ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 4, 1997 TAG: 9703040084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
Twenty-four hours after Rusty Wallace won the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR officials confirmed the results and found his team not guilty of any engine hanky-panky.
Wallace's engine, however, still failed, at least technically, to meet the required 14 to 1 compression ratio.
Further tests Monday showed a compression ratio of 14.011 to 1, NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said, and ``that meets what is stated in the rule book,'' which is 14.0 to 1.
``It was not 14.1,'' Triplett said. ``When you get down below tenths, we're satisfied that this car was in compliance with the rules.''
Of course, 14.011 to 1 is still more than 14.0 to 1. What matters is whether Wallace had any advantage. NASCAR said he didn't, and Winston Cup engine builders said he didn't.
``Something that small didn't make a difference,'' said Tony Santicola, an engine builder for car owner Cale Yarborough. ``It's so close, it's not even worth talking about.''
Still, NASCAR engine builders are very precise about setting the compression ratios on their engines to avoid violating this rule.
There was no immediate comment from the Wallace camp. Wallace was in New Orleans for the national sales convention of his sponsor, Miller Beer. The team issued a statement earlier Monday stating that team manager Don Miller would have no statement ``until, or if, there is something to respond to.''
The compression ratio is a measurement of the amount of air squeezed into the combustion chamber of a cylinder when the piston makes its upstroke. The tighter the air is squeezed, the higher the compression ratio. A higher compression ratio means more power.
A compression ratio of 14 to 1 would be the equivalent of having 14 glassfuls of air compressed into a single glass, Santicola said.
During the course of a race, carbon builds up on the pistons.
``Anything inside the combustion chamber takes up area, which reduces the size of the chamber, which makes the pressure go up,'' Santicola said.
So engine builders routinely set the compression ratios of their engines at 13.8 to 1 or less because they know by the end of the race, the carbon buildup will make their engines test at a ratio of almost 14 to 1.
NASCAR this year mandated the lower 14 to 1 compression ratio for all races to reduce power and hopefully slow the cars. Previously, the 14 to 1 ratio had been a rule only at Daytona and Talladega. Busch Grand National cars are limited to a compression ratio of 9.5 to 1.
Before the limits were mandated, Winston Cup engine builders, in their never-ending efforts to squeeze more horsepower out of their power plants, were reaching compression ratios of 18 to 1 and higher on each of the eight cylinders.
Now, with the limit it effect, engine builders must be careful.
``You've got to start out at 13.75 to 1 or 13.8 to 1 just to be legal,'' Santicola said. ``Otherwise you would go over after the race. If you started at 14 to 1, you'd test at 14.2 to 1 and you'd be disqualified.''
In Wallace's case, the carbon buildup apparently pushed the compression ratio slightly over the limit.
Triplett said he did not know what the compression ratio of Wallace's engine was Sunday night after the race and he probably won't be able to release that figure. ``But it was enough for us to check it again,'' he said.
The announcement of further tests, which raised the possibility that Wallace's team would be penalized or might even be stripped of the victory, came at 8 p.m. Sunday, four hours after the race ended Wallace won after beating Dale Jarrett into the first turn on a restart with three laps to go.
Wallace's engine was taken to an undisclosed shop in the Charlotte area on Monday, where inspectors, NASCAR Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson, crew chief Robin Pemberton, engine builder Mike Egge and others gathered for the further tests. The not guilty ruling came at about 4 p.m., some 24 hours after the race ended.
``If this had made an impact, we would have done something,'' Triplett said. ``I believe we would have had a problem with 14.2 to 1. But you can safely call it a 20-hour post-race inspection. We're satisfied we took the measures we needed to take and we're satisfied with what we found. The case is closed.''
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Wallace. color. KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB