Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Bickle won the top starting spot in the 42-car field - and the first pole in his Grand National career - with a speed of 173.193 mph.
``This was a brand-new car that we finished up just last night at the shop, and we didn't get it here until today,'' he said. ``We kept making changes [during practice] and got the car better and better.''
Still, his fastest practice lap was only about 170. And he didn't think his qualifying lap was particularly fast.
``I didn't think it was that good a lap,'' he said. ``We went through [turns] 1 and 2 wide-open, but in 3 and 4 the car pushed real bad. But we popped off a pretty good lap.''
It was a gratifying day for Bickle and his team, which only has four full-time employees. And he's only started three Grand National races this year and six in his career.
Tracy Leslie won the outside pole with a speed of 173.010 in a Chevy. Also in the top five were Mark Martin at 172.800 in a Ford, Elton Sawyer at 172.778 in a Ford and Dale Jarrett at 172.419 in a Ford.
The final 10 spots in the field, not including the four provisionals, will be determined today in a 40-lap race starting at 2 p.m. With Ken Schrader and Jimmy Spencer on the front row, it could be an interesting start. Schrader and Spencer collided in The Winston Select Saturday night and engaged in verbal fireworks afterward, with Schrader calling Spencer an ``idiot.''
TROUBLESOME TRACK: The afternoon practice sessions became costly affairs for a number of teams. Crashes damaged the Winston Cup cars of Todd Bodine, Davy Jones, Dick Trickle, John Andretti and Bobby Hamilton.
All of the victims were Ford drivers except Hamilton, who drives a Pontiac. No one was hurt.
Jones' crash ended his hope of competing in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. He made the 500 field Nay 21 at Indy, but was too slow to qualify for the 600 on Wednesday.
And after his crash during practice Thursday, Jones and his team did not attempt to qualify a backup car during the second round of time trials.
``The [No.]61 just got loose on me,'' Jones saidtold Ford's Wayne Estes. ``I'm really disappointed. I wanted to compete in the two biggest races in the country, and obviously I was just eliminated from one of them.''
Andretti and Trickle went to backup cars; Hamilton and Bodine were planning to repair their rides.
On the Grand National side, Jeff Fuller wrecked during practice, and Dale Williams and Buckshot Jones crashed during their qualifying runs. Williams was taken to Cabarrus Memorial Hospital for ``precautionary scans,'' a track statement said.
SECOND-DAY QUALIFYING: The second round of time trials was an exercise in futility for the 10 drivers who participated. None made the Coca-Cola 600 field on his speed.
The track was slower because it was hotter Thursday than Wednesday, even though the second round did not begin until 6 p.m.
Those who tried and failed were Greg Sacks, Bobby Hillin, Jimmy Hensley, Davy Jones, Johnny Chapman and Jeff Purvis.
Steve Grissom, Kyle Petty, Randy LaJoie and Jeremy Mayfield received the four provisional starting spots for Sunday's 42-car field.
by CNB