ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608120126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING NOTES
DATELINE: WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
The American passenger car was built for cruising comfort on the road, not for racing at more than 100 mph around tight, hilly turns.
Ricky Craven, Johnny Benson and Jimmy Spencer established this basic truth once again Friday in practice at Watkins Glen International for Sunday's Bud at the Glen.
All three crashed heavily in the chicane, forcing them to revert to their backup cars.
``I don't know, it just turned around on me in the chicane,'' Craven said while walking through the garage toward his heavily damaged car.
``I don't know. It just broke loose. There must be something on the track,'' Benson said.
``I just messed up,'' Spencer said.
In qualifying, Spencer was the winner of the back-up qualifiers, but was only 32nd fastest. Benson was 36th fastest. And Craven spun off the course, but fortunately didn't hit anything that time.
PETTY IN PAIN: The proof that Kyle Petty was knocked loopy in his crash at Indy came when he watched the replay on television and realized he had it all wrong.
``I remember two, maybe three hits,'' Petty said of his crash, which involved four separate, hard collisions. He hit the outside wall, Sterling Marlin, outside wall and inside wall in that order.
``I had it wrong,'' he said. "'I thought I hit the outside wall, then the inside wall, then somebody hit me. I didn't realize who it was until I was out of the car and sitting against the wall and I heard Sterling's voice.''
Petty remains profoundly sore from his Indy crash. He spent the week resting at the family home in Charleston, S.C.
``I ain't been nowhere. I haven't left the house,'' Petty said. ``I came up here. I don't know why.''
Petty qualified 16th.
USING ANOTHER SEAT: Dale Earnhardt is using his relief driver's seat this weekend.
It's the typical stock-car seat that sits far more upright and higher in the car than the low-back, low-slung bucket seat that Earnhardt slouches in every race.
``I can see out of the car better,'' Earnhardt said. ``I can see more - and it scares me.''
Actually, Earnhardt thinks David Green's seat may have helped him during his pole-winning run Friday.
``It really supports me better for the shoulder,'' he said. ``I think the seat allowed me to use my left arm better.'' He is not, however, planning to change permanently.
IRVAN VISITS EARNHARDT: Ernie Irvan spoke personally to Earnhardt here Friday. It was their first conversation since Earnhardt crashed at Talladega, and it may go a long way toward quelching the public criticism that Earnhardt had begun leveling at Irvan this week.
Earnhardt blamed Irvan for the Talladega crash, but during interviews with CNN and at Bristol Motor Speedway, it was clear he was upset about something else, too.
``He made a mistake, but he hasn't called or come by,'' Earnhardt said in Bristol on Wednesday. ``He's just had no comment. To deny the mistake is wrong on his part.
``In 1993, when I wrecked Rusty [Wallace at Talladega], I knew it was my fault and I went out there and helped him get out of the car and apologized to him and his team. I haven't heard that from the guy who wrecked me.''
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: Road racer Butch Leitzinger is the driver of the week in Gary Bechtel's Chevrolet here, replacing Greg Sacks. Leitzinger qualified 17th for Sunday's race.
CONTRACT EXTENSION: Butch Mock Motorsports has announced that Remington Arms has extended its sponsorship agreement to the year 2000 for the Ford Thunderbird driven by Morgan Shepherd.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Mark Martin, left, watches his crew fine-tune hisby CNBcar during practice for the Bud at the Glen on Friday. Martin will
be defending his three consecutive titles at Watkins Glen, N.Y.