Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 19, 1994 TAG: 9409270074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Charlotte Observer
DATELINE: DOVER, DEL. LENGTH: Medium
Martin, driving a Ford that dominated the last two-fifths of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, was ahead by seven seconds on lap 463 when there was contact as he tried to lap the Thunderbird of Ricky Rudd in turn 2.
The collision, caused when Rudd blew a tire, caved in the left-front fender of Martin's car and affected its handling, but he raced on in the lead at a slightly reduced speed.
On the 495th of 500 laps, tire wear caused by the poor handling blew out Martin's right-front tire, sending him slamming into the turn 4 wall and then across the track to the inside barrier near the end of pit road. Wallace zipped by from 1.5 seconds behind to take the lead as the yellow flag showed, but the drama wasn't over.
NASCAR officials ordered a speedy clean-up of Martin's wreck to finish the race with at least one lap under green. However, Rick Mast's Ford and Sterling Marlin's Chevrolet stalled at the edge of the track, forcing the yellow lights to remain on.
Meanwhile, Wallace drove onto the flat apron of the track so his engine would pick up what little fuel was left as he rode slowly behind the pace car. Wallace ran over a piece of a brake rotor on the apron, however, cutting a tire and compounding his problems.
Dale Earnhardt drove alongside Wallace in second place in a Chevrolet, waiting to see if his top challenger for the Winston Cup championship could make it the final mile back to the checkered flag. Wallace did, but barely.
Earnhardt signaled to Wallace that he, too, was low on fuel.
``I really didn't have a chance at all until Mark had his problem with Ricky,'' said Wallace, who pushed his season-leading victory total to seven with a third consecutive 500-mile triumph at Dover, the first time that feat has been achieved since David Pearson won three in a row here during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. ``That's a terrible experience for Mark.
``He's a good dude. I like him a lot, and I hate it happened.
``I had a lot of doubt about getting back to the finish line the last lap. The motor must have quit six times, and when that happens it takes your heart. Then, when it refires it's like answered prayers.''
Said Martin, who finished 19th: ``It was looking good until Ricky had the problem and slipped in front of me. Then, the front end started pushing real bad and the tire blew out. That happened because the car wasn't turning as well as it had been.''
Like Wallace, Earnhardt also made it back to the line, finishing as the runner-up and losing only five points to the winner in the chase for the $1.25 million championship. With six races left, Earnhardt leads by 227 in pursuit of a record-tying seventh title.
Darrell Waltrip equaled his best showing of the season by taking third place in a Chevy.
Earnhardt and Waltrip rallied from the back of the field, starting 37th and 35th, respectively.
``I think I could have won the race if it had been restarted,'' Earnhardt said. ``Rusty's got a flat tire, so I'd say I would have had a pretty good chance. But who knows, somebody might have come up and beat me.
``We're in good shape in the points. If we get through the next two races and not lose many, I'll feel real good about it.''
Laps 284-419 produced some of the best racing in years at Dover Downs with Wallace, Earnhardt, Martin, Waltrip and Ken Schrader swapping the lead 10 times. Overall, there were 26 lead changes among 12 drivers, the latter figure tying a track record.
The scariest of the day's 12 incidents was Jeff Burton's crash on lap 190 as he led in a Ford. The Rookie hit the turn 4 wall, and his Ford burst into flame as he skidded down the frontstretch.
Burton suffered no burns, but was held in the infield infirmary for about two hours.
Dale Jarrett hit the turn 3 wall on lap 325 and was taken to a Dover hospital for wrist X-rays.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB