THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 19, 1996 TAG: 9602190115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
It was Dale Earnhardt's guile vs. Dale Jarrett's motor Sunday in the Daytona 500.
The motor won.
With no help from behind and no way to get past on his own, Earnhardt saw nothing but Jarrett's rear bumper all the way around the last lap at Daytona International Speedway.
And as Jarrett rode to his second 500 victory in four years, Earnhardt came up short in the biggest race of the year for the 18th straight time.
Ken Schrader was third, followed by Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. Also in the top 10 were Wally Dallenbach, Ted Musgrave, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd and Michael Waltrip.
For the first time in four years, a Ford driver went to Victory Lane in the 500 as Ford drivers took nine of the top 11 positions.
``I think I'd rather look in the mirror and see anybody but the 3 car,'' said Jarrett, who led the last 24 laps. ``I knew he had help; that was my biggest concern. But what he didn't have was a Robert Yates engine. I had a better race car than Dale Earnhardt today, and that's what allowed me to stay out front.''
But what Jarrett didn't know was that Earnhardt, in fact, had no help.
Last week, Earnhardt had voiced concern about racing alone against two- and three-car teams. And when it came time to face the music Sunday, Earnhardt was indeed alone, and couldn't even get any drafting help from the fellow Chevy driver - Schrader - behind him.
That, however, wasn't what upset Earnhardt the most about his failure to win the race that frustrates him year after year after year.
After making the obligatory ``good race, good car'' comments to television and radio, Earnhardt finally expressed his true feelings.
``The Fords were too strong, man,'' he barked. ``They (NASCAR) give 'em the candy store. We couldn't do nothin'. The Fords were too strong. Couldn't you see that?
``They need to wake up. They need to open their eyes. They give 'em that quarter-inch on top and give 'em the candy store. It wouldn't have made no difference what we had. This is Daytona, and we run second.''
Earnhardt had started looking for help from Schrader about 20 laps from the finish.
``Go to Schrader's spotter and tell him he's going to need some help to get by the 88 (Jarrett),'' Earnhardt said. ``Tell him to go with us.''
A lap or so later, Earnhardt's spotter replied that Schrader would help. But Schrader arranged to work with Martin instead, even though Martin drives a Ford.
``Mark was willing to work with us,'' said Schrader, who drives the No. 25 Chevy. ``I couldn't have got (Earnhardt) past (Jarrett). I could have maybe helped him, but it was going to cost me more than a couple of positions and I was really more worried about where the 25 finished instead of the 3.''
In the end, nothing happened. Earnhardt made a couple of inside-outside moves on the backstretch on the last lap, but Jarrett blocked him - and said he actually got a boost from Earnhardt because of it.
And behind Earnhardt, ``We were going for our own goal there,'' Martin said. ``What really cost Dale the win was Kenny trying to win. We had a run on him and Kenny had to make a decision on whether to wreck or run third. But Kenny wasn't going to get by (Earnhardt) without wrecking.''
Jarrett, of course, assumed it was going to be a lot tougher than it was.
``I was able to stay out front,'' he said. ``I don't know how many laps that was, but it seemed like an eternity. I'm telling you, those last 15 laps were the longest - it felt like it took a minute and a half or two minutes to run every single lap.
``. . . Not knowing exactly what Dale was going to do, and knowing he had help, and with all the Ford-Chevy talk, it was difficult trying to play cat-and-mouse with him.''
So what about all that Ford-Chevy talk? How are those Fords now?
``Certainly we were better than we were last year,'' Jarrett said. ``But as we go to the other places, we really don't know until we get to Rockingham and Atlanta to know exactly what's going to be there. We do know there is still a discrepancy in downforce between the two cars in the wind tunnel.''
``They didn't have a Robert Yates engine. That's the biggest thing. Obviously, my car went through the corners good, but you've gotta have power to keep it going down the straight. That's what I had.''
Jarrett was asked if he felt sympathy for Earnhardt.
``Yeah, I do. But on the other hand, we come here to win the race. Plus, if he won, you all wouldn't have anything to talk about next year.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dale Jarrett's Ford nears the checkered flag, followed in close
order by Dale Earnhardt, Ken Schrader, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Daytona 500 winner for the second time in four years, Dale Jarrett
thanked team owner/engine builder Robert Yates.
GRAPHICS
[For a copy of the graphics, see microfilm for this date.]
RESULTS
[For a copy of the results, see microfilm for this date.]
THE RICKY RUDD REPORT
[For a copy of the report, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB