THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504130544
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Ernie Irvan continued on the comeback trail this week with two days of testing at Road Atlanta in one of his Winston Cup Thunderbirds.
Irvan drove the No. 28 Ford that he ran at Watkins Glen last August. Dale Jarrett, meanwhile, tested the car Irvan drove to victory at Sears Point last May.
``Our Winston Cup cars aren't really geared up to race at Road Atlanta, but it's a good place to test,'' Irvan told Ford's Wayne Estes. ``We did some background testing here last year, and that gives us an opportunity to compare. It's something of an advantage to have two guys working at the same time.''
Irvan, who is recovering from near-fatal injuries from a crash at Michigan last August, plans to return to racing in a NASCAR SuperTruck. He said he also wants to return to Winston Cup racing this year.
``But we don't really know when that will be,'' he said. ``Hopefully in another month or so, I'll run the SuperTruck, and I could run it another five times, maybe another 15 times, this year just to polish my skills.''
Irvan's left eye still has not healed, and he is continuing his comeback with the intention of learning how to race with one eye.
TEXAS-SIZED PLANS: After buying 25 percent of North Carolina Motor Speedway last week, O. Bruton Smith broke ground Tuesday on Texas World Speedway and says he'll have crews work around the clock to build the $60 million track by next year.
The 1.5-mile, fully lighted track, which is expected to seat 150,000 fans and have 200 luxury sky boxes, will be located on land purchased from Ross Perot Jr. at the intersection of Interstate Route 35W and Texas Route 114, north of Fort Worth.
``In November, we announced we were coming to this market,'' Smith said Tuesday at a ground-breaking ceremony. ``In February, we announced we had chosen a site for the speedway. Today we break ground and will begin construction in earnest. We do what we say we will do.''
Smith, who was joined at the ceremony by NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Terry and Bobby Labonte, said he is still working to obtain financing for the track and to secure dates on the Winston Cup schedule. He said the track should be finished in nine to 12 months.
Smith's publicly held Speedway Motorsports Inc., which also owns the Atlanta and Charlotte tracks, last week purchased 25 percent of the Rock from Horace DeWitt, brother of the late L.G. DeWitt, founder of the Rockingham track.
BENEFIT DINNER: Fans of the Wood Brothers have a rare opportunity to spend the evening with the famous Stuart, Va., car owners when they are saluted at a benefit dinner on Friday, April 21, at the Dutch Inn in Martinsville, Va.
Former drivers of the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford, including Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, David Pearson and Buddy Baker, as well as current driver Morgan Shepherd will join in the tribute to Leonard and Glen Wood. ESPN's John Kernan will be master of ceremonies.
The dinner, a benefit for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, is being sponsored by Citgo. A limited number of tickets, at $125 each, are available. Call Randy Cobb or Stella Allison at (800) 627-0298 for details.
RICHMOND TICKETS: Tickets to the Sept. 9 Miller 400 Winston Cup race at Richmond International Raceway go on sale April 29, but only by mail or phone. There will be no walk-up sales.
Call (804) 345-RACE beginning at 8 a.m. April 29, or mail your order to P.O Box 9257, Richmond, Va. 23227. Mail orders should not be postmarked before Thursday, April 27.
Tickets will be filled in the order received and will be mailed in four to six weeks.
UNLIKELY TOP 10: Steve Grissom, who's ninth in Winston Cup points, has the distinction of being the only driver in the top 10 who has missed a race.
Grissom failed to qualify for the March race at Richmond.
``Hopefully, by the end of the year, that will wash itself out,'' Grissom said. ``Winston Cup racing is probably the most fun you can have - after you make the race.'' by CNB