DATE: Sunday, August 17, 1997               TAG: 9708170181

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

DATELINE: BROOKLYN, MICH.                   LENGTH:   68 lines

SQUEEZING EACH DROP OF FUEL, PARK WINS GRAND NATIONAL RACE

Saturday's Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan Speedway started out as yet another Mark Martin-dominated Grand National race but ended up a gas-mileage contest won by rookie Steve Park.

So Dale Earnhardt visited Victory Lane, this time as the car owner's husband - his wife, Teresa, is the owner of record. Still, he was thrilled to be able to congratulate Park on his second victory of the season.

Martin took the lead from Bobby Labonte on the 13th of 100 laps and led the next 74 trips around the 2-mile oval. But he gave the lead to Park on lap 87 when he pitted for a splash of fuel to make it to the end. Martin finished 11th.

Park was in perfect position to take advantage of the circumstances because his team had planned for a fuel-mileage race.

``We worked on the fuel cell more than we worked on the car,'' crew chief Tony Eury Sr. said.

``We knew that fuel mileage might win the race,'' said Park, who drove the last 66 laps on a single, 22-gallon tank of fuel. ``When I went back out, they just kept telling me to conserve gas. All I know is we had enough fuel to get to Victory Lane.''

Park crossed the finish line 0.682 seconds (about five car lengths) ahead of Jimmy Spencer. Labonte was third, followed by Jeff Burton and Buckshot Jones.

It was a good day all around for the Earnhardt family. Dale Jr. finished seventh - his first top 10 in Grand National competition.

``He came up here with a sort of a six-pack crew,'' Dale Sr. said. ``They had a good time, qualified well, and ran well in the race. This was his first start on a superspeedway, and he stayed out of trouble and did well.''

Said Dale Jr.: ``It was like going to school out there today. I've been watching this for a long time and you pick up on stuff.''

Grand National points leader Randy LaJoie finished 17th, the final car on the lead lap, and holds a 112-point lead over Todd Bodine, who finished sixth. WELBORN DIES AT 69

Bob Welborn, one of the legends of NASCAR's early years, passed away a week ago at his home in Pfafftown, N.C., at age 69.

Welborn, who won the NASCAR National Convertible Driving Championship three straight years (1956-58), was a member of the NMPA stock-car racing Hall of Fame. He said his election to the hall in 1982 was the greatest honor of his racing career.

He raced in three NASCAR divisions in the 1950s - stock, convertible and short-track - but was most successful as a rag-top racer, winning 25 of his 126 races.

Welborn also raced in the Grand National division (now the Winston Cup series) from 1952 to 1964, winning seven of 163 races. His best season was in 1958, when he won five Grand National races, 10 convertible races (and the title), and three short-track races.

Welborn lived in Pfafftown after his retirement from racing and owned an auto sales company. ROUND 2 A WASHOUT

Morning showers washed out the second round of Winston Cup time trials Saturday. Only one driver, Dave Marcis, went home.

Marcis was 39th-fastest for the 38 regular starting spots and had run out of provisionals. The provisional starting spots went to Jimmy Spencer, Ward Burton, Kenny Wallace and Lake Speed, while Rusty Wallace used a champion's provisional to get in the race.

In final Winston Cup practice Saturday afternoon, Ted Musgrave was fastest at 179.497 mph, followed by Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin.

- BOB ZELLER

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