THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410300175
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PHOENIX LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt was conducting a press conference Saturday in the infield media center of Phoenix International Raceway when Ernie Irvan, scheduled to take the podium next, arrived at the door.
Earnhardt quickly motioned Irvan to join him, and they talked for a moment about the championship battle that never happened. Earnhardt was leading Irvan by 27 points when Irvan's season, and perhaps his career, came to an end after a devastating crash at Michigan in August that left him with critical head and lung injuries.
``It was getting to be fun,'' Earnhardt said. ``I think it would have been a classic if that hadn't have happened. If that hadn't have happened, they would have been talking about me and you and not Rusty (Wallace). I mean, he was in it, but he wasn't in it.''
After Earnhardt left, Irvan gave another progress report.
``It's good in a lot of ways, but there's not a lot of progress in some ways,'' he said. ``My energy is coming up. I'm able to talk about the chassis with (crew chief) Larry McReynolds probably more in depth than I had been able to. But my progress as far as coming back to racing - it's going to be a while.''
The most significant problem continues to be his left eye: ``I can see, but my eyeball doesn't work.'' He said all the nerves that control the muscles that move his eye are damaged. And when he takes his patch off, he sees double.
He said doctors have told him it could take eight months to a year for the eye injury to resolve itself.
Other than that, he's finished his rehabilitation, except for once-a-week eye exercises.
Irvan's primary goal, of course, is to drive a race car again. And his greatest daily frustration is not being able to do it.
``I don't think my vision is going to totally stop me from racing,'' Irvan said. ``There are drivers who drive right now who only see out of one eye. I have always thought we could come back at Sears Point because we had a car there that was so good, I could have driven with one eye shut and still won.''
MAST'S MOMENTUM: Rick Mast has been one of the hottest drivers of the second half of the 1994 season. He's finished second, 12th and third in the last three races. He has become a semi-regular in the top 10 on the starting grid. And when he won the Brickyard 400 pole in early August, he was 22nd in points. Now he has moved up to 15th.
Mast said the momentum should bode well for 1995, ``not so much for me but the team. I'm out there running, and I know what I've got under me. But the guys working night and day on the car - it just helps them when they can see how good we're running. But when big mo gets on my side, it always helps me, too.''
SECOND-DAY QUALIFYING: Mast had the fastest lap in the second round of time trials, capturing the 21st starting spot with a speed of 127.850 mph. It would have been 19th-fastest Friday.
There were no surprises in the session. The Winston Cup regulars all made the field, with provisional starting spots going to Jeremy Mayfield, Loy Allen Jr. and Winston West driver Mike Chase.
PAMPERED: Kyle Petty expects a change of scenery next year in light of his sponsor switch - from Mello Yello to Coors Light.
Petty said that with Mello Yello, he was trying to reach the 9- to 14-year-old crowd.
``I've been on the Pampers tour for the last four or five years,'' Petty said. ``At least now I don't have to go to day-care centers'' for public appearances.''
ADD SPONSOR CHASE: Bill Davis is still trying to find a sponsor to replace Maxwell House, which is leaving the sport at the end of the season.
``We're close, but no sale yet,'' Davis said.
He reportedly is negotiating with a major financial institution. Davis had been negotiating with Coors until Petty's car owner, Felix Sabates, became involved.
SOUTHWEST VICTOR: Rick Carelli, whose hopes to win the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors were dashed by a chronic inability to qualify for races, won the GM 300 for NASCAR Southwest Tour cars Saturday by 0.345 seconds over Scott Hansen.
Carelli qualified for only four races (including today's), and his best finish was 22nd at Rockingham last Sunday.
Carelli said he plans to run the full schedule in the new NASCAR Supertruck series in 1995. by CNB