Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250114
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
As Ernie Irvan's health continued to improve Wednesday, his race car owner, Robert Yates, announced plans to resume racing with driver Kenny Wallace, and Mark Martin said he would take over Irvan's Grand National team.
``This is not a fun thing to do,'' Yates said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at his shop in Charlotte, N.C. ``But I think our team can offer a guy a chance to do well and prove himself in a proven car. Kenny will drive for us the rest of the year or as many races as necessary until Ernie returns.''
``The only championship we're looking for now is getting Ernie back in the car,'' he said. ``Time is on our side.''
``We wouldn't have gone on with any of these actions, either on the Winston Cup or the Busch series side, without some assurances that Ernie is on the mend,'' added team publicist Brian VanDercook.
Irvan, 35, received critical brain and lung injuries, including a fractured skull, when a tire blew on his car Saturday during a practice session at Michigan International Speedway and he slammed the second-turn wall.
He was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti, Mich.
But Irvan continued to regain a greater degree of consciousness and continued to physically respond to more questions and commands, such as moving his arms and legs, doctors said.
``The medical team and his family are encouraged by the continuing signs of improvement that Mr. Irvan demonstrated this morning,'' trauma surgeon Dr. Errol Erlandson said in a statement released by VanDercook.
Irvan is no longer on full life support, but his breathing is being assisted by a ventilator, the doctor said.
Martin, meanwhile, said he would drive Irvan's Grand National car in Friday night's Food City 250 at Bristol, Tenn., even though neither he nor Irvan had planned to compete in the race.
``I want to make sure this team can be an asset to the family and to keep it in good standing,'' Martin said by telephone from his Jamestown, N.C. home.
``Nothing could be neater than to win that race Friday night,'' he said. ``Ernie told me three different times while we were in Michigan that he was planning on doing certain races and that they had worked really hard on their Busch program and that he had his heart set on beating me in at least one race this year.''
As for future Busch plans, ``our biggest concern is in Ernie's condition,'' Martin said. ``We haven't put any thought in what the long-range plan is. We'll figure that out next week.
``We're just going to keep on pulling for Ernie and hope we can get him back to 100 percent and back in these race cars at the race track,'' Martin said. ``I sure do miss him. It doesn't seem like everything is complete without having Ernie there to race.''
For Wallace, who lost his Winston Cup ride at the end of last season and was back in the Grand National series this year, the chance to drive Yates' No. 28 Ford Thunderbird is an opportunity of a lifetime.
``I've seen this team too many times have to do this, so I have mixed emotions,'' he said. ``I'm not excited about this situation, but as far as being in that fluorescent number 28 car, I don't think any driver out there could say they wouldn't at least want to drive it one time.''
Considering he'll be taking over one of the best cars in the Winston Cup series, Wallace said he knows the challenge will be daunting. ``If I told you it wasn't, I would be lying to you,'' he said. ``I think I'll do the job. I really do. This car is really fast everywhere we go, so it's going to be up to me in a lot of situations.''
Wallace said Kim Irvan, Ernie's wife, was responsible for the opportunity. ``She was the one who wanted to see me in the race car, that's where it stemmed from,'' he said. She told him she and Ernie knew he would do it for Ernie, and not for personal glory.
Said Yates: ``The thing I'm always looking for is that next update from the hospital. And it continues to be good. That keeps my adrenalin coming. And the fact that all the sponsors and team members want to continue to race keeps my mind busy. And we're getting on with that now.
``This business is one of keeping your muscle tone, and if you miss many of these events, you get behind,'' he said. ``Keeping these guys' minds busy and their muscles at work is healthy for our team.''
Yates, who lost his previous driver, Davey Allison, in a helicopter crash last July, said his team knows how to operate in a disaster mode, but it ``is something we don't ever wish to get good at. We certainly hope this is the last time we have this situation. But we have great hopes of getting things back to 100 percent.''
``We've all been hurt at one time or another,'' Wallace said, ``but for Ernie to get hurt so bad, I think the biggest victory will be when Ernie can get back in the race car.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB