Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508070127
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAUL NEWBERRY ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium
Now there's only one thing that has eluded Dale Earnhardt.
He has won seven Winston Cup titles. Saturday, he placed his name among those of Foyt and Unser and Mears as a winner at the most famous race track in the world with a victory in the Brickyard 400.
Yet there's still a void in his brilliant career, something even a victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can't erase.
``You know, some day we may win the Daytona 500,'' Earnhardt said with a shrug, still having to answer for his failure to win stock car racing's biggest event on a day when he won the richest race in NASCAR history.
``These races, whether it be Indy or the Daytona 500, whatever, you want to win them all,'' he said. ``It's just frustrating to you because you know you're capable, you know your team's capable and you've got a car that's capable several times and you don't win, it's really, really frustrating to you. It really puts you under a lot of pressure.''
But winning the Brickyard showed that Earnhardt, who went eight races and nearly three months without a victory while Jeff Gordon emerged as the sport's newest star, isn't through just yet.
``To go out and make accomplishments like winning the Brickyard, it still gives you that confidence,'' Earnhardt said. ``I'm looking forward to going to Daytona in 1996 and be a contender to win the Daytona 500.
``I've won more races there than anybody else,'' he said, noting his outstanding record in other Daytona races despite coming up empty in the biggest race 14 times. Then another thought occurred to him since he joined Gordon as the only winners of the two-year-old Brickyard event.
``I'm tied here for the most wins,'' he said. ``That's a pretty good bit of history behind me.''
Earnhardt's immediate goal is to make another bit of history. His seven Winston Cup titles equal the mark set by Richard Petty. Earnhardt wants that crown all to himself, and he closed the gap on points leader Gordon, who finished sixth Saturday.
Gordon leads with 2,860 points, 82 ahead of Sterling Marlin and 121 in front of Earnhardt with 12 races remaining.
``They talk a lot about Jeff,'' Earnhardt said. ``He deserves that. I don't take anything away from his talents or his team because they're a great race team, and he's a great driver to be coming along at his age [24] and doing what he's doing. The future's bright.
``Still, going into this race my anticipation to win here was as good as his, I think. I felt confident and I felt like we could do it.''
He scoffed at the notion that his dry spell and Gordon's success (five victories, eight poles this season) left the 44-year-old Intimidator with something to prove.
``You think I need to re-establish myself?'' he asked sarcastically. ``You think people have just completely forgotten about me? I didn't feel I need to re-establish myself. I just felt like I needed to win.''
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB