Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404240221
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But on Saturday, the short track that Earles carved out of the red Virginia clay 47 years ago became the scene of one of Gant's greatest defeats.
The 54-year-old driver failed to qualify for today's Hanes 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
If Gant was heartbroken, he had too much pride to let it show. He crawled out of his Skoal Bandit Chevrolet and took it like a gentleman.
"Yeah, we made all the wrong decisions we could make, it looks like," he said.
"What did it do?," a crewman wanted to know, nodding toward the car.
"Well . . . didn't run," Gant said, a touch of resignation in his voice.
"Any more power?"
"No."
Martinsville Speedway had been such a great track for Harry Gant. Folks around here still talk about that glorious September afternoon three years ago, when he took a shot from Rusty Wallace late in the Goody's 500 and hit the wall, but came back with both guns blazing, passing 11 cars in 70 laps to win going away.
It was Gant's fourth consecutive Winston Cup victory. And it earned him the nickname "Mr. September."
But on this cloudless Saturday in April, during the final year of his NASCAR racing career, Gant came up short in the new and brutal Winston Cup game called second-day qualifying.
In 1990, Gant missed a race when his father died. In 1988, he missed several events after breaking a leg in a crash. But a DNQ - the acronym for "did not qualify" - had never been a part of Harry Gant's Winston Cup resume, at least not since he had become a star.
It would be presumptuous to assume that Gant is in this unfortunate position because of the pressure of his farewell tour.
"Actually, it's been a whole lot easier," he said.
Last year, Gant often flew to personal appearances on Saturday nights at local tracks around the country, only to face bad weather coming or going. That forced him to endure the tension of a rough flight, sometimes even wondering whether he'd be able to fly back to the Winston Cup track in time for the Sunday race.
"There were a couple of rainy nights that made it real tough," he said.
This year, for his farewell tour, all he has to do is sign autographs for two hours Saturday afternoon at his souvenir trailer outside the track.
No, the problem in 1994 is that Gant's cars have been so-so during a season in which mediocrity, even the hint of it, can earn you a quick trip home.
The DNQs have been spreading through the Winston Cup series like an infectious disease.
For decades, it was dormant at most races, doing its damage on the fringes of the sport, infecting only the weakest of the flock - guys like H.B Bailey and Delma Cowart. But the influx of new teams created a shortage of starting spots
And at half past noon Saturday, Gant donned his green Skoal Bandit uniform and eased into the bright sunshine to face one of the greatest qualifying shootouts in NASCAR history.
In first-round qualifying Friday, he had been 37th fastest for a 34-car field. He could hope for one of the two provisional starting spots, but there were several other drivers near or below the cutoff line who were ahead of him for that perk. When it came time Saturday to decide whether to requalify or stand on his Friday qualifying speed, Gant wanted to stand.
But it was not his decision to make. Against his wishes, the team decided to requalify.
"We could have took the chance, stood on our time and not made it," Gant said. "We didn't make it anyway. Either choice you made wouldn't have been a good choice if you didn't make it. But we'd have made it if we stood."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB