The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 12

Page 2B The Anniston Star, Monday, July 28, 1986 The Finish 1 iV If- -a in Name Car 1. Bobby Hillin Jr. Bulck 2. Tim Richmond Chevy 3. Ricky Rudd Ford 4.

Sterling Martin Chevy 5. Benny Parsons Olds 6. M. Shepherd Buick 7. PaveyAlll8on Chevy mi v.

mi III v' SI itXJi is. J. STL. Laps 188 188 188 188 188 188 188 8. Joe Ruttman Buick 188 9.

Kyle Petty Ford 188 10. Bobby Allison Bulck 187 11. Rick Wilson Olds 187 12. Jim Sauter Pontiac 187 13i PhH Parsons Olds 187 14. Mike Waltrip Pontiac 186 15.

Jimmy Means Pontlao 184 16. Ronnie Thomas Chevy 183 17. Ron Bouchard Pontlao 174 18. Ken Ragan Chevy 169 19. Rodney Combs Chevy 169 20.

Buddy Baker Olds 163 21. Buddy Arrington Ford 162 22 Harry Gant Chevy 159 23. Oepff Bodine Chevy 159 24. Yarborough Ford 159 25. Darrell Waltrip Chevy 157 26.

Dale Earnhardt Chevy 153 27. Bill Elliott Ford 152 28. Chet Fillip Ford 150 29. OelmaCowart Chevy 140 30. A.J.

Foyt Olds 119 3t. Ken Schrader Ford 113 32. Alan Kulwicki Ford 112 33. Phil Barkdoll Ford 100 34. Tommy Ellis Chevy 86 35.

Rusty Wallace Pontiac 70 36. Dave Marcis Pontiac 61 37. Richard Petty Pontiac 51 38. Terry Labonte Olds 37 39. E.

Blerschwale Chevy 37 40 Pancho Carter Chevy 29 Goldberg Continued from Page IB Darrell Waltrip's pit crew works furiously to get the driver back in action during Sunday's race Wrecks, ea took th eir toll "And it's a shame because we could go to the front when we wanted to," he said. The extreme heat took its toll. Ricky Rudd bailed out early and was replaced by Rusty Wallace, who finished third. Alan Kulwicki left the race with a clutch problem, got in Rodney Combs' car, and wrecked. "I've had the flu bug all week and I was shaking before I even got in the car," said Rudd.

"The heat just got to me. I might have been able to keep going, but I might have passed out, too. I was having chills all day and I was light-headed." Rudd spent much of the race under an umbrella in his pit. That's where he cheered Wallace on. "IT WAS DIFFERENT, that's for sure," he said.

"I'd rather see (the car) up there in it than in the back a lap down. I'm tickled Rusty was able to get in there and not get a lap down. He helped our team and he helped us out in the, points Buddy Arrington, a 22-year veteran, said "that's the hottest I've ever been in a race car." Mike Waltrip got hot, too but he had a little help. "We had a cool suit and it never worked," he said. "It was like wearing a winter coat in the desert.

I got dizzy and let off for awhile, the'n we caught a caution. We were good enough to stay in the lead draft at the end, but it was crazy up there. I'd let off so that when they wrecked I'd have some place to go. I may be a rookie, but I know my limitations. "Some of these guys need to be sat down and talked to." By CHARLES GOLDBERG Star Sports Editor TALLADEGA Bumper in the front? Check.

Bumper in the back? Check. Bumper in the radiator? Oops. Buddy Baker picked up an unwelcomed cessory on his way to winning the Talladega 500 here Sunday and, as a result, finished 25 laps short of his goal. Baker thought he had slipped past a wreck involving Harry Gant, Geoff Bodine, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip on lap 159, but the bumper he picked up in the melee turned into a time bomb. Four laps after the accident, Baker was behind the pit wall with a faulty engine.

"I had already received congratulations over the radio because I had by far the fastest car when the others went out," said Baker. "But then part of the bumper stuck right in the middle of the radiator. "I guess that is part of racing, but it is getting a little harder to swallow now." THE RACE, WON by 22-year-old Bobby Hillin knocked out many of the big-name drivers early. Bill Elliott and, Dale Earnhardt finished as they started side by side. Their problem: They started 1-2, but finished 26-27.

i Elliott left on lap 152 with engine problems! Richmond's crew hard at work "I never did run good from the start," said Elliott. "It just started missing and then it quit. But I was surprised we got as far as we did. "From the time the flag fell we went downhill. We ran out of gas once, came in, went right back out and had a flat tire.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong." Earnhardt, who led on nine different occasions for a total of 54 laps (by far the most in the race), was sidelined with a blown engine. -rZZ? 8 Saturday night? "I didn't sleep a wink." Oh, well. But Davey Allison did prove he could run with the big boys. Subbing for the injured Neil Bonnett, Allison had the Junior Johnson-prepared Chevrolet in the lead for eight laps, and in contention at the end. Junior: "Good job." Davey: "Nobody would run with me." Junior: "They'll do that here toward the end." Davey: "I sure appreciate this opportunity." Junior: "We'll talk to you." Davey Allison hopes so.

After spending most of his career on short tracks, Allison is looking to make the step into the big time. And either one of the Junior Johnson rides would be just right. Darrell Waltrip and Bonnett are leaving Johnson's team after this season. "We'll see what happens," said Allison. "I hope somebody liked what they saw today.

I know I'm ready." 1X1 1 1 Continued from Page IB National race. THE YOUNGSTER really is appreciative. "I've had so many people help me out," said Hillin, "and I do mean many my father, my grandfather, especially my grandfather. "Then Harry and after that the Stavola (Bill and Mickey, team owners) brothers took me in when I was nothing. I was just a kid out here beating around.

"And then Bobby Allison talked his sponsor (a brewery) into taking me on. He told them I could drive and they should sign me. "I don't know where you get that kind of luck, I really don't," added Hillin. Except Sunday afternoon at the finish. Hillin was on his own there and did just fine until he took the checkered flag.

Nobody told him were victory lane was and after he drove the length of pit road looking, it was apparent he needed some help there. "Hey, I've seen other guys win races," said Hillin, "and they go down pit road and there are people pointing toward victory lane. I went down pit road and nobody was pointing. I kept going. When I got to the end of pit road, I figured I'd missed it.

"When I backed up and got there, the gate was locked," added Hillin, grinning. "I thought for a moment I hadn't won the race." But he had. And he will again. This one is no flash. He's going to be around for a long, long time.

Pancho Carter (Car. 17) was the first driver to make an exit in Sunday's race, but for the moment he had good view of action Hillin Continued from Page IB "Nobody told me that." But his crew did keep Hillin up on what was happening. "They were coaching me the whole way through the last part of the race," he said. While Hillin had his crew coaching him on the radio, he had another coach on the track. Baker went out he was guiding Hillin around the track.

"While we were racing, I was following Buddy on the track. He kept pointing to his head, telling me drive smart," Hillin said. "Buddy's a good super speedway driver and I was following him everywhere." In the 18th running of the Talladega 500, Hillin bacame the 16th different winner. The 26 drivers to lead the race set a NASCAR record. The previous mark was 17 different leaders set in the 1975 Talladega 500 and 1982 Southern 500.

Then, on the fianl lap, three more potential threats were wiped away in a collision triggered by Bobby Allison's spin in the second turn. Bye-bye Bobby. So long, Kyle Petty. Check you later, Rick Wilson. Though the odds of any of those drivers catching Hillin were remote, it signaled the end of a long hard chase for three drivers.

This was the youngsters day. After the race in the press box, Hillin talked in fifth gear about his victory. And he even admitted he didn't know who one of his biggest threats was on that last lap. After the race, he kept talking about Rudd. But Rudd had long since pulled out of his Ford due to the extreme heat and Wallace was driving in his place.

"You mean Rusty was in that car?" Hillin said in a surprised way at the post-race press conference. blew an engine on the backstretch. Another contender was gone. Harry Gant, who had a strong car early and midway, didn't get a chance to see if it would last late. He got in a bumping battle with Phil Parsons.

On the 161st lap, less than 30 from the finish, it got nasty. The two cars collided on the backstretch, taking Geoff Bodine and Cale Yarborough with them. Gone were four more potential threats. A fifth was soon to follow. Buddy Baker, who may have had the strongest car in the field and was already receiving congratulations from his pit crew over the radio following the crash, caught a piece of bumper from the crash.

A gash was ripped in his radiator. So long, Buddy. THE ODDS FOR Hillin got better and better. 237-4681 11 Jttaffe.