Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410110029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
One of the richest purses in the series, $53,030 with $10,000 going to the winner, has attracted more than 100 cars with the entry list still growing. The event attracts entries from as far away as New York and Florida, but only 36 positions are available, meaning many more cars will be going home than competing in the 200-lap race.
The Late Model Stocks and NASCAR's Busch Grand National division will compete in racing's wildest a doubleheader for a total of $191,861 in the doubleheader.
About 40 Busch cars are entered in the 300-lap portion of the doubleheader, which has a purse of $131,831 with more than $15,000 to the winner.
Qualifying for the first 20 Late Model Stock starting spots begins at 3 p.m. Friday. Johnny Rumley, Ronnie Thomas, Mike Dillona and Winston Racing Series Mid-Atlantic champion Barry Beggarly figure to be the drivers to beat.
Rumley won the pole for the Goody's 200 at the track in September, and Beggarly won the race. Dillon won the pole for the Lowe's 150 at North Wilkesboro, N.C. Thomas holds the LMSC track qualifying record at 89.876 mph.
Other favorites for the pole are Martinsville winners Jay Fogleman, Phil Warren, David Blankenship, Mike Buffkin, Bugs Hairfield, Wayne Patterson and Joe Gaita.
Grand National drivers will decide their entire 36-car starting field at 1 p.m. Saturday as they take a run at the event and track GN qualifying record of 92.774 mph set by Jimmy Hensley. Pole favorites include series points leader David Green, Ricky Craven and Terry Labonte.
The Advance Auto Parts 500 is the finale of the five-race, $25,000 ``Virginia is for Lovers'' series, sponsored by the Virginia Division of Tourism. The driver with the best average finish in the two races each run at Richmond International Raceway and Martinsville and one at South Boston Speedway will receive a $10,000 bonus. Kenny Wallace leads the series by a quarter of a point over Green. Second place pays $6,000, third $4,000, fourth $3,000 and fifth $2,000.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, LMSC will run two 50-lap qualifying races, with the top six finishers in each event moving into Sunday's lineup.
The GN race will be shown live on The Nashville Network and can be heard on the Motor Racing Network.
The Advance Auto Parts 500 starts at 1 p.m. Sunday, with the Grand National race to be followed by the LMSC event.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB