ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606240141
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
For the first time in almost 17 years, the distinctive Petty Enterprises No. 43 Pontiac Grand Prix will start a NASCAR Winston Cup race from the pole.
Richard Petty's driver, Bobby Hamilton, won the first pole position of his career Friday with a lap of 185.166 mph around the two-mile oval at Michigan International Speedway.
Sunday's Miller 500 will mark the first time Petty's car has held the top starting spot since Richard won the pole for the August 1979 race at Bristol International Raceway.
``The lap was so clean and effortless, I knew I'd run fast,'' Hamilton said. ``It seems like every time you run fast, it's easy. It seems like a real smooth lap is the fastest. I could have tried harder, but it could have slowed us down.''
Said Petty: ``This is a great day for Bobby and Robbie [Loomis, crew chief,] and the crew. This was a long time coming. But until now, circumstances just weren't right.''
Derrike Cope was more than 1 mph slower in joining Hamilton on the front row, with a speed of 184.153 in his Ford Thunderbird. There was another big gap to third, which was won by Morgan Shepherd at 183.613 mph in another Ford. Mark Martin put his Ford in the fourth starting spot with a lap of 183.608 mph, followed by defending champion Bobby Labonte in the fastest Chevy (183.580 mph).
Hamilton's ace in the hole for speed was the fact that he'd run the Goodyear tire test here in late April.
``This was the same car,'' said Dale Inman, Hamilton's team manager. ``We didn't even take it apart.''
And in practice Friday morning, Hamilton knew immediately the car still was quick. ``When I practiced, I never really got after it,'' he said. ``And I never really told anyone what I had. It seems like if you've got something and you talk about it, it jinxes you.''
Although pole winners usually qualify for the annual Busch Clash race at Daytona International Speedway, that apparently will not be the case for Hamilton because Petty refuses to display a Busch decal on his car.
``You ever seen me drink a beer?'' Petty said.
Petty said if he had the sticker on his car, it would ``take a position [on the car] away where I could make money. And my mother would probably shoot me if I put that sticker on my car.''
Petty said he would be happy to put his car in the Clash if Busch wants it there.
Kevin Triplett, a NASCAR spokesman, said he didn't know if that was possible. He said the contract for the race is between Busch and Daytona, and ``we're trying to sort all that out and figure how it fits in.''
For Hamilton, who has been driving full-time in the Winston Cup series since 1991, this was the first taste of real success: ``You all are probably sitting there looking at me saying, `He doesn't look very enthusiastic.' But we've qualified for outside poles so many times, and we've been running good, so I don't feel like on a decent day we can be held back.''
Also in the top 10 on Friday were Terry Labonte, who qualified sixth in his Chevy at 183.393 mph. He was followed by Jeff Gordon in a Chevy (183.379 mph), Sterling Marlin in a Chevy (183.309), Lake Speed in a Ford (183.304) and Brett Bodine in a Ford (183.029).
A second round of time trials is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB