THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9501040517
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
January testing got under way at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday, but the first session, open to Fords only, was limited to 90 minutes by rain.
Dale Jarrett, replacing the injured Ernie Irvan in Robert Yates' No. 28 Thunderbird, led the pack with a quick lap of 189.633 mph - only half a mile per hour slower than Loy Allen's 1994 pole speed of 190.158.
Morgan Shepherd was second-fastest at 189.474, followed by Allen at 188.917, Derrike Cope at 187.500 and Bill Elliott at 186.645.
Nine of the 17 drivers on hand were unable to make a fast lap, including Rick Mast, Ted Musgrave, Jimmy Spencer and Shawna Robinson, who will try to qualify for the Feb. 19 Daytona 500 in a one-race deal driving a Ford owned by Chris Virtue and sponsored by Tombstone Pizza.
While Fords tested at Daytona, Chevy teams were shaking down their new Monte Carlos in a closed session at Talladega. And Bobby Hamilton was practicing Richard Petty's Pontiac at Richmond International Raceway.
The Ford test continues at Daytona through Friday, which was added as an extra day to make up for Tuesday's rain. GM cars start the first of two three-day January test sessions on Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, road racer Davy Jones will replace Greg Sacks in D.K. Ulrich's No. 77 Ford, with plans to run for rookie of the year in a full campaign.
``My first taste of (stock-car racing) was in the IROC series,'' Jones told Motor Racing Network's Allan Bestwick. ``I did it two years in a row and it was the most fun I ever had in my racing career - wheel to wheel, fender to fender. . . . It'll be a whole new ballgame to me.''
It was announced Monday that Sacks will take over the No. 40 Dick Brooks/Sabco Pontiac.
And in another recent hire, Winston West star Mike Chase has signed to drive the No. 32 Active Racing Chevrolet. by CNB