DATE: Sunday, June 15, 1997                 TAG: 9706150176

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH.                   LENGTH:   69 lines

GORDON SENT TO THE REAR AFTER TRIGGERING A CRASH

The Jeff Gordon juggernaut paused Saturday for a lesson in hard knocks at Michigan Speedway when Gordon triggered a rare multi-car crash in practice that sent Jeff Burton to the hospital.

Burton returned to the track after X-rays on his right shoulder and chest revealed no broken bones, but he did not participate in the final practice session. Morgan Shepherd, who had failed to qualify for today's Miller 400, filled in.

Gordon, who received a sore neck in the accident, had to go to a backup car, as did Burton and Dick Trickle, who was also involved. All three will have to move to the rear of the field for the start of the race.

The accident occurred 17 minutes into the first practice session Saturday, which began at 9 a.m. Gordon was going under Dale Earnhardt in turn 3, with Burton and Trickle trailing Earnhardt, when he lost control and spun toward the wall, collecting Burton and Trickle in the process.

``Superman didn't make it stick,'' Earnhardt said on his radio. But afterward, he was quick to defend Gordon and call it nothing more than a racing accident.

``Don't build nothing into that comment. He just got loose,'' Earnhardt said. ``It happens. He was driving the wings off it.''

Said Gordon: ``I just lost it. It was a pretty bad wreck, and my neck's a little sore. Some other guys were caught up in it, and I hope they're all right. We wrecked a good race car.''

Buddy Parrott, Burton's crew chief, described it this way:

``Gordon had gotten real tight on Earnhardt and got Earnhardt high up (in turns 1 and 2). Down the backstretch, I couldn't see them, then all of a sudden it was all over.''

Car owner Jack Roush said Burton was trying to figure out how his car would handle in traffic. When Gordon spun, Burton ``had no place to go,'' Roush said.

Trickle also was an unlucky victim. He had purposely avoided joining a pack of about 14 cars because of potential trouble, choosing instead to drop back until a smaller pack came by.

``Here comes this nice little pack with Gordon, Earnhardt and Burton,'' Trickle said. ``I figured I wouldn't get in trouble with them. But (Gordon) just got loose. He wasn't tight on Earnhardt or anything. I tried to get up around him, but when he spun, he got into the side of my car. We lost a good car.''

During the final Winston Cup practice Saturday, while Gordon was working out the kinks in his backup car (he was 12th-fastest), Burton was at the mobile Human Performance Center, having therapists work out the kinks in his shoulder and neck.

``I'm doing OK,'' Burton said. ``I'm sore.''

He planned to spend the night in his motorhome, which is parked in the speedway infield, a short distance from the garage.

The team was expecting Burton to at least start today's race. Shepherd will stand by as a relief driver.

During the final practice, Ward Burton crashed in turn 4. He had a sore right foot afterward, and his team had to unload its backup car. He, too, will have to move to the rear of the field.

Meanwhile, Bill Elliott led second-round qualifying with a lap of 183.192 mph, which tied him for third-fastest overall.

Every driver except Ed Berrier participated in the second round, and that move may have cost Berrier a starting spot. He was 27th-fastest after Friday's first round but ended up 43rd-fastest overall.

Provisional starting spots went to Derrike Cope, John Andretti, Kyle Petty, Rick Mast and Darrell Waltrip. Those who failed to qualify, besides Berrier, were Mike Wallace, Shepherd, Greg Sacks (substituting for Robby Gordon in the No. 40 Chevrolet) and Gary Bradberry.

And in the day's main event, Tim Steele won the Jasper Engines 200 for his second straight ARCA victory. There were no serious accidents in the race.

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