ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 18, 1997 TAG: 9704180063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER THE ROANOKE TIMES
Short-track phenom Rusty Wallace has proven the past four years he doesn't have to win the pole to win the Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Rusty Wallace can become the first NASCAR Winston Cup driver to win a race five consecutive times at Martinsville Speedway when he competes in the Goody's Headache Powder 500 on Sunday.
Wallace has dominated the short tracks in the 1990s. He has won the past four Goody's 500s and five of the past eight races at Martinsville.
``I've always liked the short tracks,'' Wallace said Tuesday on the weekly Winston Cup teleconference. ``I've been pretty consistent on the short tracks. Martinsville is one of my favorite tracks.
``Short tracks tend to come fairly easily to me for some reason. They're just as hard as any other track, but it seems like I'm more consistent on them. It seems like if I get down in a ditch and need some points, I can always go to a short track and make up some ground.''
Wallace shares the record of four consecutive event victories at Martinsville with Richard Petty, who won the fall race, then known as the Old Dominion 500, four times beginning in 1967. Both have credited their success at Martinsville to superior brakes.
``A lot of brake planning goes into Martinsville; getting the cooling on the brakes to make sure they last forever and ever,'' Wallace said. ``You used to be able save brakes at Martinsville. Now we run every lap like it was the last lap.
``Your car has got to handle really good, and if it doesn't handle good, you end up using your brakes to try to control the ill handling of the car, which means you end up losing your brakes.
``If I don't have to race hard that lap, I don't do it. A lot of times you'll see me pick up a 10-car advantage and fall back to no advantage and pick back up to a 10-car advantage and fall back to none. And the only reason I'm doing that is to try to save all the brakes I possibly can.''
As many as 43 cars will start, an increase of six.
``That's too many to start,'' Wallace said. ``But I don't want to see any teams go home. Some people just don't qualify well - and I'm one of them - but you can take a driver like that and put him in the race and he'll be great in the race.''
Wallace qualified fifth, 15th, first and fifth, respectively, before his four Goody's 500 victories.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB