ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 28, 1997 TAG: 9701280087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, has been selected to drive in his 13th International Race of Champions series.
Earnhardt, one of only four two-time winners of the True Value Firebird all-star series, joins Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin (the defending series winner) and Robby Gordon, as well as Indy-car stars Jimmy Vasser, Al Unser Jr. and Alex Zanardi.
Also picked Monday to drive in the series were defending SCCA Trans-Am champion Tom Kendall and defending NASCAR Busch Grand National champion Randy LaJoie. One more driver will be added to complete the 12-man lineup.
The drivers in the 21st edition of the IROC series will compete in four races, beginning on Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway. All will drive identically prepared Pontiac Firebird Trans-Ams equipped with Goodyear Eagle radial tires.
Besides Daytona, the series will also appear at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, at the new California Speedway on June 21 and at Michigan International Speedway on July 26.
The series will pay out more than $600,000 to the 12 drivers, all based on points accumulated during the four events. The winner will take home at least $200,000, while all the drivers are guaranteed at least $30,000.
In other auto racing:
* Davy Jones, injured last week in a crash during practice for the Indy 200, was transferred from the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla., to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Jones, 32, remained in serious but stable condition with a closed head injury. He is scheduled for further evaluation and treatment at Methodist, which is known for its long-standing relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and treating race-related injuries.
Jones, the runner-up in last year's Indianapolis 500, was injured when his car went out of control Thursday at Walt Disney World Speedway and hit both the outside and inside walls in turn 3 of the one-mile tri-oval.
ETC. Miller gets WNBA top post
The new Phoenix Women's NBA franchise, still weeks away from choosing a name, gave itself an attitude and instant identity by hiring Cheryl Miller as coach and general manager.
``Run, run, run, run, run,'' Miller said about her kind of team. ``Play some outstanding defense. I want this team to be physical, I want them to know the game.''
Sort of a capsule of the coach herself.
Miller, 33, took Southern California to two national championships as a player, helped the 1984 U.S. women win an Olympic gold medal, was a three-time NCAA player of the year, and is one of 11 women in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
She also coached Southern Cal's women to a 44-14 record from 1993-95, winning a Pac-10 championship her first year.
In September 1995, Miller became an NBA analyst for Turner Sports. Last year, she was part of NBC's Olympic basketball coverage team, and in November she became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised NBA game.
The league begins play this summer.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins traded right wing Tomas Sandstrom to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for center Greg Johnson.
Sandstrom, 32, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He has nine goals and 15 assists in 40 games with the Penguins this season. He has 361 career goals and 428 assists in 814 games with Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and the New York Rangers.
Johnson, 25, has six goals and 10 assists in 43 games with the Red Wings this season. He has recorded 33 goals and 48 assists in 177 career games with Detroit.
* Olympic figure skating champion Oksana Baiul applied for admission to an alcohol education program in hopes of having a drunken driving charge against her dropped.
Baiul regrets her conduct, realizes she made a mistake and is ``determined to never let it happen again,'' said Paul Collins, one of her lawyers, following her court appearance in Connecticut.
Baiul answered questions from Judge John Sullivan but did not discuss her actions early on Jan. 12, when she ran her Mercedes off the road while traveling an estimated 97 mph.
She sustained a concussion and needed 12 stitches to her scalp after driving her car into a cluster of trees in Bloomfield. Ari Zakarian, a fellow skater who was a passenger, was left with minor injuries.
* Former Western Kentucky football coach Jack Clayton has died.
Clayton, who coached the Hilltoppers for nine seasons beginning in 1948, died Sunday. He was 82.
Clayton, who led Western to its first Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 9-1 season in 1953, was inducted into the Hilltopper Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
* Jan Quarless, the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest, has accepted the head coaching position at Southern Illinois.
Quarless has been with the Demon Deacons since Jim Caldwell became coach before the 1993 season. He was in charge of running backs and special teams for two years before becoming offensive coordinator.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 linesby CNB