THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 9, 1994 TAG: 9407090332
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LOUDON, N.H. LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
With the asphalt breaking up in all four corners of New Hampshire International Speedway, Ernie Irvan slipped and slid to a track record on a hot Friday afternoon to win his fifth pole position of the Winston Cup season.
Irvan's run of 127.197 mph in Robert Yates' Ford Thunderbird was 29.944 seconds on the stopwatch. It was the only qualifying run for Sunday's Slick 50 300 under 30 seconds, and it beat Mark Martin's year-old record of 126.871 mph (30.021 seconds).
Jeff Gordon, who qualified second-fastest at 126.884 mph in a Chevrolet Lumina, also broke Martin's record.
``It was just a matter of getting the right lap in,'' Irvan said. ``If you got in hard, you got up in the marbles and your lap was done.
``It's 95 degrees outside and it's tearing up the track a little bit. But it's not the racetrack's fault. They've made an effort.
``We have these 12-inch tires and the cars going faster and the engines are making more horsepower. All these sorts of things are tearing up the racetrack.''
So, for the second time in three races, and for the second year in a row at New Hampshire, the nation's top stock-car drivers faced a weekend of racing under subpar conditions. As you might expect, they didn't relish the thought.
``It's bad out there, folks,'' said Geoff Bodine, who qualified 16th-fastest. ``Last year it didn't tear up until Saturday afternoon, and it's only Friday.''
``The track is all screwed up,'' Rusty Wallace said after qualifying 18th-fastest. ``Turns three and four are terrible.''
``You could see tracks where the cars before you went,'' added Bobby Hamilton, who was 29th-fastest at 124.195 mph. ``I hope these guys can start making some money so they can keep these tracks up.''
Equally hot and humid weather at Michigan three weekends ago caused a repaved section of turn three to break up, leading to a number of accidents before and during the race.
But Sterling Marling, after qualifying seventh-fastest at 126.103 mph, said: ``It's a lot worse than Michigan. Rocks were everywhere on the track, and I'm not really sure what to expect Sunday. We'll just have to make the best of it.''
While everyone found themselves slipping through the corners, some drivers endured it better than others, some worse.
``I was doing a little dirt-tracking out there, but I didn't want to,'' said Dale Earnhardt, who qualified 43rd-fastest. ``I got out of the groove, got in them loose stuff and I was gone then.''
But Bobby Labonte qualified fourth-fastest at 126.500 mph even though he blew his qualifying engine in practice and had to qualify with his race motor. Labonte, calling his run ``a conservative fast lap,'' said he ``basically had to run on the apron most of the way around.''
Ricky Rudd was third-fastest in a Ford at 126.643 mph.
``I couldn't believe I slipped and slid as bad as I did and still ran a 30-flat,'' Rudd said.
Ken Schrader was fifth-fastest at 126.446 mph, followed by Ted Musgrave (126.316), Marlin, Derrike Cope (125.869), Morgan Shepherd (125.803) and Martin (125.790).
At the other end of the lineup - 40th and lower - were Hut Stricklin, Wally Dallenbach, Steve Grissom, Earnhardt, Dick Trickle, Joe Bessey, Jamie Aube and Jeff Burton, who lost his brakes and managed only 106.579 mph.
Bob Bahre, the founder and chairman of this 1-mile oval, said track workers planned to apply sealer to the asphalt in the corners overnight and have three sweepers standing by to clear the gravel out of the turns today and during Sunday's 300-mile race.
``We're not really concerned about the track breaking up so you couldn't run on it,'' Bahre said. ``It's a question of the little marbles getting on the track and the drivers running on those marbles. This never would have happened if it was a cool day. But we feel the sealer will take care of the problem.''
After similar problems at the track last year, Bahre said the section of pavement that began disintegrating was ground out and repaved immediately after the race and again in October.
``We thought that would take care of it,'' he added.
But the drivers were preparing for a slippery race.
``It's where we're going to have to race this weekend, and we're just going to have to live with it,'' Irvan said. ``We know the track is going to have marbles on it.
``We're just going to have to get our cars to work in those marbles. It's just going to make this weekend a little tougher.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dale Earnhardt qualified 43rd-fastest. ``I got out of the groove,
got in them loose stuff and I was gone then,'' he said.
by CNB