THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607280215
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: 91 lines
Security was tightened at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday in the wake of the fatal bombing at Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Guards were inspecting all packages and bags brought into the Winston Cup garage by team members and guests. And a squadron of guards, some reportedly with dogs, swept the grandstands Saturday morning to make sure there were no suspicious objects.
``They've done some things, but nothing we really want to elaborate on,'' said John Story, spokesman for Daytona International Speedway, who is working at Talladega this weekend. ``But you can assume they've taken some measures.''
The threat in NASCAR, if there is one, would seem to come from fanatic fans rather than from terrorists.
``I get threats and lot of other drivers get them, too,'' Rusty Wallace said. ``There are people out there who really get excited about drivers. I don't think security is where it needs to be in NASCAR.
``I'll never forget sitting in the basement of my house with two armed security guards after The Winston,'' he said, referring to the 1989 race in which he tapped Darrell Waltrip into a spin and went on to win.
``I remember Earnhardt had FBI guys with him one time and they were going through the fender wells of his car,'' Wallace said. ``It's that type of stuff. Race fans get so volatile and opinionated about drivers, it gets kind of scary sometimes.''
SACKS WINS BUSCH RACE: Greg Sacks called his victory in Saturday's crash-filled Humminbird 500k Grand National race ``the biggest win of my career.''
Sacks reached the checkered flag about a car length ahead of pole-sitter Joe Nemechek, with Randy LaJoie a close third.
``It's been a real long time. It's been an eternity,'' said Sacks, whose only Winston Cup win came in the 1985 Firecracker 400. ``But this victory starts what I consider to be the second leg of my career.''
The race was slowed by four crashes, including two multi-car pileups. Seven cars crashed on lap 19, and nine cars were involved in a wreck on lap 28.
No one was hurt in those crashes, but Mark Martin suffered bruises in a three-car accident on lap 69. And in a single-car accident on lap 110, Todd Bodine flipped before landing on his wheels and slamming into the inside wall on the backstretch. He was unhurt.
WAY BEHIND: Bill Elliott will start today's DieHard 500 at in 39th, which is a provisional starting position.
It's the third time in the 1996 season that the former Winston Cup champion has had to use a provisional starting spot. And two of those came before Elliott broke his leg here on April 28.
The broken leg, Elliott said, just set him back even more.
``It seems like you've only been out for five races, but you lose that little bit of sharpness from racing every week,'' Elliott said. ``I went to New Hampshire and I got in the car there and man, I didn't think I had ever been in a race car before in my life. . . .
``Going to Pocono last week, I made some decisions and I made some changes on the race car Sunday morning that totally put us out in leftfield.
``It seems like every decision I have made here in the last two or three weeks has been totally wrong. To try to get back in midseason in a stretch of umpteen races . . . I don't know. I'm at a total loss. I know things will be better and I know there is light at the end of the tunnel, but right now, you're just trying to work through all this stuff and race.
``And to top it all off, it's rained every week since I've been back. I guess ya'll can just call me Bill Dark Cloud.''
QUALIFYING RAINOUT: The second round of Winston Cup qualifying was rained out Saturday, as was the morning practice session.
That was good for Gary Bradberry and bad for Chad Little.
Bradberry makes today's 42-car starting field. Little goes home.
Bradberry, who is ineligible for a provisional starting spot, qualified in the 38th and final starting position Friday. He would have had to withstand the qualifying efforts of those drivers behind him had the second round been run as scheduled.
Little, one of the drivers behind Bradberry, was denied a second chance to try to make the field by the morning showers.
The four provisional starting spots went to Bill Elliott, Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine and Joe Nemechek.
Nemechek did not have to go to a backup car, as reported Saturday. He spun during his second qualifying lap Friday but did not hit the wall.
The front air dam of his car was damaged when it hit the apron and the rear deck lid was damaged by the wrecker that hauled the car back to the garage, but the car was repairable. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS
Cars head in every direction after a crash during Saturday's
Humminbird 500k, left. Winner Greg Sacks, right, celebrates with a
beer bath in Victory Lane.
AP Graphic
Talladega Superspeedway
Today's Race
For complete graphic, see microfilm by CNB