
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 11, 1995                   TAG: 9501110068
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium

IRVAN HAS EYE ON EARLY RETURN TO RACE TRACK

THE WINSTON CUP STAR says his left eye is ``60 to 70 percent'' recovered from his near-fatal crash in August.

Since he was released from a hospital in September, Ernie Irvan has worn a patch over his badly injured left eye.

But as Irvan started some one-on-one interviews with racing reporters Tuesday at his teams's shops, the patch was over his right eye. When puzzled reporters asked him about it, he had fun at their expense. ``Don't you know which eye was injured?'' Irvan said.

The fact is, Irvan's injured eye is healing five months after his near-fatal crash at Michigan International Speedway. And he sometimes covers his good eye to exercise the weak eye and help it heal faster.

``The big thing was that the [injured] eye didn't move,'' Irvan said during Charlotte Motor Speedway's annual media tour. ``Now it does move.

``I'm told that there are five muscles that control the eye and four of them were damaged,'' he said. ``The doctors never thought my eye would move again. It didn't do anything for three months. Now it's 60 or 70 percent and they really feel it will move the rest of the way.''

As for when he might be ready to return to competition, ``I really don't know exactly,'' Irvan said. ``But I want to come back 100 percent. I don't want to be the guy [of whom they say], `Well, after his wreck, he doesn't run as good.'''

While Irvan heals, Dale Jarrett is eager to make the most of his one-year deal to drive the Robert Yates-owned Ford Thunderbird, which has been one of the best cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.

`'I've put myself in a situation with a winning race car,'' Jarrett said. ``That's all I've ever asked for. This is my shot in one of the very top rides in the business. We hope it will only be for a year, so I've got to make the most of it.

``Ernie and I had a discussion at Charlotte'' in October, Jarrett said. ``We reached an understanding. Ernie and I both understand what my, his and everyone's role is in this deal.''

Jarrett said he has assurances from Ford officials that if Irvan does return to racing in 1996, Jarrett will get an opportunity - perhaps with his own team.

Irvan, responding to reports he might return to racing in the new NASCAR truck series, said, ``It's one of the things I've kicked around.'' But at this point, his only involvement will be fielding a truck to be driven by Joe Ruttman, he said.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING

by CNB