Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504200094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And as Petty, 57, recovers from prostate cancer surgery at Moses H. Cone Regional Cancer Center in Greensboro, N.C., he and his wife, Lynda, hope to use the experience to educate other men his age about the need for regular physical examinations.
``We just thank God we detected it in the early stages,'' Lynda Petty said Wednesday from their home in Level Cross, N.C. ``We encourage any man over 50 to take advantage of this test.''
Richard Petty was in good condition following the two-hour operation Tuesday morning and hopes to be released as early as Saturday. He will not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatments, Lynda Petty said.
``When Richard went in for his annual checkup around the first of the year, he had this PSA test on his blood,'' she said. ``They've run this test on him plenty of times, but this year it showed some abnormality.'' She said her husband felt ``really good'' before the physical and had no clue he might have a problem.
``The surgery went great and the doctor felt like he got everything,'' Lynda Petty said. ``He said Richard's health is really good. He's really strong, and the doctor doesn't see any problems for him.
``Any man over 50 would be foolish not to take advantage of this test,'' she said. ``When you detect things in the early stages, there's a lot of things you can do. This is an example. Richard has been faithful to go every year for a checkup.''
Lynda Petty said she and her husband ``didn't say anything to anybody about it except our children,'' adding, ``We've learned a lot about this prostate cancer in the last two months.
``Richard will be out of commission for probably about a month,'' she added. ``He probably won't be back to the track until the last of May at Charlotte. But our team is doing great and I feel like they'll keep right on going.''
She said Richard Petty would probably be at home for a couple of weeks, but ``once he feels like it I expect I'll have to carry him around [to the shop] to make sure everything is going good.''
BODINE'S WOES: After winning three races last season, Geoff Bodine is still looking for his first top-10 finish in the 1995 Winston Cup season.
Part of his slow start is due to the end of the tire war, which forced Bodine to switch back to Goodyear after a successful season with Hoosier.
But in an interview with Ford's Wayne Estes, as well.
``Talking about it helps me,'' he said. ``You've got to understand this wasn't a mutual agreement, or something that was building for a long time. I got blind-sided. This was a shock, so unexpected, that it's been hard to deal with.
``The bomb dropped Aug. 28, the day after Bristol,'' he said. ``I didn't really want to tell anybody, but I had to tell the guys on the team, because they thought I'd gone nuts and didn't care anything about the team anymore. I canceled tests, quit going to the shop ...
``You think Hoosier's pullout was devastating to me? That wasn't as unexpected as [sons] Matt and Barry's mother leaving. For a while, I didn't want to [race], but I had to, because I had too many responsibilities. Forty people depend on me. I got in the car, even though I hated it, despised it.''
``If I gave you a list of things I did last winter, you'd think I had a ball,'' Bodine said. ``I was out skiing, or in Vegas, or in the Bahamas, or everywhere besides where I should have been. I was trying to make myself feel better, and the race team suffered.
``It's better now.''
About three weeks ago, Bodine said he was returning home from his shop when he realized he had really enjoyed the day there.
``Before that, I felt bad going to the shop, and I felt bad staying home,'' he said. ``Now I feel I'm past the turning point.''
Bodine said his 17-year-old son Barry [Matt is 23] drove his Winston Cup car for about 15 laps during a test at Martinsville Speedway earlier this month and ``was driving in deeper [into the corners] than I was.''
Bodine said he expects Barry to race in several NASCAR truck races this season.
MILLION DOLLAR MAN: Dale Earnhardt, who has earned more money racing cars than any other American, is only $43,001 away from reaching the $25 million mark in career earnings. His official earnings stand at $24,956,999 after his victory at North Wilkesboro, N.C.
A win at Martinsville, where first place pays $55,445, would put him over the top.
by CNB