ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604230174
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: GOODY'S 500 NOTES
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
Dale Earnhardt didn't win the battle Sunday at the Goody's 500, but he is once again winning the Winston Cup points war.
Earnhardt entered the race at Martinsville Speedway in second place in the points, two behind leader Dale Jarrett.
With Jarrett finishing 29th and 42 laps off the pace, Earnhardt used his fifth-place finish to storm to the points lead.
Earnhardt led the race with 48 laps to go, but after not pitting on lap 443 during a caution period, he was easily passed by Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Ernie Irvan and Jeremy Mayfield.
``I am top in the points, but we messed up by not going in on that last stop,'' the seven-time Winston Cup champion said. ``It was a miscommunication. I did it. We took fifth, and luckily there weren't any more cars on the lead lap.''
Gordon, the defending Winston Cup champion, also improved his standing in the points. He is second, trailing Earnhardt by 76 points. Jarrett slipped to third.
``We're looking OK in the points, but we've just got to start beating [Gordon],'' Earnhardt said. ``He's beat us the last several races, so we've got to start beating him.''
SILENT RUNNING: Rick Mast quietly finished four laps down in 15th place. The Rockbridge Baths resident wasn't overjoyed, though.
``We just didn't run good, plain and simple,'' he said. ``We're not running worth a darn, but we're finishing.''
In eight points races this season, Mast has one top-10 finish. He is one of only six drivers who have qualified for every race and not led a lap. The others: Derrike Cope, Joe Nemechek, Lake Speed, Kenny Wallace and Darrell Waltrip.
FRIENDS: Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell is a long-time friend of Stacy Compton, who was making his first Winston Cup start Sunday.
While Campbell isn't one to openly root for drivers in the press box, he said he was pulling for his former go-kart rival.
``I had to be,'' Campbell said. ``I wanted him to do as well as he could. To see him do this, I know it was a dream of his to be in a Winston Cup race. I think he did a good job and showed people the potential he has.''
While Compton got his first Winston Cup ride at Campbell's track, Campbell got his first ride in a Late Model Stock race in Compton's car at New River Valley Speedway in 1991.
As for their go-kart careers, Campbell, Compton and Steve Sheppard, Martinsville's assistant public relations director, reportedly were asked to leave a track in Daytona Beach, Fla., in February for driving too rough.
PETTY LARCENY: Kyle Petty led for the first time in 1996 when he stormed to the front on laps 29 through 95. But a right-front tire fire stole any chance he had at winning.
``I don't have no brakes,'' Petty said to his team on his radio.
Petty was in second after a yellow-flag pit stop on lap 98, but the fire forced him back into the pits for brake replacement.
He finished 55 laps down in 30th place.
CROWDED HOUSE: A record crowd of 66,000 attended the Goody's 500. The record was made possible by the opening of the Bill France Tower in turns 3 and 4, providing 7,000 additional seats to race fans.
The tower took the place of the familiar scoreboard, but Campbell didn't seem to mind.
``It was different, but I like this view a lot better,'' he said.
In another construction project, the speedway will open an infield media center in September, Campbell said.
STRAIGHT SHOOTERS: Early in the race, Robert Pressley and Nemechek got their cars together. Pressley took his car behind the wall for the first of many repair jobs.
``Nemechek was eating a Whopper or something,'' Pressley said of the driver who is sponsored by Burger King.
In another incident, race winner Rusty Wallace nearly ran into an accident involving Geoff Bodine and John Andretti for the second straight week.
At North Wilkesboro on April 14, Wallace was leading the race when he smashed into Andretti, who had been spun out by Bodine.
On Sunday, Wallace was leading when Andretti and Bodine tangled again, but there wasn't enough contact to disrupt their cars or Wallace.
``They're good drivers, but they've got to leave their tempers at home,'' Wallace said.
WORKING ON IT: Ricky Craven earned his first pole position in his 40th Winston Cup start, but his first victory will have to wait.
Craven, last year's rookie of the year, finished two laps down in 12th place. He led the first 28 laps, but continued to slip after being passed by Petty.
``The car was pretty good today, and then something broke toward the end,'' he said. ``We really didn't realize anything had broken until after the race. We're still not quite ready to win. I think maybe we're putting a little too much pressure on ourselves, but the guys are doing a great job. When it's time to win, we'll win.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. Terry Labonte (right) shares a laughby CNBwith Richard Petty, the man whose record Labonte broke with his
514th consecutive Winston Cup start. Labonte was 24th in the Goody's
500. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING