THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 21, 1995 TAG: 9508210123
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH. LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
While the Chevrolet V-8 power plants produced in Rick Hendrick's shops were finishing 1-2-3 in Sunday's GM 400 at Michigan International Speedway, a slew of top cars were dead on arrival.
Engine failure killed the efforts of Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Ricky Rudd and John Andretti, as well as Brett Bodine, Derrike Cope, Joe Nemechek and Geoff Bodine.
Petty was the first out, gone after 21 laps. ``Motor,'' he said. ``It's the same thing that falls out of it every week.''
Martin was next, pulling into the garage after 52 laps.
``We broke a timing chain,'' Martin said after emerging from his car. (Crew chief) Steve (Hmiel) just said to me, `How did you know it was a timing chain?'
``I told him it was because I'm old. I've been in this a long time. Sometimes you just break parts.''
Earnhardt was done after 87 laps.
``I feel like we broke a timing chain or gear in the front of the engine,'' he said. ``The car was running pretty good, a little tight.''
Jarrett, who led 36 laps and appeared to have the best car, was gone at lap 101. It was another blow to the driver who dominated Saturday's Grand National race only to see it taken away by NASCAR for using an unapproved engine part.
``We've been pretty dominant for two days and don't have a damn thing to show for it,'' he said.
A LEISURELY DEPARTURE: Unless he wins, Earnhardt usually beats it from the track faster than anyone else. But it was different for this race, which was sponsored by GM Goodwrench, his car's sponsor.
After dropping out of the race, Earnhardt went to his motor home, which was parked about 100 yards from his team's transporter.
He then stood there and signed autographs for about 15 minutes. He finally made a leisurely departure behind the wheel of a Cadillac.
But as he was signing, Earnhardt was asked, ``Is the championship now Gordon's to lose?''
``Yeah,'' he said matter of factly. ``Now we've got to go out there and try to win some races. He'll have to have some bad luck for us to catch him.''
ELLIOTT'S GAMBLE: Like race winner Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott decided to gamble on gas.
But Elliott ran out on the last lap. And NASCAR ruled that lap didn't count for Elliott after he received a push from Ted Musgrave. He finished ninth, one lap down.
``When you run out on the last lap, that proves you were close enough to gamble,'' Elliott said. ``I saw Musgrave coming up to give me a push, and I tried to wave him off. But I guess it wouldn't have mattered, because either we would have finished as the last car on the lead lap or first car one lap down.''
MAST CRASHES: Rick Mast said he thinks a tire problem caused his trip into the second turn wall on lap 139. It was the only crash of the day.
``Left rear went down, I reckon,'' he said. ``The lap before, I got in that turn and the thing just got away from me. I thought maybe I got into a little oil or got in too hard or something. Then I went into one and two the next lap and it just flat went around.''
SAWYER 21ST: Sunday's race was another learning experience for Elton Sawyer. After starting 20th, he finished 21st. He was three laps down, just behind Mike Wallace and just ahead of Jimmy Hensley.
JARRETT STILL MAD: Jarrett was just about as mad on Sunday about his disallowed victory in Saturday's Grand National race as he was after it happened.
``I think this was handled in the wrong manner,'' he said. ``My contention is that (the unauthorized engine part) had been there all weekend.''
Robert Yates, who built the engines for Jarrett for both races, was busy Sunday morning making adjustments to the Winston Cup car. Yates had requested a thorough pre-race check by Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson, who spotted some potentially questionable modifications.
But after Jarrett dominated early in the race, before dropping out with engine failure, crew chief Larry McReynolds said, ``I think what this proved today was that (the unauthorized part) didn't have anything to do with his performance yesterday.'' by CNB