THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110478
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEVEL CROSS, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
The Christmas party at the Petty Enterprises shop was a special occasion: For once, the driver showed up.
``It was the first time we had a driver attend the party since Richard retired,'' crew chief Robbie Loomis said as the Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour stopped in Level Cross on Wednesday.
Yes, Bobby Hamilton has found a happy home with Petty Enterprises and will drive the No. 43 Pontiac Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
Petty, Hamilton, Loomis and team manager Dale Inman all believe that the 1996 season offers the best chance for the team to win a race since Petty won at Daytona in 1984.
``Hopefully, if we do this long enough and strong enough, then the sun will shine on us and we'll win some races,'' Petty said.
Petty Enterprises, meanwhile, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its STP sponsorship with a variety of paint schemes for the car.
At Daytona, Hamilton will drive a largely silver car with dashes of the traditional red and Petty blue. At the road courses, the car will have the all-blue motif of the first Petty STP car in 1972. The team also will use several other red-and-blue paint schemes during the year.
CLARIFICATION: Although most of the Pontiac teams believe that NASCAR will grant spoiler and front air dam concessions to the new Grand Prix, NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said Wednesday, ``It's not set in stone.''
Triplett added: ``I think we want to see them on the racetrack in the next couple of weeks.'' That will come during the second General Motors test at Daytona next Monday through Wednesday.
Triplett also said that the changes NASCAR is considering are a 6.5-inch spoiler height (incorrectly reported Wednesday as 6.25 inches) and a 3.5-inch ground clearance for the front air dam.
Those are the heights the Fords currently have, and the Pontiac teams believe it's only fair that their cars have it, too.
DAYTONA TESTS: - Dale Jarrett again led the Ford testing at Daytona Beach on Wednesday, upping his speed to 186.741 mph, which is still slower than the best Chevrolet laps last week.
Only three other drivers tested. Bill Elliott was at 182.934 mph, Mike Wallace reached 181.116, and Wally Dallenbach hit 180.672 in Bud Moore's Ford.
BURTON'S GN RIDE: Ward Burton will drive a limited schedule of Grand National races this year in a car owned by Fred Turner of Greensboro. Turner will receive assistance from Bill Davis and MBNA, Burton's car owner and sponsor on the Winston Cup circuit. by CNB