Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504250034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Jeff Burton, Todd Bodine and Randy LaJoie all will be on the sidelines today for the first time in 1995 after failing to qualify for today's race. They were not among the fastest 32 and their owners were too far down the points standings to earn a provisional starting spot.
The provisional spots went to Michael Waltrip, who was 33rd fastest, Derrike Cope (35th), Geoff Bodine (37th) and John Andretti (38th).
The second-round session produced mixed results, with some drivers going faster and others slowing down.
Dick Trickle, who was only 36th fastest Friday, led the second-round qualifiers with a lap of 92.801 miles per hour to win the 21st starting spot. Rick Mast improved from 30th to 22nd, while Dave Marcis moved from 33rd to 23rd and Ricky Craven drove himself into the race Saturday with a run that moved him from 39th to 25th.
Waltrip and LaJoie stood on their Friday times and dropped from 28th and 29th to 33rd and 34th, respectively. Waltrip got a provisional, LaJoie didn't.
Meanwhile, Geoff Bodine went slower on Saturday and dropped from 31st to 37th. Burton also slowed down, dropping from 34th to 42nd, as did Davy Jones, who fell from 37th to 43rd.
Besides Burton, LaJoie and Todd Bodine, others who won't be in today's race are Jones, Chuck Bown, Jay Hedgecock and Jimmy Spencer, who has missed as many races this year - two - as he won last year.
CRAWFORD WINS 150: The last 30 laps of the Hanes 150 for All Pro stock cars was the best racing one could see without witnessing a pass among the leaders.
Rick Crawford of Mobile, Ala., held off Mike Cope and Toby Porter for the victory, but he had to fight off repeated shots to his rear bumper. And while Cope was jamming the nose of his Chevy into Crawford's Ford lap after lap, Cope was getting the same from Porter behind him.
Porter hit Cope so hard one time that water started spewing out of the overflow for his radiator.
But despite all the slamming and jamming, Cope couldn't pass Crawford and Porter couldn't pass Cope.
Although Cope got Crawford a bit sideways several times, Crawford never lost it and never gave up the groove.
``As long as you're blocking the bottom and you're on the gas a little bit, it's pretty easy to save the car,'' Crawford said. ``We protected ourselves.''
Bobby Gill finished fourth and Buckshot Jones was fifth in a race that included seven caution flags for non-injury spins and crashes.
The race was a good one even before the final laps. Crawford passed Jones to take the lead for good on lap 104. Before that, Jones had passed Billy Bigley to take the lead on lap 91 and Bigley had passed Wayne Willard for the lead on lap 15.
CORRECTION: NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said he was incorrect when he said Friday that wind tunnel tests showed that the Ford Thunderbirds had an advantage over the Chevys and Pontiacs in front downforce. The advantage for Ford actually is that the Thunderbird has less drag in the corners, he said.
HENSLEY FOR RELIEF: Jimmy Hensley will be standing by to relieve Kyle Petty if he needs help today. Petty has been battling a flu bug and still isn't 100 percent.
``Jimmy Hensley practiced the car today in case I can't go the distance,'' Petty told Pontiac's Brian Hoagland. `'I've had decent runs here, but for me tomorrow's key is the weather. It it's 85 or 90 [degrees], then I'll be junk halfway through the race. I felt bad yesterday when it started getting hot because I just haven't been outside in a week or so.''
Petty may get a bigger break from the weather than even he wants. Not only are cooler temperatures in the forecast (60s), but there's a 70 percent chance of rain.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB