THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 15, 1994 TAG: 9408150361
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
There were fewer twists and turns to Mark Martin's victory Sunday in the Bud at the Glen than there are in the Watkins Glen International track itself.
Starting from the pole, Martin breezed to his first win of the 1994 season, leading 75 of the 90 laps around this 11-turn, 2.45-mile road course in his Roush Racing Ford Thunderbird. He beat Ernie Irvan by 0.88 seconds. Dale Earnhardt was third, followed by Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd.
``We didn't have any trouble anywhere at all today,'' Martin said. ``I was sure something would go wrong and spoil the day. But it was just hard to hold us back today. That's the strongest car we've had this year.''
Irvan, who never led a lap, conceded as much.
``I just got outrun all day,'' he said. ``Mark did a great job today. He hardly made any mistakes and he was very smooth. I was back there running over the bumps, hitting everything I could hit, and he was just as smooth as he could be.''
But after Martin crossed under the checkered flag, he gave the credit to his crew.
``You all won that thing in the pits, man,'' Martin told his team by radio. ``We could have lost that thing in the pits real easy, but you guys were awesome all day.''
If there was a twist in Martin's victory, it was, in fact, in the pits, where his team used a different tire-changing technique than on the oval tracks. On each pit stop, the team first changed the right-side tires, which were closest to the pit wall, and then ran around the car to the left side and changed those.
``I think it did save time,'' said crew chief Steve Hmiel, ``because the 28 (Irvan's car) did it the normal way and we beat them just about every time. And the 3 car (Earnhardt) did it like we did and were about equal.
``I think the procedure was better. I don't think we were better.''
The technique was pioneered by Robin Pemberton, who recently rejoined Roush Racing as chief for Ted Musgrave's car.
``That was one reason we won with Kyle (Petty) here two years ago,'' Pemberton said. ``We were the only ones to do it then.''
Watkins Glen is the only track on the Winston Cup series where the cars pit with their right side next to the pit wall. At all of the other tracks, including the road course at Sears Point, the cars pit with their left side nearest the wall.
Hmiel said the team is more comfortable with that method because it normally changes the right sides first anyway.
``And the jack man runs in the direction he is used to,'' he said.
Still, it was not something the team tried without practice.
``We worked on that for three days straight last week,'' Hmiel said. ``This year, we've been close (to winning) and our pit stops have been off. Today, we were close and our pit stops were really good.''
For Martin, the most critical time of the race came after a yellow flag flew with only 10 laps to go when Hut Stricklin spun in turn four.
A lap before the restart on lap 84, Martin feinted toward pit road as if he were going to make a stop.
``It was one of those things where I didn't want to pit, but I didn't want to be the only one on the lead lap who didn't pit,'' he said. ``We just wanted to make sure we were in position to come in if we decided to at the last minute.''
As it turned out, none of the leaders pitted. And after the race resumed, Martin remained in control to the end.
``The longer my car ran today, the worse we outran everybody, even Ernie,'' Martin said. ``Ernie would run right with us for about 12 or 15 laps, but during the next 15, if it was green, we would just check out.''
This was Martin's second consecutive victory at the Glen. His win last year was the first of four in a row. And he won at Phoenix last November for his fifth victory of 1993. But he hadn't won since then until Sunday.
``If you told me last year after we won at Phoenix that there would be another Woodstock before we won again, I would have laughed at you,'' Hmiel said.
``This is just our best time of the year,'' Martin said. ``We're poised and ready to whip up on 'em here in the last 10 or 12 races. It might be another year before we win, or we might win five in a row, you never know. I do know one thing: We're ready.''
The winner, who earned $85,100 - including a $22,800 bonus from Unocal for winning from the pole - averaged 93.752 mph in a race slowed by caution for 12 laps.
Dale Earnhardt, the six-time defending series champion, held onto the same 27-point lead he had over Irvan coming into the 20th of 31 races this season. ILLUSTRATION: AP photo
Mark Martin douses his crew with champagne after Sunday's win at
Watkins Glen.
by CNB