Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 11, 1994 TAG: 9406140016
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LONG POND, PA. LENGTH: Medium
The run gave Wallace his second pole position of 1994 and denied Ricky Rudd his first. Rudd, who went around this 2.5-mile, tri-oval at 164.102 mph in his Ford, will start second in Sunday's race.
"I'm not a good qualifier, but the car has been handling real well," said Wallace, a three-time race winner in 1994. "I went out and just laid that lap down. I knew it was a pretty quick one. I knew if I didn't win the pole, I'd be up in the front row, I thought."
At Pocono, one barometer for the quality of a qualifying run is whether the driver stops at "autograph alley" on his walk back to the garage.
On Friday, Rudd worked the entire alley before returning to the garage, signing until everyone was satisfied. He was satisfied as well; his previous best qualifying run this year was third at Sears Point.
"It's a good lap," he said. "Regardless of where we end up, we're happy with that lap. The way we've been going in qualifying is less than spectacular. But when we unloaded off the truck today, we were a second faster than anybody."
Besides Wallace and Rudd, five other drivers broke the track record of 162.816 mph set by Ken Schrader last July. Those drivers were Mark Martin, who was third fastest in a Ford at 163.800 mph, Jeff Gordon, at 163.529 mph in a Chevy, Schrader in another Chevy at 163.330 mph, Brett Bodine in a Ford at 163.126 mph and Ernie Irvan in a Ford at 162.981 mph.
Also in the top 10 were Dick Trickle in a Chevy at 162.760 mph, Ted Musgrave in a Ford at 162.514 mph, and Michael Waltrip in the fastest Pontiac Grand Prix at 162.505 mph.
With only 44 entries, it appears that all of the regulars will make Sunday's race. Billy Standridge and Chuck Bown were the only regulars who failed to make the top 40, finishing 42rd and 43nd respectively.
Wallace, with a victory and a pole in less than a week, is clearly in a racing groove.
"I kinda feel like I'm in that right now," he said. "I've got a real mindset to what's going on. We've really, really been paying a lot of attention to the chassis and working so hard on the handling. And I think our Ford engine is making just as much horsepower as any Ford engine out there.
"I feel like I'm right in the combustion chamber with the motor every lap now."
Wallace is third in the Winston Cup championship race, 329 points behind leader Ernie Irvan and 166 points behind Dale Earnhardt.
In other news, NASCAR officials Les Richter, Mike Helton and Gary Nelson met for 38 minutes in the NASCAR trailer office with Morgan Shepherd and Brett Bodine. Also at the meeting were Shepherd's car owner Leonard Wood and crew chief Eddie Wood, as well as Bodine's team manager, Richard Broome.
No one had much to say about it afterward, although Shepherd reportedly declined to shake hands with Bodine when it was over.
\ NOTE: In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Elton Sawyer led a rain-shortened qualifying session Friday at Myrtle Beach Speedway for the Carolina Pride-Budweiser 250 NASCAR Busch Grand National stock car race.
Only seven of 39 cars completed time trials before the rain. Qualifying will resume at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the 250-lap race will begin at 5 p.m.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB