Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506210020
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If he was, the journeyman Winston Cup driver would not be making his debut as a NASCAR SuperTruck Series driver Friday night in Bristol, Tenn.
Hensley, a Horsepasture resident, hopes he can truck his way back onto the Winston Cup circuit with a successful showing in the SuperTruck series.
The Pizza Plus 150 begins at 9 p.m. and will be shown live by ESPN cable. It is the first SuperTruck race held at a Southern Winston Cup track.
Hensley will be attempting to qualify in a truck owned by Grier Lackey of Taylorsville, N.C. Lackey's team does not have a sponsor, but his plan is to compete on the circuit for the remainder of the season, Hensley said.
``My main goal is Winston Cup,'' Hensley said. ``But right now, I don't have anything going, and Mr. Lackey is gracious enough to let me drive his truck until something opens up on Winston Cup.''
Since losing his Winston Cup ride with Ray DeWitt in 1994, Hensley has been a nomad, trekking from race to race. His jobs have included driving cars during practice sessions for Dale Earnhardt at Martinsville and filling in for injured Darrell Waltrip in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
Hensley also was scheduled to drive cars for Earnhardt and Kyle Petty the weeks before and after the Bristol truck race at Daytona, where the cars were to be filmed for television commercials.
But that isn't how Hensley wants to remember Daytona as a driver.
Hensley has 89 Winston Cup starts and was the circuit's rookie of the year in 1992, but he has not been able to stick with a team. Success at the Winston Cup level has not come as easily as it did on the Busch Grand National circuit, where he won nine races and was runner-up for the points title three times.
Team owner Cale Yarbrough dropped him after the 1992 Winston Cup season, when Hensley had four top-10 finishes in 22 starts and earned nearly $250,000. Hensley drove for four teams in 1993, including 15 races for Alan Kulwicki's team after the former Winston Cup champion died in a plane crash near Bristol.
``Really, I've never had a full season,'' Hensley said. ``I started last season with [DeWitt's team] and they dropped me. It's come up in my mind at times that I've had enough, but still, in my mind, I feel I'm a good race car driver.
``One of these days, I feel the right situation will come along. It's difficult to get in a good situation where everyone works together as a team. I've been fairly successful, I think. A lot of things have gone right, and a lot of things have gone wrong, but I want to stay in Winston Cup until I quit.''
Racing in the SuperTruck series is one way Hensley hopes to attract the attention of a Winston Cup team. He hopes his experience as a Winston Cup and Busch GN driver at Bristol International Raceway will help him in his first truck race.
``Bristol is a very difficult race track,'' he said. ``You're running so fast through the straightaways and it narrows so fast off the corners, you can get into trouble.
``Maybe me running there before will give me an advantage over the guys who haven't run there. I'm going to Bristol to win the race. That's how I'm treating it.''
With the race being run on a Friday night, Winston Cup stars such as Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine and Ken Schrader will be competing against the SuperTruck regulars. Mike Skinner has won four of the eight truck races and leads the points and money standings, and Ron Hornaday Jr. has won three. Schrader has the other victory. Another prominent regular on the circuit is Jerry Glanville, the former head coach of NFL's Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons.
Hensley's first experience driving a SuperTruck came during a practice session in May at Richmond. He also has test-driven at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C.
``It's basically the same setup as a Winston Cup car and the same frame and all,'' he said of the SuperTrucks. ``But you don't drive into a corner as hard as you do the cars. I'm not sure of the reason for that. It might be a little better once we do it a little more.''
Ideally, Hensley wants to finish the SuperTruck season with the Lackey team, then latch on with a Winston Cup team for 1996.
``This year, I just went down and kind of stood around'' at Daytona for the traditional Winston Cup opener, he said. ``Next year, I want to go down with a ride.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB