THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100492
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The car Ricky Rudd destroyed in a practice crash at Martinsville Speedway on Monday was the same Ford Thunderbird that carried him to his two Winston Cup victories as a car owner.
The winning car at New Hampshire in 1994 and Phoenix in 1995 is now history. Even the engine was bent.
But Rudd was back testing again Tuesday, even though ``I don't think there's any part of me that doesn't hurt,'' he said during a lunch break.
The destroyed car had a different chassis than the ones Rudd has been using this year, and he was trying to determine which was best for the short tracks.
``This definitely sets us back a bit,'' he said. ``Now I think we're committed to this other kind of chassis, and so we're back here to learn as much as we can about it on a flat track.
``I'm definitely sore, but sitting around is not going to make you feel any better. I've learned that it's best to get up, work it out and stretch it out.''
STILL ALIVE: There may be a little extra Winston Cup life in old North Wilkesboro Speedway after all.
A lot of folks have been figuring that this weekend's First Union 400 will be the last Winston Cup race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but ``each day that passes, it becomes less likely,'' New Hampshire Speedway President Gary Bahre told the Associated Press.
The Bahre family, which owns 50 percent of the track, said it has been unable to reach an agreement on moving the fall date with fellow track owner Bruton Smith, whose Speedway Motorsports, Inc., owns the other 50 percent.
So now it appears that the Sept. 29 Holly Farms 400 will be North Wilkesboro's last.
``That's certainly the way it looks today,'' Bahre said. He said that an agreement to move the fall date would have to be reached by Sunday.
``April 14 is the drop-dead date; April 15 is when they put tickets on sale for the fall race in North Wilkesboro,'' Bahre said.
As for moving the 1997 dates, he said, ``I don't think next year would be much of a problem.''
EVERY LAST NUT: Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace did a tire test at the Suzuka circuit in Japan last week and discovered that Goodyear's tire for the Sears Point road race will probably be the choice for the Nov. 24 exhibition race.
But they also discovered that meticulous organization is a must for the upcoming trip.
``We needed a swaybar and didn't have one, and we couldn't find some lugnuts there for a while,'' said Bobby Hutchens, manager of Earnhardt's team. ``You've got to dot some Is and cross some Ts to make this trip. It takes some real planning.
``Every part we ship back home has to be itemized and accounted for. We supply them a list of what we sent over, and they have to see that part going back or there's an exportation fee.
``If there's something on the container going back that didn't come over here, there's an exportation problem.''
THE PLYWOOD ANALOGY: The 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix's debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup series has been less than impressive, primarily because the car doesn't have enough front downforce.
That creates a chronic push; the car washes out in the corners.
Pontiac driver Rick Mast said the problem exists at all tracks, no matter what the size.
``It's lessened on short tracks, but it still comes into play,'' he said. ``If you don't believe me, take you a 4x8 sheet of plywood and put it on your head and walk down the street on a calm day. Then wait until you have about a 5 mph wind. Then try walking down the street with it. See if you don't have to pick that plywood up.''
That demonstrated how any air speed, no matter how slow, will make a difference, he said. by CNB