THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603300440
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BRISTOL, TENN. LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Mark Martin was healthy enough to win the pole for Sunday's Food City 500, but the rumor mill had him pegged as a doomed man when he arrived at Bristol International Raceway on Friday morning.
The story was that Martin had cancer, and he was asked about it by more than a dozen people. Of course, there was no truth to the rumor, he said.
``I haven't been to a doctor in I don't know how many years,'' Martin said. ``But I am flattered that they're talking about me.''
Teammate Jeff Burton joked that he already had his ``Get Well, Mark'' decal for his dashboard.
This type of wild rumor is a fairly common occurrence in the Winston Cup series.
``It's one of those `Earnhardt-falling-out-of-a-tree' things,'' Winston Cup spokesman Kevin Triplett said. ``When I was working with (Dale) Earnhardt (as his public relations specialist), he passed away three times and broke both legs. I don't know where that stuff gets started.''
NEW RULES: Expect a rule change to prohibit drivers from using their teammates' pits for emergency pit stops.
NASCAR is expected to announce Sunday a clarification of the rules that address that subject. The review comes in the wake of the stop Dale Jarrett made in teammate Ernie Irvan's pit after he ran out of gas with two laps to go in last weekend's race at Darlington.
``What we need to do is define the interpretation of what the rule book says,'' Triplett said. ``In other words, does that kind of pit stop constitute ordinary pit work? It would not be advisable for teams to plan their pit strategies around what happened at Darlington.''
GN QUALILFYING: Slumping Chad Little captured the pole for today's Goody's 250 Busch Grand National race (2 p.m., ESPN2) with a speed of 121.198 mph.
Michael Waltrip was second-fastest at 121.152 mph, followed by Larry Pearson at 120.999, Jeff Green at 120.839 and Jimmy Spencer at 120.740.
``When you're in a valley, it's sometimes tough to get out,'' said Little, whose poor 1996 start included a hard crash at Darlington last weekend. ``This means a lot for all of us. It's needed right now.''
A huge contingent of Grand National regulars headed home early. Among the non-qualifiers were Dennis Setzer, Johnny Rumley, Stevie Reeves, Doug Heveron, Mike Dillon, Buckshot Jones and Tracy Leslie.
ALLEN ON THE MEND: Loy Allen Jr., badly injured in a crash at Rockingham a month ago, continues to recover at his home in Raleigh.
He has begun working out on a treadmill and stationary bike and attending physical therapy sessions to increase the strength and mobility in his neck and shoulder.
``I feel better each day,'' Allen told team publicist Jeffery Baker. ``I can't wait to get my strength back so I can get in that race car again.'' He hopes to resume driving sometime this summer.
Meanwhile, in the wake of crew chief Jeff Hammond's departure to rejoin Darrell Waltrip, team owner Mark Smith appointed team member Peter Sospenzo as crew chief. by CNB