THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606220380
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH. LENGTH: 55 lines
Car owner Richard Petty's first pole since 1979 came on the 10th anniversary of his 1,000th career start in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
The anniversary is worth noting because the moment was so special to Petty.
His three daughters, Rebecca, Sharon and Lisa, came to Michigan International Speedway with the rest of his family on June 21, 1986, to help celebrate. And when it came time to start the race, they gave the command, ``Daddy, start your engine.''
``I'd been in a race car for a long time and done a lot of things, but that was probably the most emotional I'd ever been in a race car,'' he said. ``I'm glad I had my sunglasses on where they couldn't see my emotions.
``It was great. All of 'em had that Southern accent, `Deh-da.' You know what I mean? It wasn't only emotional for me, but it was emotional for a lot of fans, and a lot of racing people.''
Petty retired as a driver at the end of the 1993 season with 1,185 starts and, of course, 200 victories.
INJURY REPORT: Dale Jarrett didn't let a broken leg and rib get in the way of driving, or making public appearances.
He is recovering from a slight fracture of his lower right leg and a broken left rib, which he suffered in a crash during qualifying eight days ago at Pocono.
Still on crutches, Jarrett hobbled through a full schedule during the day Thursday and put in a full day at the track Friday.
He appeared at Ford's annual employee day in Dearborn, Mich., on Thursday morning, had lunch with Ford executives, and then made an appearance at Hudson Technologies, an associate sponsor on his Grand National car.
Jarrett was given the opportunity to skip the appearances, but he declined.
``The way I look at it, if I can get in a race car and drive a race car, there's no reason I can't make a fan's day,'' Jarrett said Friday.
Meanwhile, Lake Speed discovered Wednesday that he had cracked one of his ribs in his crash during last Sunday's Pocono race.
Speed obviously didn't let the injury slow him down, since on Friday he qualified ninth for Sunday's Miller 400. But he also lined up Greg Sacks as a relief driver.
``I'm sore, but I'm getting better,'' Speed said. ``Yesterday I didn't think I would even be able to get in a car, much less drive it.''
MUSICAL SEATS: ARCA driver Ron Barfield qualified Bill Elliott's No. 94 Ford Thunderbird on Friday because substitute driver Todd Bodine was in Myrtle Beach, S.C., qualifying for this evening's Grand National race there.
Bodine will be back in Michigan to practice this morning before returning to South Carolina for the 5 p.m. race. Then he'll come back to Michigan. Barfield was 39th-fastest of 40 cars in Winston Cup qualifying Friday.
SUPERTRUCK POLE: Mike Skinner, seeking an unprecedented fourth consective Craftsman Truck series victory, put his Chevrolet on the pole for tonight's Coca-Cola 200 (9 p.m., ESPN) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harry Gant qualified 16th-fastest . . . David Green knocked younger brother Mark off of the pole in qualifying for today's Carolina Pride-Advance Auto 250 Grand National race (5 p.m., TNN) in Myrtle Beach, S.C. by CNB