ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 17, 1997 TAG: 9702190036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
IN AN INSTANT, Dale Earnhardt goes from running second to out of contention.
It was the same old story for Dale Earnhardt, but with a different twist.
For the fourth time in seven years, Earnhardt came up short in the Daytona 500 because his Chevrolet faded at the end.
His fate Sunday was another ride on his roof. But he walked away from this spectacular crash unhurt, unlike last year's crash at Talladega. Then, he provided some of the best drama of the 500 by crawling back into the wreckage and driving back to the pits.
And he continued in the race. It didn't gain him any positions, but Earnhardt drove six more laps in his wrecked car - held together with tape - before the race ended.
``Well, I just wanted to get back in the race and try to make some laps,'' he said. ``We're running for the championship. Our hopes for the Daytona 500 were over.''
His handling faded in 1991, and Ernie Irvan passed him with seven laps to go. In 1993, Dale Jarrett took him with one lap to go. In 1995, Sterling Marlin went by him with 20 to go. And last year, Jarrett got him again, this time with 24 laps to go.
Each of those times, Earnhardt was leading. He wasn't leading Sunday when his car pushed into the outside wall coming off turn 2. He was in second.
But it was the same problem. The handling on his Chevy faded at the end. This time, it probably could be blamed on the fact that Earnhardt took two tires, and not four, on his final pit stop on lap 166 to maintain his track position.
And so it was another disappointing walk back to the garage. When he reached his transporter, Earnhardt pulled a cooler toward him and hopped on top of it to rise above the crowd. He winked at his wife, Teresa, then calmly explained what happened this time in the race he's never won.
Jeff ``Gordon came up under me and the car pushed off the corner and I got into the wall and I got back into him,'' Earnhardt said of his crash on lap 189. ``I checked up a little bit and somebody hit me from behind. The next thing I know, we're on our roof again.''
As Earnhardt spun to a stop, crew chief Larry McReynolds was on the radio checking to make sure Earnhardt was OK. He said yes. Then he got out of the car and walked to an ambulance.
``I got in the ambulance and I looked back at the car and I said, `Man, the wheels is still on that thing.' I got out of the ambulance and asked the guy inside the car who was hooking it up, I said, `See if it will crank.'''
``And he cranked it up. I said, `Get out of there. Give me my car back.' So I drove it back around here and we taped it up. I don't know that we could have won the Daytona 500, but we was sitting there waiting for a shot. I think Gordon was a little impatient at that point, but still he went on ahead and won the race. But that's the way it goes.''
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Dale Earnhardt's car flips after being bumped byby CNBErnie Irvan during the late stages of the Daytona 500. color. 2.
Dale Earnhardt looks over his wrecked Monte Carlo. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACING