THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602120142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
The Ford Thunderbirds weren't supposed to have a chance against the General Motors cars during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
But when the checkered flag flew in the Busch Clash on Sunday after 20 laps of racing, the Thunderbird driven by Dale Jarrett was leading four Chevrolets, with no challenge from any of them.
In fact, it was Jarrett - and not Dale Earnhardt or any of the Chevy drivers - who made the unbelievable move in this race, blasting from the back of the pack to the front in less than a lap at the beginning of the second segment.
Sterling Marlin finished second, about four car lengths behind Jarrett. Earnhardt was third, followed by Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader. Also in the top 10 were Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Ted Musgrave.
``The help in the second segment came from those Chevrolets racing with each other instead of trying to draft by me,'' Jarrett said. ``I was glad to see it every time they started racing side-by-side.''
Jarrett, however, clearly had the best car in both 10-lap segments. In the first segment, he quickly moved from his starting position of 12th to second, and finished there behind Marlin.
Because the field was inverted for the start of the second segment, Jarrett started near the back and had a first lap that ``was one for the books,'' he said.
``I was able to lay back and kind of get a running start,'' he said. ``I had a good head of steam, and when I got to turn 1 . . . everybody wanted to follow that 3 car (Earnhardt). They just kind of opened up a line for me.
``My car was just really good in the draft,'' he said. ``Any time it sniffed any air, it just took off. I could feel the surge.''
But Jarrett was quick to say that what worked in the Clash may not work next Sunday.
``In a 10-lap sprint with new tires on, things can look good like that,'' he said. ``Next Sunday is a whole different story, and even Thursday (and the Twin 125s) is a whole different story.
"I don't want to sit here and complain after winning a race, but there's still a disavantage on the Ford side (for) downforce.''
The Chevy camp wasn't buying it.
``The Fords have been talking about how they are lacking speed,'' Gordon told reporters. ``It doesn't look like they were lacking too much today.''
``With those chopped tops on those Fords, they're glued to the track,'' said Marlin, referring to the fact that the Fords were allowed by NASCAR to lower their roofs by 1/4-inch to make them more competitive this year.
Marlin said he might have caught Jarrett with more time.
``If we'd had a couple more laps, we might have got 'em there at the end. "I got hung out with the (Rick) Hendrick cars and went back to fourth or fifth. If we could have got back in line then, I feel like I could have got the 88 (Jarrett).''
Earnhardt finished third and indicated that it was one of those days when his finish was far better than the performance of his car.
``I had no engine, really,'' he said. ``It ran the first part like it had a dead cylinder. We changed the ignition over during the break and it ran a little better, but we were up in the draft better.''
No one was more excited about Jarrett's victory than his new crew chief, Todd Parrott, who now has the distinction of winning his first race as a team leader.
``I don't know what to say - I'm at a loss for words,'' Parrott said on pit road, fighting back tears. ``We've worked hard all winter on these race cars, and this is where it's really paying off.''
Jarrett, who averaged 184.995 mph over the 20 green-flag laps, won a total of $62,500 for the victory, his first in the Clash. ILLUSTRATION: Dale Jarrett noted, however, that the 500 "is a whole different
story."
by CNB