ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702180022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
PASSING WAS NOT a problem as a dozen identically-prepared cars jockeyed for position.
The racing turned racy Friday at Daytona International Speedway as Al Unser Jr. clawed his way to victory in the International Race of Champions and a Brown's Summit driver, Brian Sockwell, won the Goody's Dash race.
The Dash race also included the first bad crashes of Speedweeks.
Unser crossed the finish line a couple of car-lengths ahead of Mark Martin after a 40-lap race that featured constant passing and dicing among the 12 drivers.
Eight of the 12 drivers led at least one lap and there were 16 official passes for the lead as cars shuffled positions like they were balls in a Lotto tumbler.
Said Randy LaJoie, who finished fourth: ``It was absolutely the most fun I've had in a race car in a long time. Even though we didn't win it, I had a blast.''
Unser led 18 laps - twice as many as anyone else - and was in front for the final eight laps after passing Jeff Gordon for the lead.
``I kept looking for my good buddy Dale,'' said Unser. ``I needed somebody behind me and if I want anybody behind me, I want it to be Dale Earnhardt. You need help out there to pass and I was glad Dale was there to help me.''
Earnhardt finished third, followed by LaJoie, Tom Kendall, Terry Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon, Alex Zanardi, Darrell Waltrip and Jimmy Vasser. All 12 cars finished all 40 laps, although the final three had lost the draft at the end.
In the Discount Auto Parts 200 for Goody's Dash series four-cylinder cars, Sockwell led only the final four laps to earn his first victory at Daytona by about two car-lengths over Christian Elder. Darryl Murray was third, followed by Robert Huffman and Mike Swaim, Jr.
Sockwell won the race on lap 77 of 80 by getting around Swaim going into turn 1.
``All afternoon I was getting passed on the outside,'' Sockwell said. ``I told everybody I was going to pass on the outside. I told the crew if I could get a good run off [turn] 4, I'd be up beside them by turn 1.''
There were 14 passes for the lead among eight cars and seven yellow flags, including one for a seven-car crash on lap 70 and another for a spectacular three-car incident six laps earlier in which George Crenshaw's Bad Frog Beer Pontiac went tumbling down the track out of turn 4.
Crenshaw was tapped in turn 4 and his car went airborne, barrel rolling seven times before coming to a halt. Crenshaw walked away from the crash and was not seriously hurt.
``I'm just a little sore,'' he said. ``It was a wild ride. I can't wait to see the tape of it. I remember the car flipping, and I just closed my eyes. I didn't think it was ever going to stop rolling.''
Sockwell, 28, is a veteran of kart, three-wheeler, four-wheeler and Legends car racing. He's a former Legends national champion.
He raced in the Dash series last year, but this was his first race on Daytona's 2.5-mile superspeedway.
``We came and tested probably about three weeks ago,'' he said. ``It was a matter of me getting used to holding it wide open. I got to where I didn't lift in one corner. When I finally got it wide open all the way around, it's an awesome feeling. It's hard to describe.''
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Al Unser Jr. hoists the trophy after winning theby CNBfirst IROC event of the season at Daytona International Speedway. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING