Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 11, 1994 TAG: 9404110045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BRISTOL, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
As the race was ending, though, Rudd was released after a thorough examination, including X-rays that showed no broken bones.
The trip to the hospital "was just a precaution," crew chief Bill Ingle said. "They said he hyperextended his neck, and he was complaining that his neck was hurting. They just wanted to have him checked out to see if he was OK."
Rudd appeared to be having some handling problems and had already been lapped when his Ford Thunderbird was struck in the rear by Jeff Burton's car on the frontstretch on lap 187. Rudd went head-on into the inside wall near the end of pit road and slid back across the track and up into the outside wall in the first turn.
After Rudd's car slid off the banked turn to the apron, Ingle began trying to reach him on the radio.
"You OK, Rick?" Ingle said.
There was no response.
Then a crewman said, "He got the breath knocked out of him."
In addition to that and the sore neck, Rudd also complained of a sore shoulder.
His wife, Linda, accompanied him to the hospital. In the same ambulance was Keith Brady, a tire changer for Terry Labonte, who got a piece of metal in an eye during a pit stop.
Eleven laps after Rudd's crash, Burton was involved in a three-car crash in turn 1 that took him out of the race. Although unhurt, Burton had to make a mandatory trip to the infield care center while Rudd was still there. While inside the center, Burton went over to Rudd's bed, apparently to speak to him about the previous incident.
Rudd finished 32nd in the 37-car field. Burton was 31st. Burton, by the way, had to share a pit with Dale Jarrett because there were 37 cars in the race and only 36 pit stalls. But Jarrett dropped out after only 66 laps after crashing in turn 4 when hit by Sterling Marlin.
\ THREE SOLID FINISHES: Ken Schrader and Lake Speed, who finished second and third, had their best races so far of the 1994 season. And Michael Waltrip, who was fifth, had his best finish in more than two years.
"I was just driving my heart out at the end just trying to keep it out of the fence and trying to catch Kenny, and I just couldn't do it," Speed said. "Everything went good until the end, and we had to make an educated guess to try to win the race. And instead of it paying off, we went backwards a little bit. But it keeps getting a little better every weekend."
Schrader said: "We'd like to be sitting up there in the winner's circle, but you can't complain too much about finishing second at Bristol. We didn't have any problems today. We don't just want to ride around and finish second, but we're running better."
Waltrip, after parking his car at the gas pumps, where the drivers who finish second through fifth are ordered to go, said: "I wondered where all the top-five guys went after a race. Now I see. I haven't been here in two years." Waltrip said he "missed all the wrecks by closing my eyes and praying for a hole."
\ LAP LEADERS: Race winner Dale Earnhardt led 183 of the 500 laps, more than anyone else. Geoff Bodine, who finished fourth, led 160 laps. Other lap leaders were Rusty Wallace, who was in front for 81 circuits; Jeff Gordon, who led 68 laps, and Mark Martin, who led eight laps. Pole winner Chuck Bown never led.
\ MAST REPORT: Rick Mast finished 29th after crashing out of the race on lap 322 when his car was struck by Steve Grissom's in turn 4. It was his second accident of the day. He also was involved in a three-car wreck in turn 1 on lap 199.
\ BURTON SURVIVES: Ward Burton finished 25th after completing 368 laps. He was not officially listed as being involved in any accidents, but he hit a couple of things during the race and smashed the front end of his Chevy. "I think we finally burned up the rear end," he said.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB