THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407240227
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
As soon as the checkered flag falls on today's DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the countdown begins for the Brickyard 400.
With 74 entries for the Aug. 6 inaugural at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just about every regular and part-timer in the Winston Cup series plans to be there, including old-timers James Hylton, Delma Cowart and H.B. Bailey.
The entry list also includes about eight Winston West drivers, including points leader Mike Chase, who has a guaranteed spot in the field as the Winston West points leader even if he doesn't qualify.
There will be up to four provisional starting spots in addition to the 40 regular starting positions. There will be the usual two regular provisional spots for Winston Cup regulars, the Winston Cup champion's provisional and the Winston West points-leader provisional.
Here's an incomplete rundown on some of the other entries:
A.J. Foyt is expected to enter a Ford owned by Charlotte businessman and car restorer Larry Penn. Engines will be supplied by Rusty Wallace's team. Foyt's crewmen took the car through inspection at Pocono last weekend to ensure they won't have problems at Indy.
Danny Sullivan will try to qualify a Morgan-McClure-prepared Chevrolet, with engines built by that team's engine builder, Runt Puttman. The car was purchased by a group of Indianapolis corporations.
Former IMSA champion Geoff Brabham, a veteran of the IROC series, reportedly will drive the Kranefuss-Haas Ford prepared by crew chief Tim Brewer.
Indy-car driver Davy Jones will have another D.K. Ulrich Ford for Indy despite demolishing a new car prepared especially for him to run at Indy. Jones crashed in turn three during a tire test Thursday.
Indy-car veteran Gary Bettenhausen's tentative deal to drive a Winston Cup car owned by Ken Schrader fell through, but Bettenhausen reportedly may try to find another ride.
Veteran racer Jim Sauter will try to qualify a Wood Brothers-prepared Ford, purchased by Indy-car owner Dick Simon.
FINAL FORD TEST: Ford teams will have their final test at Indy this Tuesday and Wednesday.
Drivers committed to participate include Ricky Rudd, Morgan Shepherd, Lake Speed, Bill Elliott and Tim Steele.
The Ford test will be the final stock-car test allowed before the race. NASCAR prohibits private tests at any track starting seven days before the beginning of a race weekend.
IRVAN, EARNHARDT FASTEST: The speeds are unofficial, but the two fastest drivers in pre-Brickyard 400 testing have been Ernie Irvan and Dale Earnhardt.
Irvan reached 172.1 mph several weeks ago, while Earnhardt hit 171.9 mph ``around 4:30 in the afternoon'' last Wednesday in the final day of a three-day test.
Earnhardt said he took three cars and Dave Marcis as a test driver and ``we found out some stuff I think will help us.''
Geoff Bodine, the lead driver for the Hoosier Tire contingent, reached 169.3 mph in his Ford during the final Hoosier tire test on Thursday. ``But we never blocked off and ran fast,'' he said.
QUALIFYING WORRIES: Although more stock cars will be entered in the Indy race than any other Winston Cup event in recent years, the regulars are far less worried about the size of the entry list than they are about the qualifying draw.
Pole qualifying is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, and is expected to take two or three hours. Veteran drivers estimate that the track may be a half-second to a second faster in the late afternoon.
So far, NASCAR has said nothing about possibly changing the usual random draw for qualifying positions. But the sanctioning body has created two groups for the first practice session on Aug. 4. Group I will practice from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., while ``all cars not entered in Group I'' will practice for an hour starting at 10:30. NASCAR has not yet said who will be in which group.
FOUR RACES AT INDY: The Brickyard 400 won't be the only race in town during the first week of August.
An ARCA race is scheduled for the state fairgrounds on Wednesday night, an ESPN ``Thursday Night Thunder'' USAC event at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and a Grand National race at IRP on Friday. by CNB