THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 2, 1995 TAG: 9509020545
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DARLINGTON, S.C. LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
No matter how much success he's had as Ricky Rudd's crew chief, Bill Ingle won't be satisfied until he chases his dream.
Ingle's dream is to drive a race car, or truck, and the dream is so strong that he told Rudd this week that he won't be returning next year, even though Ingle doesn't yet have any clear-cut driving opportunities.
``If this step doesn't show where my heart really it, I don't know any other way to tell people,'' Ingle said. ``That's what I want to do, and I gotta make it happen.
``I'm 39 years old. Just picture me as George Foreman. I don't give a damn. If I don't get a ride, I'll get a job. I can always learn how to clean teeth and go work for my wife.'' Ingle's wife, Pat, is one of the leading dentists in Concord, N.C.
Rudd said he didn't want to lose Ingle, but decided ``the best thing was to let him have his rope. He really wants to drive a race car. I'm not one to tell him he can't. I've chased a dream all my life and that was his dream from the beginning, too.''
Rudd said he's already begun searching for Ingle's replacement and has had inquiries.
``I don't think you'll see us go in the toilet'' after Ingle leaves, Rudd said. ``Heck, we're already in the toilet this year compared to last year.''
Ingle's last race was in February 1988 at Daytona, when he badly broke his leg in a crash during the Grand National event that sidelined him for months and sidetracked his driving career.
GN POLE: Larry Pearson is making a habit of ending long winless streaks at Darlington. He won the Grand National race here in the spring for his first race victory since 1988. And on Friday, he won the top starting spot for today's Gatorade 200 for his first pole position since. - 1988.
Pearson made it around the 1.366-mile oval at 161.429 miles per hour in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo, topping Tim Fedewa, who took the second starting spot at 160.874 mph in a Ford Thunderbird.
``I guess I'm not excited yet because it's been so dadgummed long since I won a pole, I've forgotten what it feels like,'' Pearson said. ``Maybe it's an omen and Darlington will be good to me again.''
Several drivers crashed during practice here Friday, including Elton Sawyer, who smacked the wall in turn three about 15 minutes before the end of pre-qualifying practice. Saywer's team scrambled to prepare his backup car and he just got it out on the track in time for a qualifying run. He ran 23rd, just behind his wife, Patty Moise.
RUSTY 'N' DALE: Rusty Wallace said his dispute with Dale Earnhardt after the Bristol race is old history, over and done with.
``They (NASCAR) told us, `You two guys work it out,' '' Wallace said. ``We did. It's over.''
But is it? Wallace's Ford Thunderbird on Friday sported an Earnhardt No. 3 decal - with a red slash through the middle of it. The decal had been carefully placed in a rather prominent place just below the ``NASCAR Race Car'' decal just above the right door.
``I never saw it,'' Wallace said.
JEFF BURTON TO ROUSH: Jack Roush this week signed Jeff Burton to drive for him in 1996 - presumably in a third car - but there is still a lot of uncertainty about precisely what's going on.
The team will be based in Charlotte, not at Roush's sprawling facility in Liberty. A sponsor still hasn't been signed, although Roush says he's close.
The rumor mill has Roush signing Exide (Geoff Bodine's current sponsor) or Ford Quality Care (Bud Moore's current sponsor), but he's not commenting on that. He did say: ``It's pretty well set, not for sure, but hopefully it'll be ready by Richmond (next week).''
Roush also hasn't announced a crew chief, although veteran Buddy Parrott reportedly is a leading candidate.
Parrott, though, was mum on his future, saying, ``We'll make a later announcement, probably at Richmond.''
Parrott spent part of the day chatting with Bill Davis, who said he's hired Clyde Booth as his new general manager. Booth resigned Wednesday as Darrell Waltrip's general manager. by CNB