THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606230187
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 62 lines
NASCAR still has to approve it and announce the dates, but O. Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre finally have come to an agreement about moving the two Winston Cup races from North Wilkesboro Speedway, which they co-own.
The agreement, with NASCAR's approval, will bring a second Winston Cup race to New Hampshire International Speedway in 1997 and give Smith a 1997 Winston Cup race for his 150,000-seat Texas Motor Speedway, under construction in Fort Worth.
Bahre and Smith have been negotiating on and off since late January about how to divide North Wilkesboro's two Winston Cup dates. Bahre said the pace of the negotiations picked up considerably over the past two weeks and produced Thursday's accord.
Smith, as chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., also owns racetracks in Charlotte, Atlanta and Bristol, Tenn.
If North Wilkesboro were to lose both Cup dates, it likely would be assigned races in NASCAR's Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck series.
BARFIELD WINS ARCA: Ron Barfield, who on Friday qualified Bill Elliott's McDonald's Ford for today's Miller 400, won his first ARCA race Saturday, taking the checkered flag about two car lengths ahead of Kelly Denton of Bristol, Va.
Barfield, 25, of Florence, S.C., led three times for 38 laps, including the final 14 circuits.
``I was really pumped up because of all the help that Bill and Ernie (Elliott) and McDonald's and everybody has given me,'' Barfield said. ``Running with the Winston Cup drivers really helped me find a better line around the track.''
Race favorite Tim Steele had engine troubles and finished a lap down in seventh. There were no serious accidents.
NO ROUND 2: There was no second round of Winston Cup qualifying Saturday because everyone was able to make the field for today's Miller 400 without requalifying.
The only driver in danger of missing the race was Dave Marcis, who was 36th-fastest and has no provisional starting spots available. But none of the four drivers behind him chose to requalify, so his starting position was unthreatened.
Provisional starting spots went to Ron Barfield in 39th (substituting for Todd Bodine in qualifying Bill Elliott's car) and Jimmy Spencer in 40th. Today, by the way, is Dave Marcis Day in Jackson, Mich.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: Ray Evernham, Jeff Gordon's crew chief, was asked Saturday why Dale Earnhardt is such a great driver.
``What makes Dale so good? He's just mean,'' Evernham told Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News.
``People are always asking what makes him so tough. Well, heck, all he likes to do is kill stuff and race. You don't ever want to mess with anyone like that. He don't really care about anything else. That's what makes him so tough.''
Earnhardt, of course, is an avid hunter.
CLASH ISSUE: There was no immediate word from racing officials, but Bobby Hamilton and members of Richard Petty's No. 43 Pontiac Grand Prix team told reporters Saturday that they did not expect to run in next year's Busch Clash.
Hamilton won the pole for today's Miller 400 and that normally would get him in the race, but Petty does not carry the Busch decal on the car. MEMO: The Journal-Bulletin of Providence, R.I., contributed to this
report. by CNB