Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 13, 1995 TAG: 9502140072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DENISE MICHAUX LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
With three laps remaining, Bowsher's car got loose going into turn 1 and ``the front end got light and I got into the [No.]5 car [Belmont],'' Bowsher said.
Belmont's Ford turned sideways, then rolled up the nose of Bowsher's Ford and onto the roof, where it remained balanced on its side for nearly 30 yards before tumbling to the grass and cartwheeling six times before stopping.
Belmont quickly climbed out of the car and onto the roof and danced around, obviously in good health.
``I wasn't sure if I was on top of someone or if I was going through the air,'' Belmont said. ``In the draft ... weird things happen. The car didn't feel light when he got alongside of me, I just got nipped in the side somewhere and the rest is history.''
The crash brought out the fifth and final caution flag and forced the race to conclude under yellow.
Hillenburg, a former spotter for Ricky Rudd, beat Gary Bradberry to the flag to claim his first ARCA victory.
The victory gave car owner Ken Schrader consecutive triumphs in this race. He is the first car owner to accomplish that feat.
DAILY FINE: Jeff Hammond, crew chief for Greg Sacks, was fined $5,000 and put on indefinite probation for having loose weight in the car.
NASCAR found 18 pounds of loose weight behind the driver's side of the Sabco Racing-owned Pontiac, which was involved in an accident on the first lap of the Busch Clash.
Kevin Triplett, a NASCAR spokesman, said it was not lead but ``an exotic metal. We're not sure what type.''
That fine brings the three-day total to $90,300.
The $45,100 levied against the Junior Johnson team Saturday was the largest fine in NASCAR history.
The heftiest NASCAR fines to date: Mark Martin's team was assessed $40,000 and lost 46 championship points in 1990; Richard Petty's team was hit with a $35,000 fine and lost 104 points in '83; and $35,100 was levied against Bill Davis' team Friday .
COMING-OUT PARTY: The new Chevrolet Monte Carlo made its debut under race conditions Sunday to favorable reviews.
``The Lumina was a great car, but we carried it as far as we could go,'' said Dale Earnhardt car-owner Richard Childress, whose car won the the Busch Clash. ``Now, we've got something with a little more room to adjust than we did with the Lumina.''
``I'm pretty happy with the new car,'' Jeff Gordon said.
Although Earnhardt drove a Chevy to victory Sunday, there is a Ford on the pole for Sunday's 500 to go with another in the top three for the Busch Clash.
``They look like good cars,'' Bill Elliott said. ``We're working hard on our Ford Thunderbird and I was pleased with the way it ran.
``Other than those cars [Earnhardt's and Sterling Marlin's], we were as good as anybody out there. I think that says a lot.''
READY TO GET STARTED: Defending Grand National champion David Green made his first Winston Cup start Sunday, and although he certainly didn't fare as well as he had hoped, the performance wasn't unexpected.
Green earned a spot in the race by being the Busch Pole Award winner for the Grand National series. Ken Schrader fielded a Chevy Lumina for Green, but he only ran eight laps in the car before race day.
The car failed to pass inspection Thursday and was in the garage for two days being repaired and prepared. Both Clash practice sessions were cut short Saturday. All told, Green spent approximately 15 minutes in the car before the race.
He never got up to speed during the first half of the race, so when the field was inverted for the second half, Green requested that he stay at the rear of the field instead of moving to the front.
``The last three days these guys worked real hard to get this car going,'' Green said. ``I didn't finish last, so I'm happy with how I did. I was just trying to hang on.
``Our real job starts tomorrow.''
The Grand National cars take the track for the first time for practice today. Qualifying begins Tuesday.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB