THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502180720
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
It has been a long time coming, but Elton Sawyer may have finally arrived.
Sawyer scored the first victory of his 12-year Grand National career last season and finished 14th in the points standings.
He finished in the top five four times and top 10 six times.
The Chesapeake native will start sixth, his highest position ever here, for the Goody's 300, which takes the green flag today at 12:30.
``I was in a lot of situations early on (in my career) where we were under financial pressure, and I didn't have the experience,'' Sawyer said.
But when Akins-Sutton Motorsports came calling midway through the '93 season, he was ready.
``It takes a long time to get in that position,'' Sawyer said.
Such a position has Sawyer primed to make a legitimate run for the championship.
``We made some changes over the winter in some areas where we needed to be stronger, one being the engine program,'' Sawyer said. ``Hopefully our speedway performances will be better this year.
``Everything has been going smoothly this week. We ran well when we tested down here and we felt like we made some changes that would help the car before qualifying.
``It was just a tick better than we expected.
``We've got a good game plan, so we'll just see if we are there at the end.''
The main objective is to stay out front and ``not do anything really stupid.''
Finding a partner might help too.
Pole-sitter Michael Waltrip has already made plans to hook up with Jeff Green, who will start third driving Dale Earnhardt's car.
``We made a commitment that we would kind of work together until the end,'' Waltrip said. ``You've got to have a lot of help out there. But still, he may not be handling good or I may not be handling good and it won't work out. So you just use who you can.
``The game plan is constantly changing. At the end, everybody's plan is the same.''
CAUDILL WINS: Two-time Goody's Dash Series champion Larry Caudill took the checkered flag to earn his third Florida 200 victory.
FARMER ILL: Veteran racer Charles ``Red'' Farmer, crew chief for Derrike Cope's Grand National team, was taken to the Urgent Care Center in Port Orange, Fla. where he was diagnosed with acute pneumonia.
He was given antibiotics and released.
GREEN ENGAGED: It happens nearly every year at Daytona. Last year it was Jeff and Brooke Gordon. This year, defending Grand National champion David Green popped the question to Rousch Racing public relations representative Diane Hollingsworth.
Technically, Hollingsworth said, Green never asked. Green just told her to go to his car, her Valentine's present was there. ILLUSTRATION: Chesapeake driver Elton Sawyer won his first Grand National race
last year and finished 14th in points.
by CNB