we'd be happy,'' Rudd said. ``We're now looking at a realistic shot at second. And the championship is not impossible. If [Earnhardt] has two bad races, we're back in it.
``We figured in the beginning that we would start stepping up our performance in the second half.'' Rudd said. ``It has kind of worked out that way, but better than we expected.''
by CNB