Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 14, 1994 TAG: 9405140039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SONOMA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
Irvan's lap of 91.514 mph capped a qualifying session that lasted more than 2 1/2 hours - the longest session of the year. The large field, the long course and two lengthy red flags made this session as slow as molasses, which worked to Irvan's advantage.
"I think the race track kept getting a little better and a little better," Irvan said. "I don't know if I would have run that good if I'd qualified earlier. The cooler it gets, the more adhesion the car has.
"I knew it was a good lap, but I probably didn't drive it as hard as I could because I didn't want to slip and mess up a good lap," he said.
Mark Martin was second at 91.374 mph - a notable accomplishment considering the extensive front-end repairs his crew had to make on his Ford Thunderbird after Martin wrecked late in the morning practice session.
Martin went off the course between turns seven and eight on the 11-turn, 2.52-mile road course and tore up the front of his Ford. But he qualified the same car after his crew replaced the front nose, the radiator and a number of engine fittings in a repair job that also required welding.
"I was really trying in practice harder than I should have," Martin said. "The car got away from me, got up the dirt bank and wiped the whole front end off of it. And I never got to go back out until qualifying."
Ricky Rudd, always known for his road-course skills, qualified third at 91.203 mph in another Ford, followed by Dale Earnhardt in the fastest Chevrolet Lumina at 90.836 mph and Terry Labonte in another Chevy at 90.806 mph.
Also in the top 10 were Jeff Gordon in a Chevy (90.784), Wally Dallenbach, Jr. in the fastest Pontiac Grand Prix (90.679), Ken Schrader in a Chevy (90.288), Michael Waltrip in a Pontiac (90.216) and Kyle Petty in a Pontiac (90.191).
One of the two red flags during the long session was for oil on the 2.52-mile road course, but the other was to clean up after a spectacular wreck in turn 10 by Winston West driver Rich Woodland, Jr.
Woodland's Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, after going out of control, hit the tire barrier next to the retaining wall and fence on the outside of the course. The tires acted as a launch and his car sailed over the retaining fence without touching it.
Woodland's car also cleared a couple of spectators and then crashed hard on its roof before coming to a stop. No one was seriously hurt, although Woodland was limping from an injury to his left leg and one of the spectators reportedly scraped his arm trying to get out of the way.
"I had a push and I tried to correct it," Woodland said. "I felt it hit the tires and then I felt it lift off." The car was destroyed.
In addition to Martin and Woodland, a number of other drivers had off-course excursions during the day, including Ted Musgrave, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dave Marcis and Mike Wallace.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB