THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9409120180
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
As he exited the pits after his team took an excruciatingly long 22 seconds on his final pit stop in Miller 400 on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, Terry Labonte said, ``Aw, heck.''
``That's not exactly what I said,'' Labonte recalls. ``I don't think you could repeat exactly what I said.''
But even though other cars ``whipped us all night long in the pits,'' as Labonte put it, the No. 5 Chevy his Rick Hendrick team had prepared for him was so good, it didn't matter.
Labonte simply chased down whoever was in front of him and dusted them off, eventually winning the 300-mile race by 1.79 seconds over teammate Jeff Gordon. The victory - his 12th as a Winston Cup driver - moved Labonte from 13th to 11th in Winston Cup points.
Actually, the extra seconds on that final pit stop were caused by a broken air wrench.
``I didn't know an air wrench had broke,'' Labonte said. ``They were all tore up about it.''
But when he cursed a blue streak about the 4.8-second lead that Rusty Wallace suddenly had over him with only 56 laps remaining, his crew simply told him: ``You can get him.''
``We were lucky we didn't lose any more time than that,'' the 37-year-old former Winston Cup champion said. ``I didn't know I'd be able to run him down at that point. I looked at his lead and said, `Wow.' '' (Or something like that). ``Then when he got in traffic, he really lost some time. That's where I really gained on him.''
``When I cut the distance in about half, I felt like I could get him. And then I could see his car was getting a little bit loose.''
It took Labonte only 27 laps to catch Wallace.
``The car I had was really good coming off the corners,'' he said. ``That's where we beat everybody. I was able to get in the throttle off the turns and not spin the tires. I think Rusty's car was stronger than ours, but after a while, he would spin his wheels.''
On lap 373, Wallace went hard into the first turn.
``He went in the corner so hard, he got loose and couldn't keep it down,'' Labonte said. ``And I just shot under him.''
``Well, I just never had the car perfect all day long,'' Wallace told reporters after the race. ``I lost my power steering about halfway through it. And it was getting to be a real bear to drive.
``I took some wedge out and put some wedge in, kept adjusting, and I'd get close, but I never could get it as good as the 5-car.''
And with 10 laps to go, Wallace burned a piston and slipped back to fourth.
Labonte's continually being beaten in the pits made a potentially dull race exciting. With the faster Labonte behind them, Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, who finished third, put on a classic driving display between laps 280 and 300, often battling door handle to door handle.
``They really raced hard side by side,'' Labonte said. ``I could see them. So I just kind of sat back there and watched them. I probably had the best seat in the house.
``I tell you, when you can race against the guys like Rusty and Dale, you don't have to worry about them,'' Labonte said. ``I don't think any of us ever touched. That's the way racing should be. It was fun.''
Labonte, who is far more congenial and outgoing than his ``Iceman'' reputation suggests, has been inconsistent in 1994, even while winning two races. His best finish between Saturday night's victory and his win at North Wilkesboro in April was sixth at Watkins Glen.
But after going winless from 1991 through 1993 with the chronically underfinanced Billy Hagan team, Labonte is far from upset with the way the year is going.
When he was asked if the low spots frustrate him, Labonte gave his questioner with a bemused look and said, ``You haven't been with me the past few years, have you?'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
The Ricky Rudd Report
For copy of report, see microfilm
by CNB