THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702160257
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: 61 lines
For only the second time in its 16-year history, the 300-mile Busch Grand National race at Daytona International Speedway was won by a Grand National driver.
1996 Grand National champion Randy LaJoie led 56 of the 120 laps, including the final 26, to win by about three car lengths over Todd Bodine in Saturday's Gargoyles 300. Michael Waltrip was third, followed by Joe Nemechek and Tracy Leslie.
The race was interrupted by two big crashes and two medium-sized ones. The four crashes involved a total of 24 cars, or more than half of the 45-car field.
``To start the season and defend the crown and to win at Daytona is a major league plus,'' LaJoie said.
The only other time a Grand National regular has won this race was in 1995, when Chad Little triumphed.
LaJoie made the race-winning pass on lap 95, getting past Dick Trickle, who had led the previous 17 laps. Trickle eventually finished 19th, one lap down.
``I ran behind Dick Trickle for a long time,'' LaJoie said. ``He got bottled up behind a lapped car and I had a run at him and I had to go.''
For LaJoie and others, a lack of gasoline was a concern at the end.
``They said conserve fuel, and I'm not sure how to do that when you've got it to the floorboard,'' LaJoie said. ``I couldn't do nothing about it anyway. We were going to go until we ran out of gas.
``I don't know how much fuel was left in the tank, but it was still running when I got to victory circle.''
No one was hurt in any of the crashes, but a lot of race cars were damaged or destroyed. But with the cars racing lap after lap in one huge pack, the multi-car melees are inevitable.
Joe Bessey started the first melee when he smacked the outside wall coming out of turn 2 on lap 12. He lost control, and before it was over, seven cars were involved.
There was a four-car wreck on the backstretch on lap 29, followed by a 10-car crash in turn 1 on lap 45 and finally a three-car wreck on the backstretch on lap 65.
LaJoie said one of the reasons he ran so well Saturday was because of the experience he picked up Friday.
``I learned a lot yesterday in the IROC race,'' he said. ``It helped me today a bunch. I learned a lot about air and where to pick it up, and it worked.
``But I've got to apologize to Dick Trickle. They've got this thing called the `bump draft' here. As you come up behind the guy, you give him a little bump and it lets him pick up a little speed. I went to bump Trickle down the backstretch and I put him on my hood. It picked his back tires off the ground.''
LaJoie and his team won $76,285 for the victory and, of course, took the lead in the 1997 Grand National championship battle. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Randy LaJoie punctures the pomposity of Victory Lane after winning
the Gargoyles 300 for Busch Grand National cars.