ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 19, 1997 TAG: 9704210128
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE
TYPE: AUTO RACING NOTES
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER THE ROANOKE TIMES
Less than a week after a contentious, trouble-filled race at Bristol Motor Speedway, car owner Felix Sabates swapped drivers Robby Gordon and Joe Nemechek within his own team.
Everyone involved put the best face on it, but it was evident from the private conversations of team members that turmoil on Gordon's team prompted the switch.
Gordon parked his Chevrolet Monte Carlo after 91 laps and a second incident in the Food City 500. Some members of the team were upset that he wouldn't get back in the car even if they fixed the damage. In turn, Gordon was aggravated with his crew's pit mistakes during the race.
``On Monday morning, Robby Gordon will take the Coors Light number and colors and go next door and Joe Nemechek will bring the 42 car and colors to our shop,'' said crew chief Tony Glover.
Glover said last Sunday's controversy ``had nothing to do with this. Felix decided he wanted to do something that would make it better for everyone involved. I'm fine with it. I'm happy with it.''
Said Nemechek: ``We're making a driver swap. This should help both teams and I'm looking forward to working with Tony. It's not like we're starting all over, since everybody has tested and practiced together and we keep each other informed.''
Gordon also told reporters that it was a move that Sabates instigated. His new crew chief will be Mike Hillman. A team statement said the switch will happen Monday and quoted Sabates as saying, ``We're hoping a different combination of personnel will work to our advantage in this situation.''
Gordon was 39th fastest in pole qualifying Friday. Nemechek won the outside pole.
A BROKEN FOOT: The only driver who is still feeling pain from the Geoff Bodine/Jimmy Spencer feud at Bristol last weekend is Steve Grissom, who discovered Monday the severe pain in his right foot was a fracture.
Grissom's car was tagged by Bodine's after Bodine and Spencer came together on the frontstretch in an incident that prompted NASCAR to park Bodine. The driver's side of Grissom's car slammed flush against the outside wall in the first turn.
Grissom limped to the infield care center after the crash and an examination Monday afternoon revealed a stress fracture.
``It's not too bad, it's just a little broken,'' Grissom said.
``They got me wearing a walking boot. It's kind of like a cast that doesn't bother me when I'm walking. But I couldn't hardly walk on the thing Monday.''
Like the boxing referee who gets decked in a prize fight, Grissom did not seem upset that he was the one who paid the price for the Bodine-Spencer feud.
``We're here at Martinsville now,'' he said. ``The point is, it happened. We put that behind us. You've just got to go on.''
SACKS INJURED: On the same day Grissom's broken foot was diagnosed, another Winston Cup driver, Greg Sacks, broke his foot in a practice crash.
Sacks was testing the No. 20 Ranier/Walsh Chevrolet Monte Carlo at Greenville/Pickens Speedway in South Carolina on Monday when he crashed and broke some bones in his left foot.
Sacks had surgery at Carolinas Medical Center on Tuesday and hopes to return to action at Talladega next week. Lance Hooper, the 1996 Winston West champion, is filling in at Martinsville and was 43rd fastest in qualifying Friday among 47 cars.
LEGACY RACE: Blake Bainbridge of Hueytown, Ala., won the 30-lap Allison Legacy series race Friday, edging Dan Doeler of Uniontown, Ohio, by two car lengths.
Clay Campbell, the president of Martinsville Speedway, finished 13th and on the lead lap, after being involved in one of several crashes.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB