ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 1996 TAG: 9604290105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
The word around Talladega Superspeedway was that the Ford Thunderbirds owned by Robert Yates were the cars to beat.
That certainly was borne out Friday, as Ernie Irvan and Dale Jarrett had the top two qualifying speeds and put Yates' cars on the front row for Sunday's running of the Winston Select 500.
Irvan reached 192.855 mph, and Jarrett's best lap was 192.560. No one else reached 192 mph.
``Our two-car team all pitched in together to make our cars real fast,'' said Irvan. ``I'm real excited about Sunday. I haven't thought a lot about it, but I think it could be me and Dale in contention to win the race.
``If we hadn't had Dale down here testing last week, we never would have had both cars on the front row.''
By the end of the day, however, Irvan's smile had disappeared.
NASCAR took his car for a special horsepower test and in the process, Winston Cup director Gary Nelson possibly damaged the engine that Irvan planned to use in the race. (See story on page B5.)
Jeremy Mayfield, continuing a strong year, took the third starting spot in his Ford with a speed of 191.862 mph. Sterling Marlin was fourth fastest in the quickest Chevy at 191.623, followed by Ted Musgrave in another Ford at 191.184.
Mike Skinner was sixth fastest in a Chevy at 191.168, followed by Jeff Purvis (191.100), Robert Pressley (191.077), Jeff Burton (191.042) and Johnny Benson in the fastest Pontiac at 190.943 mph.
The strength of the Fords in qualifying, coupled with the aerodynamic rules change ordered by NASCAR last weekend to help the Fords, had the Chevy teams fuming.
``They're giving the Fords all they want,'' said Dale Earnhardt, who qualified 16th and was slower than part-time teammate Skinner. ``We ran better than we did in qualifying, but we just don't have what we need. Those Fords definitely have what they need.
``We'll see what happens when we get to Charlotte and [the Fords] get the rest of it [when the new change goes into effect]. We were even with 'em at Daytona, and now we're uneven.''
Irvan has won the pole for the spring race here in four of his past five appearances.
``I was fortunate because in the years before, my car [the Morgan-McClure Chevrolet] always ran well,'' Irvan said. ``But we're at Talladega, so it's obvious the drivers don't do a whole lot. This was all preparation in the Robert Yates shop. It's not a whole lot what I did, it's mostly what they did.''
The big question about Irvan, of course, is when his comeback will be complete. He was nearly killed in a crash during practice at Michigan in August 1994, and did not return to the track for more than a year. He won a Twin 125 qualifying race at Daytona in February, but he's struggled since then, particularly in qualifying.
He was second last week in the Goody's 500 in Martinsville, Va.
``In one way, my comeback was complete when I got the OK to go back racing, but everyone seems to want to compare where I was before to where I am now,'' he said.
Forty-six cars made qualifying runs Friday, which means another tough Saturday for some of the drivers at the bottom of the lineup.
Those outside the top 38 were Bobby Hamilton, Lake Speed, Kyle Petty, Brett Bodine, Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine and Bobby Hillin.
The second round of time trials will be at noon today.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Irvan color KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB