THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602120156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
After starting first Sunday in the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Rick Mast finished fifth-from-last. But it may be quite a while before anyone else is so happy after finishing so poorly.
``I'm pleased,'' he said. ``I'm very pleased. There's a whole lot of potential here'' with the new Pontiac Grand Prix.
``This car hasn't run good at all since we've been here,'' he said. ``We did some crazy stuff this morning to the chassis to try and get it to respond. It just flat, flat pushed bad the whole time. Even with that, the car was awful, awful stable. I've never had a car that was handling as bad as this car that you could still drive and stay wide open with it.''
Mast said his Daytona 500 car ``is awesome. I expect to win with that car. I think if we do the right things with the 500 car, I think we will be a force to be reckoned with, because that car is fast.''
LEARNING THINGS: They led no laps and were not a factor in the finish, but Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin were looking forward to the coming week's races, even though they're both short on power.
``We need some more get-up-and-go, but we've got a car that will handle,'' Rudd said. ``It's the first time I've ever had a car at Daytona that I could drive on the bottom - and pass. I think our 500 car is a little bit better-driving car than this one.''
Said Martin: ``We have a good-handling car, like we expected. We're short on speed, and we may have to deal with that this week. But we've got a good-handling car, and the slicker the track gets, the better off we'll be.
``We'll be in the thick of things by Sunday.''
OFF THE PACE: Dale Earnhardt wasn't the only driver with engine problems in the Clash. Bobby Labonte and John Andretti also had trouble and finished 16th and 17th respectively in both segments.
``Something was just missing,'' Labonte said. ``We don't know what it was
Andretti developed an oil leak and lost three laps in the first segment while getting it fixed.
PURVIS WINS ARCA RACE: As Jeff Purvis crossed the finish line to win the ARCA 200, Bob Hill's car was still burning in turn two after flipping almost seven times in a six-car crash on the last lap.
Hill and the other drivers involved were not hurt, but earlier in the race, John Stradtman was overcome by fumes in his car and was taken to Halifax Medical Center for treatment.
Purvis beat Tim Steele by two car lengths. Pole-sitter Mike Skinner was third, followed by Andy Hillenburg and Ron Barfield.
Purvis led 30 laps early in the race and then took the lead from Skinner after getting a big jump on a restart with five laps to go.
``That last caution saved me because I couldn't get a run'' on Skinner before that, Purvis said. ``He was as good as I was when he was in front of me.''
The accident occurred further back in the pack when several cars became bunched and one was hit from behind.
``I was just trying to ride around and stay out of trouble and I got caught up in it anyway. On the last lap. Pretty stupid,'' Hill said. ``Now it's junk. We were just a ping-pong ball. I got turned around and started flipping.''
QUALIFYING CONTINUES: The somewhat complicated qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500 continues today with the second round of time trials.
Forty-nine cars posted qualifying speeds on Saturday, when only the top two positions were locked up, by Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan.
The time trials today and Tuesday will allow drivers to try to improve on their previous laps, if they wish to do so. The three days of qualifying will then be used to determine the starting lineups for Thursday's twin 125-mile qualifying races.
The top 14 finishers in each of those races, excluding Earnhardt and Irvan, will qualify in positions 3-30 for the 500.
Positions 31-38 will go to the next eight fastest remaining drivers from the three days of time trials.
Positions 39-42 will be filled by the top four teams remaining in the top-40 car-owner points from 1995.
The 43rd starting position will only be used if a former Winston Cup champion has not made the field in any other way. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bob Hill's No. 46 car goes airborne after a last-lap crash in
Sunday's ARCA race at Daytona. The car flipped several times and
caught fire, but Hill escaped the wreckage unhurt.
by CNB