Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 30, 1994 TAG: 9404300030
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
This attitude was bolstered by a Pontiac test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Monday in which all the drivers found that if the car was lengthened, it would handle better.
"After what happened Monday, I know if the drivers don't get [relief from NASCAR], every one of them will be in another car next year," said Rider, who owns driver Michael Waltrip's Pontiacs. "We'd very much like to stay with Pontiac, but this is a business and you have to be competitive for your sponsors and yourselves."
The Pontiacs have not been competitive this year. The five Pontiac drivers - Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte, Wally Dallenbach, and Bobby Hamilton - have only six top-10 finishes among them. And among the three manufacturers, the Pontiacs have finished last, behind Ford and Chevy, in every race this year.
All five drivers tested at Atlanta, and most of them agreed that their cars handled much better after the nose was lengthened 2 inches and the rear deck lid was made 4 inches longer.
"That was the best for balance," Dallenbach said. "With the longer car, I actually could run underneath somebody else for three or four laps. Without the changes, I couldn't even run by myself."
The consensus among the drivers and owners was that a longer Pontiac was not faster, but much more stable.
With the existing car, "what seems to be happening is that the car will start off fine, but after a few laps they just go away from us," said Bill Davis, Labonte's car owner. "I think we definitely all agree that we like a bigger, longer car."
The Pontiacs are about 6 inches shorter than the Fords and about 4 inches shorter than the Chevys.
"Everything else is the same from brand to brand - roof heights, tread widths, wheel bases, spoilers - so let's have one car size," Davis said. "A longer car has more downforce, and as the tires go away and the handling goes away, on a longer car there's just more car surface" for the wind to affect, he said.
A longer Pontiac is "a safer situation for everyone," Rider said. "And people are talking about boring races. Well, you could have five Pontiacs that could be competitive. It's up to NASCAR, and I sure hope they look at it closely."
NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said: "We're listening to anything that they want to talk to us about. In our position, we can never say never. We can't say we won't do this or won't do that. We've just got to take everything into consideration."
Some Pontiac teams are hoping for changes as soon as the Charlotte races next month. Rider said he doesn't know if his team will have enough time to make the changes by then, "but if they give it to us, we'll work night and day to do it."
\ INDY GOLF: Winston Cup drivers Dale Jarrett, Derrike Cope and Michael Waltrip will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday for a golf tournament to celebrate the grand opening of Brickyard Crossing, the new Pete Dye-designed golf course at the speedway.
Besides the stock car drivers, others in the tournament include team owners Felix Sabates, Richard Childress and Roger Penske, Indy car drivers Danny Sullivan, Nigel Mansell and Rick Mears, PGA Tour pros Greg Norman, John Cook and Craig Stadler, former Vice President Dan Quayle and celebrities Larry Bird and Tommy Smothers.
\ DANNY'S DOINGS: Former Indy 500 champ Danny Sullivan, who failed to qualify for the two Winston Cup races he entered this year, plans to try again at the Brickyard 400 in a car sponsored by 10 Indianapolis-based companies. Sullivan also wants to enter other races, but at this point is uncertain what type of car he will drive or who the owner will be. He said he's considering a couple of cars and owners and "we do not have it set who we're going to go with."
\ TODAY'S SCHEDULE: The third round of the International Race of Champions will get the green flag at noon today, but you won't see it until ABC plays the tape at 4:30 p.m. on June 12. Tommy Kendall is on the pole.
Then, at 1:30 p.m. pole winner Jeff Purvis will start at the head of a 42-car field in the Food World 500K ARCA race.
Starting 22nd will be former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville.
by CNB