THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 22, 1994 TAG: 9408220162
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH. LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
In light of Ernie Irvan's life-threatening crash Saturday, the last thing the sport of stock-car racing needed in Sunday's Goodwrench 400 at Michigan International Speedway was more scary incidents.
But the field of 42 cars didn't even get through the first turn before eight cars tangled in a violent crash that sent Bobby Hillin's car on a wild ride on its side for a second or two.
And late in the race, the hood of Jeremy Mayfield's car blew off, flew high in the air and landed in the midst of spectators at the steps of an infield grandstand without hitting anyone.
The first-lap crash occurred after Derrike Cope collided with Billy Standridge and they both spun. Cope, who accepted the blame for the crash, had gone into turn one three-wide with Standridge's Ford and another car.
On his way to the wall, Standridge was hit by Jeff Burton, who in turn was hit from behind by Dale Jarrett. Standridge was creamed by Hillin, whose car lurched onto its right side and slid a bit before coming back down onto its wheels.
``I didn't have anywhere to go, did I?'' a bewildered Hillin said as he left the infield care center after a routine checkup. ``I don't know. Did anybody see it on tape? Did it look like there was anything else I could've done? I mean, I tried to stop, but they were all right there in front of me.''
That explanation was given, in one form or another, by about five other drivers who had no place to go. Dick Trickle, Phil Parsons and Morgan Shepherd also were involved. None of the drivers was hurt.
UP, UP AND AWAY: The flying hood had the potential to be a real catastrophe.
``It came within probably a foot of hitting the grandstands,'' said Cary Agajanian, John Andretti's attorney and agent, who was standing close to where it landed. ``It came down on the ground right in front of the stands.''
The hood blew off Mayfield's car near the finish line around lap 170 of the 200-lap race and ``continued to sail and spin in a constant arch maybe 100 feet in the air,'' Agajanian said. ``It actually gained altitude for quite a while and was flying like a Frisbee.''
``Everybody was watching it come down through there,'' said Bill Ingle, Ricky Rudd's crew chief. The area in front of the grandstand was fairly crowded, but ``everybody saw it coming. And they just cleared out a hole, and it landed right in it.''
OUT EARLY: Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt was a victim in the second crash of the race, which occurred on lap 55. He dropped out of the race and finished 37th, but remains the series points leader.
Earnhardt's crash was with Todd Bodine.
``He apologized to me in the care center,'' Bodine told Ford's Wayne Estes. ``He got into my quarterpanel and it turned me out in front of him. He admitted he screwed up. It'd be nice if he says that on TV.''
Well, Earnhardt did fess up . . . almost.
`It was basically something that happened that I didn't want to happen,'' Earnhardt told reporters. ``It shouldn't have happened, but it's just one of those things. I got close to him to draft him and hold it down the straightaway. When we got together, I couldn't get off him. And then I think Brett (Bodine) got into me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Chart
RACE RESULTS
For copy of chart, see microfilm
by CNB