THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407140571
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Ricky Rudd looked at the floral arrangements that filled the front office of his shop in Mooresville on Tuesday.
``It looks like a greenhouse in this place,'' he said. ``I've won races before, but never had this much attention.''
As welcome as the flowers were, Rudd's victory Sunday in the Slick 50 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway has yielded more than that.
He has earned a berth in the lucrative 1995 Winston Select all-star race and will most likely qualify for the 1995 NASCAR Winner's Circle program, which will give him somewhere between $6,000 and $8,500 per race just for showing up and qualifying.
Rudd's victory comes as he ponders whether to switch in 1995 from Ford to Pontiac.
``I really haven't decided,'' he said. ``It's a big decision.''
Although Rudd won't discuss figures, it is clear Pontiac has made him a generous offer. And he's tempted to take it.
``I think Pontiac can win races,'' he said. ``There's really not anybody leading the way on the Pontiac deal. I think the cars can go. I'm looking at how our team can become a powerhouse.''
On the other hand, ``I really enjoy working with the Ford people,'' Rudd said. ``We have a great relationship, and, hopefully, it continues.''
GM TESTS AT INDY: The Chevrolet and Pontiac teams completed a three-day test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, preparing for the inaugural Brickyard 400 on Aug. 6.
Michael Waltrip was the quickest through the first two days of the GM test session, reaching a speed of 169.405 mph on Tuesday. Bobby Labonte was at 168.401 and Jeff Gordon at 168.385.
By comparison, Ford driver Ernie Irvan reached 172.1 mph in a recent test, and Rusty Wallace also was above 170.
A SEAT SWAP: Cale Yarborough's firing of Derrike Cope and hiring of Jeremy Mayfield to drive his No. 98 Ford Thunderbird has turned into a seat swap.
Mayfield's old car owner, T.W. Taylor, has hired Cope, at least for the next few races.
``Jeremy called me Monday morning and told me he was going to drive for Cale,'' Taylor said. ``So I called Derrike because I need somebody to get in the race car. He's been good enough to step in when we were kind of blind-sided here to help keep our momentum going.''
HENDRICK IN TROUBLE? Rick Hendrick, the Charlotte automobile mega-dealer who owns the Winston Cup cars driven by Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Ken Schrader, was profiled Sunday by the New York Times.
But it wasn't the kind of story Hendrick would have preferred.
It said several of Hendrick's 64 dealerships are included in a U.S Justice Department investigation into suspected bribes and kickbacks to American Honda officials in the 1980s for favored treatment.
The article said that 15 former Honda officials have been charged in the scandal and that 12 others have pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy.
Hendrick, 44, made a $250,000 home loan to one of the officials who has been charged and for more than a decade employed the son of another top official who has been charged, the article said. In addition, a third former Honda official admitted to federal prosecutors that she was paid $120,000 over the course of a decade by Hendrick's brother, John, for increasing the allotment of Hondas in the Honda-scarce 1980s to a North Carolina dealership co-owned by the brothers.
Both brothers deny any wrongdoing.
John Hendrick's lawyer told the paper his client paid the $120,000, but only after he was told by an American Honda executive that it was the only way to ensure car shipments.
And Rick Hendrick told the Times: ``If all I have done in 15 or 20 years of business is hire the son of someone who was a friend of mine or bought a house with an understanding you would buy it back and lease it, am I a criminal?'' by CNB