Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9411040012
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
``They're talking about breaking the other one, too,'' Jarrett said of his crew after a lap of 93.272 miles per hour that earned him the eighth qualifying spot for Sunday's Goody's 500.
Jarrett broke his wrist in a crash last weekend at Dover. ``I had a strong grip on the wheel,'' he said. ``I knew it was going to hit hard.''
Something had to give, and in Jarrett's case, it was his wrist, as well as the wheel. ``It bent the steering wheel up over the column,'' he said.
The fracture is to the bone that connects the thumb to the wrist and Jarrett will be wearing a rubber cast while driving. But 500 laps around the tight Martinsville half-mile oval Sunday will be no fun.
``This is probably the toughest place we could go, because you turn the steering wheel more here than anywhere else we go because of the tight corners,'' he said. ``You can make a good lap, but if you get a little crossed up, and you don't have any confidence because of the banged-up hand, I can't correct. I'm basically driving it with my right hand, and the left hand provides a little security.''
The fact that his qualifying run was good enough to earn a pit on the frontstretch delighted Jarrett more than anything else.
``We're on the frontstretch, and that's something I haven't done here recently with two good hands,'' he said.
LONG SILLY SEASON: With less than two months less in the 1994 Winston Cup season, teams are already busy planning for next year.
But most of the key driver and team changes have yet to be resolved. Usually, most of the so-called ``silly season'' changes have been settled by now.
The biggest unresolved situation, of course, is who will be driving Robert Yates's No.28 Ford Thunderbird next year. Ernie Irvan, in his first news conference since his crash at Michigan, indicated on Thursday that he'd like to return at Daytona next February if he can. But that's one gigantic `if.' And as long as Irvan's status is unresolved, the question of who will drive his car will likely be, too.
Other unresolved matters include Junior Johnson's plans. ``They're still up in the air,'' he said Friday. ``I hope to have something done by next week.''
That ``something'' apparently will be an announcement in Charlotte next Thursday that Brett Bodine will drive the No.11 Ford with sponsorship from the Lowe's home supply chain. But there's still some question as to whether Junior will also field the No.27 Ford with Jimmy Spencer, and if so, who will sponsor the car.
Meanwhile, Bill Davis is still looking for a sponsor for his No.22 Ford with driver Bobby Labonte and the Kranefuss-Haas team apparently is still without a driver.
Also, Bud Moore hasn't decided who will drive his No.15 Ford. John Andretti and Richard Petty are still doing race-by-race deals, although they appear to be closer to a longer arrangement.
EARLES RECUPERATING: One week after undergoing serious gallbladder surgery, Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles, 81, was back at home, defying doctors' predictions that he would spend a week in intensive care and three weeks in the hospital.
``I guess I'm a little stubborn,'' Earles said. ``I just couldn't believe I'd be in intensive care that long.''
The surgery was on Monday, Sept.12, and Earles left the hospital the next Monday.
Earles is still recuperating at his home next to the track, but hopes to make his usual appearance in the press box on race day. ``I'd like to see my friends and talk with them,'' he told Smith.
RACE WINNERS: The two 25-lap last-chance qualifying races for today's Goody's 200 late model stock car race were won by Ray Young of Bassett and Stacy Compton of Hurt. Young beat Phil Warren of Norfolk, while Compton finished ahead of Stephen Grimes of Siler City, N.C.
FORD MAY CLINCH: With 17 victories in 25 races, the Ford Thunderbird teams are on the verge of clincing Ford's second manufacturers championship in three years, even though Chevy driver Dale Earnhardt has a big lead in the battle for the driver's championship.
A Ford win in Sunday's race will clinch the title. In fact, the only thing that won't clinch the title for the company is if the top-finishing Ford finishes behind both a Chevy and a Pontiac. Ford currently has 201 points, while Chevy has 172 and Pontiac has 102. Ford only needs a 25-point lead after Sunday's race to lock up the title.
Seven different Ford drivers have won races this year: Rusty Wallace (7 wins), Ernie Irvan (3), Geoff Bodine (2), Jimmy Spencer (2), Bill Elliott, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd.
by CNB