ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602130037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: SPEEDWEEKS NOTES
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
After starting first Sunday in the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Rick Mast finished fifth from last. But it may be quite awhile before someone else is so happy after finishing so poorly.
``I'm pleased,'' he said. ``I'm very pleased. There's a whole lot of potential here'' with the new Pontiac Grand Prix.
``This car hasn't run good at all since we've been here. We did some crazy stuff this morning to the chassis to try and get it to respond,'' the Rockbridge Baths native said.
``It just flat, flat pushed bad the whole time. Even with that, the car was awful, awful stable. I've never had a car that was handling as bad as this car that you could still drive and stay wide open with it.''
Mast said his Daytona 500 car ``is awesome. I expect to win with that car. I think if we do the right things with the 500 car, I think we will be a force to be reckoned with because that car is fast.''
LEARNING THINGS: They led no laps and were not a factor in the finish, but Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin were looking forward to the coming week's races after Sunday's Clash, even though they're both short on power.
``We need some more get-up-and-go, but we've got a car that will handle,'' Rudd said. ``It's the first time I've ever had a car at Daytona that I could drive on the bottom and pass. I think our 500 car is a little bit better driving car than this one.''
Said Martin: ``We have a good handling car, like we expected. We're short on speed, and we may have to deal with that this week. But we've got a good handling car and the slicker the track gets, the better off we'll be. We'll be in the thick of things by Sunday.''
BOBBY'S WOES: Dale Earnhardt wasn't the only driver with engine problems in the Clash. Bobby Labonte and John Andretti also had trouble and finished 16th and 17th respectively in both segments.
``Something was just missing,'' Labonte said. ``We don't know what it was
Andretti developed an oil leak and lost three laps in the first segment getting it fixed.
PURVIS WINS ARCA RACE: As Jeff Purvis crossed the finish line to win the ARCA 200, Bob Hill's car was still burning in turn 2 after flipping almost seven times in a six-car crash on the last lap.
Hill and the other drivers in the crash were not hurt, but earlier in the race, John Stradtman was overcome by fumes in his car and was taken to Halifax Medical Center for treatment.
Purvis beat Tim Steele by two car lengths. Pole winner Mike Skinner was third, followed by Andy Hillenburg and Ron Barfield.
Purvis led 30 laps early in the race and then took the lead from Skinner after getting a big jump on a restart with five laps to go.
``That last caution saved me because I couldn't get a run'' on Skinner before that, Purvis said. ``He was as good as I was when he was in front of me.''
The accident occurred further back in the pack when several cars became bunched and one was hit from behind.
``I was just trying to ride around and stay out of trouble and I got caught up in it anyway. On the last lap. Pretty stupid,'' Hill said. ``Now it's junk. We were just a ping-pong ball. I got turned around and started flipping.''
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Rockbridge Baths' Rick Mast (front right) leads theby CNBfield at the start of the Busch Clash on Sunday in Daytona Beach,
Fla. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING