Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410220033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORTH WILKESBORO, N. C. LENGTH: Medium
Jimmy Spencer will run in it, and ``Mr. Excitement'' promises to live up to his nickname.
``Just give me a good car, baby. You'll see an exciting race,'' Spencer said Friday after winning his first career pole at North Wilkesboro Speedway for Sunday's Holly Farms 400.
``Call me whatever you want to call me, I still am Mr. Excitement,'' the 36-year-old Berwick, Pa., native said. ``Wait until the Busch Clash.''
Although he's won two races and has now won a pole (and broken his shoulder twice) for car owner Junior Johnson in 1994, Spencer swears he doesn't know what car he'll be driving in 1995.
``Something with four wheels and a steering wheel. That's all I care about. I'll race whatever they give me,'' he said.
The Clash, of course, is the season-opening all-star race at Daytona for pole winners.
Spencer, to be sure, certainly lived up to his nickname in winning the pole Friday. He went out moments after his teammate Bill Elliott had posted the fastest speed.
``Let's see where Big Mac runs,'' Elliott said after crawling out of his car.
Spencer proceeded to beat Elliott by 1/1,000th of a second. Any closer and it would have been a tie. Spencer took 18.978 seconds to circle this .625-mile track for a speed of 118.558 mph. Elliott was at 18.979 seconds and 118.552 mph.
It would be fun to report that Spencer took revenge on his lame duck teammate after Elliott snatched Spencer's sponsor - McDonald's - for 1995. But Spencer wasn't thinking about that.
``I did not know at the time that Bill was on the pole,'' Spencer said. ``I really wasn't worried about anybody. Junior has been helping me a lot on concentrating on things to make me better. It worked today. It didn't matter to me who we bumped off.''
Said Elliott, ``Well, that's life. It ain't over 'til it's over, and now it's over.''
But Spencer did have a few things to say about the McDonald's divorce.
``I'm pretty upset about McDonald's and the way they did us this year, so to speak,'' he said. ``I won't stop stopping at McDonald's for breakfast every morning. But I sort of felt we were going to have a long relationship, and that's what probably bothers me more than anything.''
Although the rumors have persisted that Spencer will be in the No. 23 Travis Carter-owned Smokin' Joe's Ford next season, Spencer shrugged and repeated, ``I don't know what I'm driving yet.''
But he does expect to be with Johnson, and his pole-winning performance no doubt solidified that relationship.
``This track means more to Junior Johnson than any track we go to,'' Spencer said. ``There's nothing better than having bragging rights at your home race track. That's Junior's back yard.''
Johnson, however, wasn't here to see it.
He left shortly before qualifying and ``went back to the shop to work on motors,'' Spencer said.
Dale Earnhardt, fighting a cold, took only six laps of practice Friday but was still good enough to qualify third in his Chevy at 118.373 mph.
``I've been feeling bad with the flu,'' Earnhardt said. ``I slept most of the day in the truck. We had run a little faster in practice, but I didn't practice but about six laps.''
Mark Martin surprised himself by qualifying fourth at 118.247 mph in his Ford. But the next two qualifiers were the biggest surprises. Jeff Green, driving the Earl Sadler-owned Ford, qualified fifth at 118.241 mph, and Dave Marcis was sixth fastest in his Chevy at 118.166 mph. Darrell Waltrip qualified seventh at 118.135 mph in a Chevy, followed by Bobby Hamilton in the fastest Pontiac at 118.054 mph, Kenny Wallace in a Ford at 117.993 mph and Terry Labonte, winner of the April race here, at 117.993 mph in a Chevy.
At the other end of the lineup, several regular drivers are in jeopardy of not making the 34-car field (plus two provisionals). Dale Jarrett and Morgan Shepherd were 33rd and 34th fastest, followed by Loy Allen, Mike Wallace, Harry Gant, Phil Parsons, Ward Burton, Brad Teague, Todd Bodine and Tim Fedewa.
The second round of time trials is at noon today.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB