THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150585
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
For the second year in a row, Michael Waltrip has won the pole position for Goody's 300 Grand National race, to be held Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Waltrip, the first of 56 drivers to attempt to qualify for the 300-mile race, reached 185.326 miles per hour in his Pontiac Grand Prix Tuesday, and then sat back to watch what everyone else could do.
``It was a long wait,'' he said. ``We knew we would be real good. When I went out to pit road, I thought we would probably sit on the pole. But I thought we would run faster than we did. So after we ran, I thought three or four others would beat us.''
When the session was over almost two hours later, four other drivers had come within a fraction of a mile per hour of Waltrip, but no one had beaten him.
``I was almost right,'' Waltrip said. ``I could have been fifth just about as easy as first.''
Dale Jarrett, who will sit on the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500, was second fastest in a Ford at 185.303 mph.
``It was close,'' Jarrett said. ``We just didn't quite get there.''
Jarrett was followed by Jeff Green at 185.136, Mike McLaughlin at 185.082 and Jeff Purvis at 185.060, all in Chevrolets.
Also in the top 10 were former Chesapeake resident Elton Sawyer at 184.445 in a Ford, Derrike Cope at 184.294 in a Ford, Jason Keller at 183.985 in a Chevy, Mike Wallace at 183.872 in a Ford and Larry Pearson at 183.797 mph in a Chevy.
WINSTON CUP TIME TRIALS: The fields for Thursday's Twin 125 qualifying races were set Tuesday after a third and final round of time trials that was inconsequential.
Six drivers made runs, the fastest being Randy MacDonald's in Billy Hagan's No. 14 Pontiac at a rather slow 185.345.
Each of the Twin 125s will have a 32-car field. The first race starts at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
MORE ENGINE WOES: Rick Mast's engine troubles continued Tuesday.
After repairing one of the four engines Mast broke Friday and Saturday, the team reinstalled it in his Ford Thunderbird and sent him back out on the track Tuesday morning.
``We made three laps in practice and it busted,'' he said. ``Cracked the block.''
Mast said his team is repairing another of the other four engines he broke, ``but the other two they can't get fixed. They're going to bring it down tonight, but that's all we've got left, other than that pit practice motor.''
Mast did not try to requalify in the third round of time trials Tuesday, so he'll start way back in 28th place in the second Twin 125 qualifying race Thursday.
But he's not particularly optimistic about the coming weekend. ``Just waitin' on Rockingham,'' he said. Mast, of course, finished second behind Dale Earnhardt at Rockingham last fall.
SCENE IN THE GARAGE: Dale Earnhardt was walking out of thegarage and signing autographs at the same time Tuesday afternoon when he more or less stumbled into the back of Chesapeake native Ricky Rudd, who was also signing autographs.
Finding himself facing Rudd's back, Earnhardt turned his pen around and with the cap end acted like he was signing an autograph on the back of Rudd's shirt.
ALLISON ANNOUNCEMENT: Bobby Allison announced Tuesday that he has lined up HealthSouth, a Birmingham-based rehabilitation provider, as an associate sponsor for his Ford Thunderbird race team.
In while chatting with reporters after the announcement, Allison said just before he obtained Straight Arrow as his team's primary sponsor in mid-season last year, `we were in a situation where I was really reviewing where I was. Just before Straight Arrow got into the picture, it was really a bad-looking situation.
``Not only did they save us from financial disaster, they gave encouragement to our people right down to the floor sweeper in the shop. They gave us enthusiasm to race again.'' MEMO: Denise Michaux contributed to this story. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Will Hobgood celebrates after driving his Pontiac Grand-Am to the
pole for position in the Florida 200 on Tuesday at Daytona.
by CNB