THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 8, 1995 TAG: 9505080150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SONOMA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Memo from Dale Earnhardt to Richard Childress: Please go on another safari next February, during the Daytona 500. Maybe we can win the thing.
With his car owner hunting in the African wilds, Earnhardt broke a career-long jinx Sunday, passing Mark Martin with less than two laps to go in the Save Mart 300 at Sears Point International Raceway to win his first NASCAR road race in 35 attempts.
Jeff Gordon finished third, followed by pole-winner Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and Ted Musgrave. Twenty-three more cars finished on the lead lap.
Earnhardt has raced well on the road courses. He has won poles at three of them. But in 17 years of full-time Winston Cup racing, Earnhardt had never won on a track that demands right turns as well as left turns - until Sunday and career victory No. 65.
And now only the Daytona 500 has eluded him for so long.
``I'm going to send Richard to Africa next February,'' Earnhardt said. ``We've never won a road race and then to win a road race while Richard is gone to Africa - well, he's going to go to Africa during the Daytona 500.''
Childress, enjoying his first hunting trip during an African winter, missed a good hunt in California.
For much of the race, Earnhardt was on Martin's bumper like a mockingbird on a cat. Most of that time, Martin was in the lead.
Martin pulled away from time to time, even gaining an advantage of several seconds midway through the race. But after the final restart on lap 66 of the 74-lap affair, Earnhardt stuck right with him.
Earnhardt closed up to Martin's rear bumper in the slow turns; Martin pulled away as they exited. This went on six laps.
With three laps to go, Earnhardt turned up the heat. He started working the outsides of the slow turns. He tapped Martin in the rear. But there was still nothing to indicate that Earnhardt had enough in reserve to actually pull off a pass.
``I was going to be there,'' said Earnhardt, who was more delighted with this victory than with most. ``I was going to be all over his back bumper or up beside him. I was going to race him hard, race him clean. I kept working on him, wearing him down, getting closer and closer. We were there when the mistake was made.''
The ``mistake'' was rear-end grease, and the fact that Martin got into it. And once again Earnhardt proved he's the best when things get tough.
``I smelled it,'' Earnhardt said. ``Then I seen a streak of it I think around turn three, four or five, one of those. When we got to the carousel (the downhill, left-hand turn six), I seen it right as we come on the crest when we go into the turn.
``I went to the outside and angled across it. And Mark went on the inside and hit it. He slopped out and I got under him.''
A lap and a half later it was over, and crew chief Steve Hmiel told Martin on the radio: ``The 26 car (Hut Stricklin) got an oil line off and you were just the first one to it.''
And Martin, who had led all but eight laps, echoed his crew chief's statement when he emerged from his car:
``There was a car out there dumping rear-end grease, and I was the first one to it. I hit the grease and he didn't. I could smell it; I couldn't see it. But I guess I must have run right through it. I turned sideways two corners in a row. If I could have seen it, I would have straddled it.''
Martin was stoic and gentlemanly after another bitter defeat at the hands of Earnhardt.
``I've been doing been doing this for a long time and some days just turn out this way,'' he said. ``I'm just glad we at least finished second instead of spinning off track. That would have really broke my heart.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Dale Earnhardt makes the most of his visit to wine country. The
victory in the Save Mart 300 was his second of the season.
Graphic
Top ten Save Mart finishers
[for copy of top ten, see micrifim.]
[Race results]
by CNB