Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508150010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
At NASCAR's request, Goodyear arrived here with hand-grooved rain tires. After a Saturday morning shower, they were tested on the track by Dale Earnhardt, who drove eight laps, and Mark Martin, who did 10 laps on the same four tires, which have grooves that are about a tenth of an inch deep.
Earnhardt said the test went well, but his car created a huge rooster tail. ``I looked in the mirror today, and I would have hated to be behind me,'' he said.
``This was just a first test today,'' Martin said. ``There's quite a bit of development left for the tires.''
NASCAR also is looking at incorporating windshield wipers, defrosters and other devices to allow cars to run in the rain. Gary Nelson, the Winston Cup director, said the first objective would be to run the road races in the rain, then explore the possibility of doing it at the smaller, flatter ovals in the Winston Cup series.
``Just from the 18 laps Mark and Dale ran with the tires, we learned a tremendous amount and came up with quite a few more ideas,'' said Tony Freund, a Goodyear engineer who helped develop the tires.
No timetable has been set for running races in the rain.
FLIPPING HIS LID: NASCAR officials confiscated the rear deck lid from Bill Elliott's Ford on Saturday, but took no other immediate action beyond.
Inspectors became suspicious after they put a magnet on the deck lid and it didn't stick. The part reportedly was made of a carbon-fiber instead of metal.
Kevin Triplett, a NASCAR spokesman, said no further action was taken Saturday because Nelson was too busy with on-track activities.
``Gary will take a look at it and go over it,'' Triplett said, adding a decision on a fine or any other penalty would not be made until today or perhaps as late as Monday.
JAPANESE CONNECTION: Kenju Momota, a Japanese racer and motorsports journalist, was in the media center here Saturday.
Momota, who has relocated to Charlotte, N.C., and employed Rich Rubenstein's On Track Marketing firm to help with public relations, said he plans to run in truck races this year at North Wilkesboro, N.C., and Phoenix and hopes to announce a Japanese sponsor at Richmond in September.
SPOILER NEWS: NASCAR president Bill France said that in NASCAR's continuing effort to keep the competition close, the Fords and Pontiacs again will have more spoiler and less ground clearance at most races for the rest of the season, but that the three makes probably will be the same for the Martinsville race on Sept.24.
The cars are the same here, and probably will be at Martinsville, because NASCAR believes Chevy's downforce advantage is negligible at these tracks.
IRVAN RUMOR: Sources close to Ernie Irvan said he was headed here Saturday directly from San Francisco, where doctors have given him clearance to race again.
DALLENBACH'S FUTURE: Wally Dallenbach, who is driving Bill Davis' Pontiac Grand Prix in today's race, said he's looking at various options for next year, particularly in a new road-racing series called the North American Touring Series.
Dallenbach said he still is hoping to get something started again in the Winston Cup series. ``You just have to use some common sense and keep plugging at it, and hopefully it will come around to your turn,'' he said.
SECOND-ROUND QUALIFYING: Butch Leitzinger, who spun his Pontiac in pole qualifying Friday, led the second round of time trials Saturday, earning the 21st starting spot with a lap of 118.738 mph.
A 40-car field (36 qualifiers and four provisional starters) was set for today's race after the second round. Mike Wallace was the only regular driver who failed to make the field.
In other action on the track Saturday, Joe Bessey won the 150-mile Grand National North race and Ron Fellows won the Trans-Am race. The Grand National North race was marred by a pit fire that left three crewmen with minor burns and an end-of-the-race crash in which Vic Sifton's car hit the pit wall and flipped just short of the start-finish line. Sifton was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but apparently was not seriously injured.
by CNB