THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610160587
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 64 lines
Joe Gibbs Racing has scheduled a press conference at 6 p.m. today, reportedly to announce a switch from a Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car to a Pontiac Grand Prix beginning with the 1997 Winston Cup season.
A switch to Pontiac wouldn't be totally unexpected. This year the team built and tested a Pontiac at Pocono.
It could be the boost that the Gibbs team needs after a flat 1996.
After Dale Jarrett left at the end of the 1994 season, Bobby Labonte won his first three career races in his debut year with the team last year, including the Coca-Cola 600. But he's winless in 1996 and is tied for 15th in points with Jimmy Spencer.
Gibbs' timing may prove to be propitious, since the Grand Prixs are finally showing some competitiveness after a horrid debut that began at Daytona.
DOVER BITES A BULLET: Dover Downs International Speedway has shortened its fall race - but only it's fall race - from 500 to 400 miles.
The Dover race next Sept. 15 will be the MBNA 400. But the June 2 Miller 500 will remain a 500-mile race.
``There a good chance that a 400-mile race at Dover Downs could deliver one of our best races ever and I think the time has come to give one a try,'' said track president Denis McGlynn in a press release. ``Many fans have suggested we do this, and we see our job here as giving the fans what they want.''
Mike Helton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said in the same release, ``Other tracks have gone to the 400-mile format with success, and there's every reason to believe the quality of racing at Dover will not only not suffer, but will be enhanced.''
To compensate for the shorter distance, ticket prices for the fall race will be one dollar less across the board than for the spring race, said track spokesman Al Robinson.
GORDON TIRE TESTING: Could there be a better way to prepare for the final stretch run in the Winston Cup championship than a couple of freebie days of testing Goodyear tires?
That's what Jeff Gordon did last week at Phoenix International Raceway.
``It was a tire test, but for the most part, I felt it was real good for me to get a lot of laps there,'' Gordon said Tuesday. ``The first day I made over 200 laps. I made about 200 laps the second day, too.
``It was good for me to make those laps, especially those 50-lap runs (he also did 10-lap runs), because every lap I'm adjusting my line, doing different things on the race track to find out what's going to make it go faster. Now I've just got to remember those things when we go back to race.''
NEW FORD CHIEF: After deftly handling a temporary assignment that turned into a four-year stint, Dan Rivard is calling it quits as director of Ford's worldwide motorsports efforts, the automaker announced Tuesday.
Bruce P. Cambern, most recently director of engineering for Ford's Commercial Truck Center, will replace Rivard, who has agreed to stay on for several months to help in the transition.
Rivard was asked to come out of retirement in November 1993, to head the motorsports program upon the resignation of Michael Kranefuss, who became a Winston Cup car owner.
Rivard immediately asserted a strong presence and was not shy about taking his case public when he felt the need. He aggressively debated GM's Herb Fishel last year on a teleconference, but also had the personal touch to play a key behind-the-scenes role in Ernie Irvan's comeback from near-fatal injuries in 1994. by CNB