Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502220030
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DENISE MICHAUX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
But the Chesapeake, Va., native is coming off his best year and may finally be poised to make a legitimate run at a Grand National championship this season.
Sawyer scored the first victory of his 12-year Grand National career last season and finished 14th in the points standings. He finished in the top five four times and in the top 10 six times.
Today he will start sixth, his highest position ever here, in the Goody's 300 that starts at 12:30 p.m.
``I was in a lot of situations early on [in my career] where we were under financial pressure and I didn't have the experience,'' Sawyer said.
But he was ready when Akins-Sutton Motorsports came calling midway through the 1993 season.
``It takes a long time to get in that position,'' Sawyer said.
``We made some changes over the winter in some areas where we needed to be stronger, one being the engine program,'' Sawyer said. ``Hopefully our speedway performances will be better this year.
``Everything has been going smoothly this week. We ran well when we tested down here and we felt like we made some changes that would help the car before qualifying. It was just a tick better than we expected.
``We've got a good game plan, so we'll just see if we are there at the end.''
Sawyer said his main objective today is to stay at the front and ``not do anything really stupid.''
Finding a partner might help too.
Pole-sitter Michael Waltrip already has made plans to hook up with Jeff Green, who will start third driving Dale Earnhardt's car.
``We made a commitment that we would kind of work together until the end,'' Waltrip said. ``You've got to have a lot of help out there. But still, he may not be handling good or I may not be handling good and it won't work out. So you just use who you can.
``The game plan is constantly changing. At the end, everybody's plan is the same.''
CAUDILL WINS: Two-time Goody's Dash Series champion Larry Caudill took the checkered flag to earn his third Florida 200 victory.
FARMER ILL: Veteran racer Charles ``Red'' Farmer, crew chief for Derrike Cope's Grand National team, was taken to the Urgent Care Center in Port Orange, Fla., where he was diagnosed with acute pneumonia. He was given antibiotics and released.
GREEN ENGAGED: It happens nearly every year at Daytona. Last year it was Jeff and Brooke Gordon. This year, defending Grand National champion David Green popped the question to Rousch Racing public relations representative Diane Hollingsworth.
Technically, Hollingsworth said Green never asked. Green just told her to go to his car, her Valentine's present was there.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB