THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604210207
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
After the checkered flag falls in today's Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the Ford Winston Cup teams will head back to their shops and get working on their cars.
NASCAR announced a body change for the Fords Saturday in an effort to help them compete against the dominant Chevrolet Monte Carlos, which have won six of the seven races this season.
The first order of business, of course, is today's 500-lap race around this pole after qualifying his Chevy at 93.079 mph Friday.
And Terry Labonte, who starts seventh, breaks the record he shares with Richard Petty of 513 consecutive starts when the green flag falls. It's a streak Labonte has taken more than 17 years to build.
The records will be on the back burner once the cars' grinding begins at 1 p.m. today.
``It's the same old thing at Martinsville,'' said Winston Cup points leader Dale Jarrett. ``Rusty (Wallace) will run good, Dale (Earnhardt) will run good and Terry is driving well. You just try to keep the brakes and the fenders on the car for the first 400 laps and then try to race 'em at the end.''
But as Ford drivers and crews practiced and prepared for the race, the rule change was not far from their thoughts.
NASCAR has approved a reduction of an additional half-inch in the rear portion of the roof line on all Thunderbirds used at tracks one mile or longer. That does not include the road courses, or Daytona and Talladega superspeedways.
The change goes into effect before The Winston Select at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18. It is designed to improve the rear downforce of the Fords, so they can stick better in the turns.
NASCAR had already lowered the Ford roof a quarter of an inch before the season started. Ford official have been lobbying for a reduction of 1 1/4 inches.
Ford camp reaction ranged from cautiously optimistic to unhappy.
``We don't know what a half-inch will do,'' said Mark Martin. ``A quarter-inch didn't help. But now we've got to cut up all the bodies again . .
Said Jarrett: ``I think they've made a lot of work for the guys for very little gain.''
Car owner Jack Roush, one of the most vocal critics of NASCAR in the ongoing aerodynamic dispute, said: ``The first change got us 20 percent of what we needed. And of the part that remains, this is another 25 percent to maybe a third.
``But I'm encouraged by the fact that they've done something. And they haven't said this is the last time they'll visit the issue.''
``It's great, don't get me wrong,'' said Ricky Rudd. ``But it's still not everything we need to get the two cars even.''
Ford's Preston Miller: ``What they've given us is too good to turn down, but it wasn't what we asked for and it isn't what we need.''
On the Chevy side, the reaction was somewhat the same, of course from the other side of the coin.
``I don't like it any time you have to alter the rules,'' said Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt's car owner. ``I can understand NASCAR doing it because Ford hasn't won but one race. I just feel that the Ford teams don't have the momentum.
``Right now, the 24 and 5 cars (Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte) are the reason for the rule change. We can't outrun them and we've got a Chevy.''
In NASCAR's eyes, will this change achieve the elusive parity?
``We'll have to wait and see - like always,'' Winston Cup director Gary Nelson said. ``We would like to think we can balance the competition with the changes we've made to the rule. But on the other hand, the guys on these teams are so creative in making these cars better, nothing ever fixes anything.'' by CNB