Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9408050092
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium
And before his lap of 172.414 mph in his Ford Thunderbird, when the 37-year-old native of Rockbridge Baths, Va., sorely needed advice about a speedway that was changing by the minute, Mast turned to the speedway's No.1 hero - four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt.
``I asked A.J. what he thought the weather would do to the race track,'' Mast said. ``This track has its tendencies, and a man like that you listen to. We kind of adjusted to what he recommended. And sure enough, it worked.''
This was Mast's second career pole, and it was worth about $65,000 and a new van, which apparently will go to his car owner, Richard Jackson. Mast's first pole came at Atlanta in November 1992. He has not won a Winston Cup race in his seven years on the circuit.
Mast's pole-winning run on Hoosier tires flew defied all the predictions of how qualifying would go in NASCAR's first trip to Indy.
His team was 14th in the qualifying line. He began his run at 3:31 p.m. local time. But after all the talk of how terrible it would be to qualify in the heat of the afternoon, the weather happened to be cloudy and cool because a noontime thunderstorm. So it ended up being a perfect time to run.
Dale Earnhardt, who was 13th in the qualifying line, just ahead of Mast, turned his unlucky number to his advantage to win the outside pole for Saturday's race at 171.726 mph.
``My lap was good,''Earnhardt said. ``I didn't exit turn one as hard as I wanted to. I should have been in the throttle quicker. But I'm comfortable with it.''
Soon after Mast and Earnhardt ran, the sun started squeezing through the clouds and there wasn't a run of better than 170 mph until almost 5 p.m.
Jeff Gordon, 71st in the qualifying line, reached 171.125 mph in his Chevy at 5:06 p.m. to win the third starting spot. Geoff Bodine, running at 5:01 p.m., was fourth fastest in his Ford at 170.982 mph. Bobby Labonte was fifth at 170.794 mph in his Ford at 4:58 p.m.
Also in the top 10 were Bill Elliott's Ford (170.338 mph), Brett Bodine's Ford (170.084), Ricky Rudd's Ford (169.983), Sterling Marlin's Chevy (169.766) and Mark Martin's Ford (169.690). The second round of qualifying begins at 4 p.m. today.
Despite 85 entrants (68 drivers completed qualifying runs), the only surprises in the top 20 were Geoff Brabham in 18th and Rick Bickle in 19th.
Still, this was a qualifying session unlike any other in recent Winston Cup history. Before it started at 3 p.m. local time (4 p.m. EDT), nearly every driver was wracked with tension.
``The pressure was unbelievable here,'' Geoff Bodine said. ``I've been racing a long while, and this is the most pressure I can remember in a long time. I'm glad it's over. It was the most butterflies I've ever had.
Gordon agreed.
``I've never been as excited and nervous at the same time as I was today,'' he said. ``My heart was just pounding.''
Mast said he wasn't nervous, but he still experienced a wide range of emotions. And what started out as a bad day ended as the most glorious of his Winston Cup career.
In the morning, during the random draw to establish the order for qualifying, ``we pulled 14 and it just about broke my heart,'' Mast said.
Then, during morning practice, the track started playing games.
``The track changed a lot from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,'' Mast said. ``It probably changed more than any race track I've ever seen. Everybody kept adjusting. I felt like I had a good handle on it at the end of practice and then it rained. And then I didn't have a clue.''
That's when he went to Foyt for advice.
The track won't change much, Foyt told him, adding, ``It'll just stick better.''
Armed with that advice, Mast and his team made a few minor changes.
As for his lap, Mast said, ``The car was a little tight off [turn] two. Three was perfect. And coming off four the back end kicked out twice, but it came right back and then it was basically hang on to the checkered flag.''
As for the performance of the Hoosier tires, only two Hoosier drivers - Mast and Geoff Bodine - were in the top 10.
``The tire we have now is a little bit more durable [than the Hoosier tire that Bodine used to win at Pocono last month],'' Mast said. ``I don't think we have quite as much of an advantage here [over Goodyear], but I think the tire will run all day and I still think it will be a better tire.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB