ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608120125
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
Dale Earnhardt continued to transform pain and suffering into NASCAR lore and legend Friday by winning the pole for Sunday's Bud at the Glen.
Overcoming a fractured clavicle and sternum, Earnhardt used the left arm to which those broken bones are connected to somehow steer his Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a track qualifying record on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course at Watkins Glen International.
Earnhardt qualified at 120.733 mph. He was the only Winston Cup driver to break the year-old record of 120.411 mph set by Mark Martin.
Since Earnhardt is planning to use relief driver David Green in Sunday's race, pole qualifying was the only contest he could personally win here, so he went ahead and won it. Earnhardt knew exactly how big the feat was, and you could see the delight in his eyes after the run.
``I'm really elated about it,'' he said. ``I didn't feel like I drove as hard as what the car had in it. Maybe that was the key.''
Dale Jarrett qualified second fastest at 120.375 mph in his Ford.
Wait a minute. Dale Jarrett?
Yes, Dale Jarrett. And the still-pumped Brickyard 400 winner, never regarded as much of a road-racer, was calling himself ``Jacques Jarrett'' afterward.
``Just because maybe I haven't won or even run up front in a road race that much, I can do this,'' Jarrett said.
All in all, it was a memorable qualifying session.
The door swung open for Earnhardt in part because all of the regular road-course rabbits were off the mark Friday. Martin, seeking his fourth consecutive pole here, was too loose and ended up 10th with a lap of 119.678 mph.
Ricky Rudd was third fastest at 120.322 mph in a Ford.
Terry Labonte always is strong here, but he said, ``We're not quite right yet,'' after qualifying fourth at 120.250 mph in a Chevy. Jeff Gordon, loose off every corner, qualified fifth at 119.930 mph and was happy just to finish his lap without wrecking. Wally Dallenbach's engine broke during his run.
Jarrett was the unlikely pole-sitter when Earnhardt wheeled out onto the track. It has been almost two weeks since Earnhardt was busted up at Talladega, and the pain remains severe.
``It hurts in a regular automobile on a bumpy road, so you can imagine what it's like in a race car,'' Earnhardt said.
``His ability to withstand pain is amazing,'' said Dr. Jerry Punch, a regular Winston Cup television analyst. ``He's driving with his left hand because he's using the right one to shift. But the hand he's driving with is on the side with the broken clavicle and broken sternum. He's using a handle that is attached to him with broken bones.''
``I was a lot more comfortable in the car at Indianapolis than I am here in practice and qualifying,'' Earnhardt said. ``But when you're going after something like we were in qualifying, you're focused on that. You don't feel the pain as much. But as I went across the [start-finish] line and relaxed, the pain was there.''
Ah, but how better to face the pain than to make a competition out of it?
And to win? Well, you know how that makes Earnhardt feel.
``I'm going to go as far as my injury will let me,'' Earnhardt said of Sunday's race. ``And I might go a little farther than you'd expect.''
Also among the top 10 qualifiers Friday were Rusty Wallace, who was sixth fastest at 119.918 mph in a Ford, followed by Ford drivers Ernie Irvan (119.912 mph) and Michael Waltrip (119.686). Joe Nemechek (119.686) qualified ninth in a Chevy, followed by Martin.
Only 36 drivers completed laps Friday, leaving two regular starting positions to be filled by two of the four drivers who failed to finish their runs.
The second round of time trials starts at 10:30 a.m. today.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Dale Earnhardt clutches his chest after climbing outby CNBof his car Friday during qualifying for the Bud at the Glen in
Watkins Glen, N.Y. Earnhardt won the Winston Cup pole with a
course-record speed of 120.733 mph. color. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING