ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING NOTES
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
Terry Labonte, who vowed to quit the International Race of Champions (IROC) series after a rules controversy at the Daytona race, said Tuesday he will continue to compete.
The next race is at Talladega (Ala.) later this month. Labonte and other drivers were furious when several competitors took advantage of a confusing rules change and switched tires during a yellow flag, allowing them to pass the front-runners. Labonte was so mad he threw his IROC driver's uniform in the trash can.
``We've reached an agreement,'' Labonte said. ``I'm going to run the IROC series. They've satisfied my concerns.''
Labonte said the rule will be ``the way half of us assumed it was,'' which is that no tire changes are allowed unless there is a problem with a tire.
Labonte, by the way, can tie Richard Petty for the record of consecutive Winston Cup race starts with 512 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) on April 14. Labonte's streak started Jan.14, 1979, at Riverside, Calif.
``It really doesn't seem like it's that long ago,'' he said.
Labonte's streak nearly ended where it started in 1982. He was seriously injured in a crash at Riverside, but it was the last race of the season and he had several months to recover before the Daytona 500 in February.
If it hadn't been the season-ender, ``I wouldn't have been able to compete at that point,'' he said.
QUICK REPAIR: The Ford Thunderbird that Dale Jarrett crashed Friday during qualifying at Bristol International Raceway is on its way to recovery.
Jarrett plowed head-on into the frontstretch wall, causing damage to the front end of the chassis that required a new piece known as a front clip.
By Friday night, the damaged car was back at owner Robert Yates' shop in Charlotte, N.C. On Saturday afternoon, it was taken to Laughlin Racing Products outside Greenville, S.C., to await Monday morning repairs.
The work at Laughlin's was done about 2 p.m. and the car was back at Yates' shop with a new front clip by 4 p.m. Monday.
``It will probably be ready to race again next Wednesday or Thursday, but we don't plan to use it until we test at Charlotte on the Wednesday and Thursday after the [May 5] Sonoma race,'' said team manager Larry McReynolds.
NASCAR BILLIONAIRE: The rich get richer in a growth sport like stock car racing, and Speedway Motorsports Chairman O. Bruton Smith already is almost a billionaire in stock holdings alone.
The current prospectus for Speedway Motorsports, which offered 3.1 million shares of the stock, shows Smith owns 2.9 million shares. At the current selling price of about $28 a share, Smith is worth $812,000,000.
Speedway Motorsports President H.A. ``Humpy'' Wheeler owns 600,000 shares, worth about $16.8 million, and Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark has 80,000 shares, or $2.24 million.
Other interesting facts in the prospectus: Smith paid $6.05 million in cash for 50 percent of North Wilkesboro Speedway in June. The price tag for Bristol, purchased in January, was $26,583,000.
THERE ALL THE TIME: When Jarrett stopped in teammate Ernie Irvan's pit after running out of fuel with two laps to go at Darlington on March 24, NASCAR officials initially said there was no rule that specifically addressed whether that was legal.
But after taking another look, NASCAR officials decided an existing rule effectively bans the practice.
That rule? Cars may not pit outside their pit box.
Jarrett was penalized a lap anyway after his stop because he violated another rule when Irvan's crew and another gave him assistance by pushing him on pit road after the white flag flew.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Labonteby CNB