THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504230154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE VA. LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett Friday confirmed what Rusty Wallace said Thursday: NASCAR is planning to make rule changes next month, probably to the spoiler, to help the struggling Ford Thunderbird teams.
Triplett also revealed for the first time general information from NASCAR's recent wind tunnel tests, saying that Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs each had some advantages.
``We expect something (to be changed) before Charlotte,'' Triplett said. Any changes will probably be instituted before The Winston Select on May 21 so NASCAR can ``see how it works'' in a non-points race, he said.
Although NASCAR wants a level playing field for the three makes, it is also concerned about keeping speed and costs down, he said. Translation: There will be no significant body changes to any of the makes.
``We hope to be able to do it with the spoiler,'' Triplett said. ``That's what we've been kicking around with some of the teams today to see how this would go over.''
Initial reaction was mixed.
``It's a disappointment if they do come out with a spoiler change because that paints a picture that Chevy has a superior car when they were given concessions in the rear bumper area before the season even started,'' said Ford's Wayne Estes.
Countered Chevy's Ray Cooper: ``I just hope they can do enough (with the spoiler) to make a difference.''
As for the wind tunnel tests, which NASCAR conducted on the three makes after the Darlington race last month, Triplett said: ``We saw numbers that showed that each car has an advantage somewhere.''
He said the Chevys had superior rear downforce in the corners, the Pontiacs had less drag on the straights and the Fords had more drag in the corners.
Triplett said he couldn't say which make had the biggest advantage. But it's doubtful NASCAR would be considering any changes if the Monte Carlos, which have won every race this year, didn't have the greatest advantage.
Triplett said NASCAR was satisfied with the wind tunnel results and doesn't expect to have to do another such test.
SECOND-DAY TRIALS: The hammer fell on seven more drivers Saturday after second-round qualifying for today's Hanes 500, including three who had made every race this year until they came to Martinsville.
Jeff Burton, Todd Bodine and Randy LaJoie all will be on the sidelines today after failing to qualify. They were not among the fastest 32 and their owners were too far down the points standings to earn a provisional starting spot.
The provisionals went to Michael Waltrip, who was 33rd fastest, Derrike Cope (35th), Geoff Bodine (37th) and John Andretti (38th).
The second-round session produced mixed results, with some drivers going faster and others slowing down.
Dick Trickle, who was only 36th fastest Friday, led the second-round qualifiers with a lap of 92.801 mph to win the 21st starting spot. Rick Mast improved from 30th to 22nd, while Dave Marcis moved from 33rd to 23rd and Ricky Craven drove himself into the race Saturday with a run that moved him from 39th to 25th.
Waltrip and LaJoie stood on their Friday times and dropped from 28th and 29th to 33rd and 34th. Waltrip got a provisional, LaJoie didn't.
Meanwhile, Geoff Bodine went slower on Saturday and dropped from 31st to 37th. Burton also slowed down, dropping from 34th to 42nd, as did Davy Jones, who fell from 37th to 43rd.
Besides Burton, LaJoie and Todd Bodine, others who won't be in today's race are Jones, Chuck Bown, Jay Hedgecock and Jimmy Spencer, who has missed two races this year, as many as he won last year.
WOOD BROTHERS MUSEUM: Virginia, through its Division of Tourism, has allocated $400,000 in matching funds to help build the Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motorsports Hall of Fame in the Woods' hometown of Stuart, officials announced Friday.
Some details are still uncertain, such as the total cost and the date construction will start. But officials hope to open the museum by the fall race here in 1996.
``We're going to show the evolution of racing from the stills to Madison Avenue,'' said Dave Saunders, of Citgo, sponsor of the Wood Brothers team. ``We're going to incorporate mountain culture with speed with 21st century technology.''
The $400,000 in state money is available as long as museum supporters can come up with an equal amount from private sources.
State Sen. Virgil Goode credited state Rep. Roscoe Reynolds with securing the matching funds because ``his strong-arm tactics with the budget conferees caused them to put (the money) back in when it had been taken out.''
CRAWFORD WINS 150: The last 30 laps of the Hanes 150 for All Pro stock cars was the best racing one could see without seeing a pass among the leaders.
Rick Crawford of Mobile, Ala., held off Mike Cope and Toby Porter for the victory, but he had to fight off repeated shots to his rear bumper to do it. And while Cope was jamming the nose of his Chevy into Crawford's Ford lap after lap, Cope was getting the same from Porter behind him.
Porter hit Cope so hard one time that water started spewing out of the overflow for his radiator.
But despite all the slamming and jamming, Cope couldn't pass Crawford and Porter couldn't pass Cope.
Although Cope got Crawford a bit sideways several times, Crawford never lost it and never gave up the groove.
``As long as you're blocking the bottom and you're on the gas a little bit, it's pretty easy to save the car,'' Crawford said. ``We protected ourselves.''
Bobby Gill finished fourth and Buckshot Jones was fifth in a race that included seven caution flags for non-injury spins and crashes.
The race was a good one even before the final laps. Crawford passed Jones to take the lead for good on lap 104. Before that, Jones had passed Billy Bigley to take the lead on lap 91 and Bigley had passed Wayne Willard for the lead on lap 15.
SUPERTRUCKS: Ron Hornaday Jr. beat Bill Sedgwick by 1.3 seconds in a battle of Chevrolets on Saturday in winning the Ford Credit 125 NASCAR SuperTruck race in Bakersfield, Calif.
Hornaday started sixth, methodically moved to the front and took the lead for the first time on the 12th lap around Mesa Marin Raceway's half-mile asphalt oval. He dueled with Sedgwick's Chevy over the next 60 laps before shaking Sedgwick.
Hornaday, the series' first double winner, led the final 71 laps of the 62.5-mile event, averaging 71.090 mph. Sedgwick claimed second by a truck-length over former U.S. Auto Club champion Mike Bliss. by CNB