DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710030859

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CONCORD, N.C.                     LENGTH:   85 lines

A STUNNED D. WALTRIP IS LEFT OUT OF THE LINEUP FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN EX-CHAMP IS SENT HOME AS 2 VIE FOR THE SAME STARTING SPOT.

Darrell Waltrip went home early Thursday.

The three-time Winston Cup champion, winner of 84 Winston Cup races, failed to qualify for the UAW-GM 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway because he was ineligible for a provisional starting spot.

After the second round of time trials, and after NASCAR officials called him to the NASCAR transporter to explain how the rules had gone against him, the 50-year-old racing legend took his wife, Stevie, by the hand and departed.

With team publicist Mike Mooney on their left and team manager Keith Waltz on their right, the Waltrips slowly walked the length of the garage on the wide avenue next to the bay doors.

Every engine in the garage happened to be off, and the Waltrips were silent, too. For once, the most talkative driver in the garage had nothing to say. His eyes were covered with sunglasses, but his face wore a look of shock and dismay.

Mooney and Waltz waved off would-be interviewers.

The procession was unplanned, but as mechanics stepped out of the way and the four walked in silence, it became one of the most dramatic moments of the season.

At the far end of the garage, the Waltrips got into a blue Chevrolet Suburban and left. By 3 p.m., Darrell Waltrip's transporter was gone as well, but not before inadvertently running over the team's pit umbrella on the way out.

As a former Winston Cup champion, Waltrip had never had to worry about making Winston Cup races because the provisional starting spot for past champions was always available to him.

But that comfort evaporated Thursday when, for the first time in NASCAR history, two former champions needed the champion's provisional. Both Waltrip and Terry Labonte, the defending Winston Cup champion, failed to qualify in the top 38. And the rules say the provisional goes to the most recent past champion.

In the second round of qualifications, as the story played itself out, Waltrip's fate was out of his hands. He had chosen to stand on his Friday speed. It was only 48th-fastest - more than a second off the speed of pole-winner Geoff Bodine. He clearly assumed he would get a provisional.

Labonte, meanwhile, also stood on his Friday speed, which was 36th-fastest. He looked safe in that spot. The sun was out Thursday and the track was significantly slower than it had been during Wednesday evening's session.

Despite those obstacles, three of the 11 drivers who requalified - Kenny Wallace, Lake Speed and Ernie Irvan - managed to crack the top 38. Wallace qualified 26th; Speed was 32nd and Irvan 35th. That pushed Labonte into 39th, where he needed a provisional to make the field.

Now came the intrigue. Had the four regular provisional starting spots been doled out first, they would have gone to Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, Kyle Petty and Bobby Hamilton, and Waltrip would have received the champion's provisional.

NASCAR, however, said it followed its usual course and awarded the champion's provisional first. It went to Labonte. Then the four regular provisionals went to Mayfield, Petty, Hamilton and Ricky Craven.

There were whispered suggestions that Labonte manipulated the situation to make sure Craven, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, made the field. There were suggestions that NASCAR manipulated the situation because Craven's sponsor, Budweiser, is the official beer of NASCAR, while Waltrip's sponsor, Western Auto, is leaving the sport.

But NASCAR has been consistent. It has always awarded the champion's provisional first.

``It's not like Terry is the one who sent him home,'' NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said. ``There is no choice. The past champion's provisional is assigned first, and it is assigned to the most recent past champion. Then the other provisionals are assigned according to car owner points.''

And as Waltrip's crew chief, Jeff Hammond, saw it, there really wasn't a technicality to discuss. Craven was faster than Waltrip anyway. Waltrip has missed races because of injury, but this was the first he'd missed because he wasn't fast enough.

``The bottom line is we didn't get the job done,'' Hammond said. ``The bottom line on our situation is we didn't run fast enough, and if we had run fast enough, we wouldn't be in this position.''

Late Thursday, Waltrip's team publicist issued a statement from the driver.

``We worked our tails off getting ready for this event but we just missed the setup,'' Waltrip said. ``I have no excuses. We've had our share of success this year, . . . but this just proves again that our form of racing is the most competitive in the world.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Darrell Waltrip

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