ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 19, 1996 TAG: 9602200013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: DAYTONA 500 NOTES
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
Mark Martin called it ``really terrifying most of the time.''
Wally Dallenbach said it was ``pretty treacherous, pretty wild at times.''
Ted Musgrave added: ``I don't know what it was like for the fans, but for the drivers it's more nerve-wracking than anything, because you're more bunched up than anything.''
And Jimmy Spencer called it ``the most competitive Daytona 500 I've ever seen.''
Dale Jarrett won the race by holding off Dale Earnhardt for the last 24 laps.
Fifteen drivers led the 200-lap event. But the most notable thing was how the draft and the slightly lower speeds kept the field bunched so often and for so long.
With only 25 laps to go, a huge pack of cars was still battling for position, driving side by side and often three-wide around the 2.5-mile track.
And even after five cars broke away with about 15 laps left, another group chased them down to mix it up at the end, even though the five-car lead draft had religiously stayed in line for maximum speed.
Two factors promoted the closer-than-ever competition: NASCAR gave aerodynamic concessions to Ford over the winter and also made engine rules changes that narrowed the gap between everyone's power plants.
``The new engines have tightened up the field and made it harder to pass,'' Terry Labonte said. Labonte led 44 laps in the first half of the race before losing four laps with a carburetor problem. ``It's made the competition a lot closer.''
CRASH CITY: The racing was so close, even NASCAR's best drivers couldn't avoid some trouble. There were six wrecks, including one involving five cars, another with six cars and a final incident that collected eight cars. No one was hurt.
Some of NASCAR's biggest guns were the earliest victims.
Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon was the first. He was clipped by Jeremy Mayfield exiting turn 4, and Gordon went hard into the wall.
``We're wrecked,'' he told his crew on the radio as his crippled car drifted toward the inside of the track, tire smoke pouring in the driver's compartment. ``We hit hard, guys.''
Five more cars crashed trying to avoid Gordon. Joe Nemechek and Steve Grissom had the worst of it. Rick Mast, Rusty Wallace and Mayfield also were involved. Gordon finished 42nd in the 43-car field.
Ernie Irvan was next to wreck. When Earnhardt lost an ignition on lap 28, Earnhardt slowed suddenly coming out of turn 4 and Irvan tapped him in the back. Dallenbach then hit Irvan, who went into the wall.
``Something must have happened to Earnhardt,'' Irvan told his crew. ``He blew up or something and I ran into the back of him and somebody ran into the back of me. I'm still driving it.''
Irvan completed 145 laps and finished 35th.
John Andretti, who led 23 laps, was another crash victim, as was Geoff Bodine, who was caught in the final incident - the eight-car crash - on lap 159.
NO GO FOR THREE IN A ROW: Sterling Marlin saw his chances for three consecutive Daytona 500 victories go down the drain just after he put himself in position to do it.
He took the lead for the first time on lap 77, but was gone three laps later when his engine broke.
``It just started smokin' like it was burnin' something up,'' Marlin told engine builder Runt Pittman. ``It didn't lose a cylinder. Maybe the rocker covers burned up or something.''
That, in fact, was what happened.
``Man, got it fixed where we wanted it, I took the lead and I thought, `Man, here we go again.' But the motor broke.''
Marlin finished 40th.
TEAM HEAT: Jeff Burton is Musgrave's new teammate in the three-team Jack Roush operation, but Musgrave was none too pleased with his new partner at the end of the race.
Musgrave hopped out of his car and directed some stern words and finger-pointing at Burton when the cars returned to the garage.
Musgrave was upset Burton didn't help him draft. Burton passed him instead, finishing fifth while Musgrave was eighth.
``I'd liked to have helped Ted more,'' Burton said. ``He jumped up on the outside to make a move and I couldn't go up there. I was tight up there. I had to stay on the bottom.''
Roush said he might have been able to help the teams communicate better.
Meanwhile, the third team member, Martin, who finished fourth, said he was so underpowered, no one would help him.
``I guess everybody knew we didn't have a fast car,'' he said. ``Nobody ever wanted to run with us, especially Dale Jarrett. He left me hanging every single time he got a chance.''
GOOD LUCK FOR ONCE: It was an all-around great day for car owner Bud Moore and his new driver, Dallenbach, who had arrived here without a sponsor.
But Hayes Modems signed on last week as the team's Daytona 500 sponsor. And on Sunday morning, the company signed up for the full year, and Moore gave Dallenbach the ride for the full year.
In the race, Dallenbach was competitive most of the afternoon and finished sixth.
``We really lost the handle on the car in the middle of the race,'' he said. ``But whatever the crew did, they got it fixed. That thing was strong at the end. It came right back up through the field.
``We're going to run the rest of the season.''
PONTIAC FLOP: The new 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix flopped in its Winston Cup debut.
Kyle Petty had the top-finishing Grand Prix. He was 18th. Bobby Hamilton was 20th, rookie Johnny Benson was 23rd and Ward Burton was 26th.
Mast was 28th after losing 10 laps for repairs when he was involved in Gordon's incident on the 10th lap.
``This race really didn't give us a clue,'' said the driver from Rockbridge Baths, Va.. ``But I think the car is really going to be good.''
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Robert Pressley and Geoff Bodine (7) come togetherby CNBon lap 159 during an eight-car wreck that was a product of the tight
racing Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING