THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408200384
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH. LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Geoff Bodine captured the pole for Sunday's Goodwrench 400 at Michigan International Speedway, setting a track record in the process, but when he got to the interview room, somebody was already in his seat.
It was rookie John Andretti, who stole the show Friday with a remarkable run in Richard Petty's No. 43 Pontiac Grand Prix to win the outside pole.
The 32-year-old Andretti, in his first day behind the wheel of Petty's car, gave the team its best starting position of the year.
Andretti's run of 181.041 mph was almost good enough for the top starting spot. But Bodine reached 181.082 mph in his Ford Thunderbird. The difference on the clock was only nine thousandths of a second.
But that hardly mattered to Petty team members, who were beaming when Andretti pulled into the garage. As was Andretti, his wife, Nancy, and his father and mother.
``The car has been wonderful to drive ever since I got here,'' the nephew of racing legend Mario Andretti said. ``Every time I want to do something with it, it just goes and does it. It's going to sound funny, but I was actually kind of conservative getting into (turn) three because I kept hearing all the horror stories about how everybody was getting through three,'' he said. ``I wish I would have hustled it through there a little bit more.''
Perhaps he was hesistant to hang it all out because of a conversation he had earlier this week with Petty, who wasn't here Friday.
``When I was getting fitted in this car, I said, `What are we going to do about the backup car?' '' Andretti recalled. ``Richard said, `Son, this is your backup car.' ''
When Bodine arrived for the pole-winner's interview, he didn't seem to mind that Andretti was stealing his thunder. He congratulated the rookie and said: ``He did a heck of a job. I'm glad for him, and I'm glad for me that he didn't beat me.''
Bodine's pole came in the same car that carried him to victory in The Winston Select in May at Charlotte. And it was also the car he wrecked in the Brickyard 400.
``This is a team sport, and today we proved it,'' he said. ``My crew put this car back together the way it was supposed to be. And we haven't touched a screw on it today - nothing. We just unloaded it, and it's been fast all day.''
Bodine's lap, made on Hoosier tires, beat the old NASCAR track record of 180.750 mph set by Ken Schrader last August. Bodine and Andretti were the only drivers to top 180 mph, not to mention 181.
Chevy driver Jeff Gordon and Ford driver Bill Elliott tied for third at 179.946 mph, but Gordon gets the third starting spot because his team is ahead in points. Bobby Labonte was fifth-fastest in another Pontiac at 179.888 mph. Also in the top 10 were Joe Nemechek, Rusty Wallace, Todd Bodine, Rick Mast and Michael Waltrip.
But with 49 cars vying for 40 starting positions (plus two provisionals), it's going to be another tough second round of qualifying at 10:30 a.m. today.
Drivers at the bottom of the speed chart, starting with the 38th-fastest, are Kyle Petty, Rick Carelli, Jimmy Hensley, Jeremy Mayfield, Brad Teague, Jeff Burton, Mike Wallace, Laura Lane (attempting to qualify for her first Winston Cup race), Billy Standridge, Bob Brevak, Ward Burton and Andy Belmont. It was a particularly tough day for the Burton brothers.
Jeff Burton hit the fourth-turn wall in the final afternoon practice and had to use a backup car in qualifying. ``I got loose coming out of (turn) four, and it just got away from me,'' he said.
And Ward Burton blew a right front tire and scraped the fourth-turn wall. He waved off the qualifying attempt, had four new tires mounted and went out again to qualify a few minutes later. But his lap of 172.790 mph was way off his practice speeds and was the second-slowest of the session.
But if some drivers were gloomy, some happiness returned to the Petty camp, even if Andretti is driving Petty's car only for this race (at least as of Friday).
``We've been looking forward to coming back here, especially since this is one of the places where we missed a race,'' crew chief Robbie Loomis said. The team, with Wally Dallenbach driving, failed to qualify here in June.
``This is a one-race deal, and Richard will have to decide if there will be more,'' Loomis said, ``but John is kinda speaking for himself right now.'' by CNB