Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • Page 19

GIRLS BASKETBALL BOYS BASKETBALL Tonight's games Cocoa Beach at Astronaut Melbourne at Cocoa Eau Gallie at Palm Bay Satellite at Merritt Island Rockledge at Vero Beach Tuesday's games Astronaut at Cocoa Beach Cocoa at Melbourne Palm Bay at Eau Gallie Merritt Island at Satellite Vero Beach at Rockledge St. Cloud at Florida Air MONDAY, February 17, 1986 inilftftiii rMffliiffinrt'lli Bd5ini 3u wins Bodine aided by crew, luck DAYTON A BEACH In a world of high tech and white-knuckled nerves, the ohvimia sometimes escapes as a glittery reason for victory and defeat. But not around the Levi Garrett pit. When 4. meir man drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo to Victory Lane Sunday with a Daytona 500 victory in the back seat.

1 crew chief Gary Nelson was quick to spotlight tne obvious. 2 lEVi mini ij "We were lucky," he said. DON COBLE SPORTS It takes a ereat deal of luck to win a prize like the Davtona Victory Lane visit first for New Yorker By Don Coble FLORIDA TODAY DAYTONA BEACH Back home in Julian, N.C., little Matthew and Barry Bodine watched a racing miracle on television Sunday. "Hi kids," cried mother Kathy, as the network cameras zoomed close to capture the emotion and tears. "I hope you were watching.

Daddy just ran one helluva race." Their daddy, a balding New York transplant to the South named Geoff, indeed ran the race of his life. He kept his yellow and white Levi Garrett Chevrolet Monte Carlo in front of trailing calamity as it zoomed toward stock car racing's biggest payday and a prestigious Daytona 500 victory. Bodine was a hot rodder and a gas miser at the same time. It was a luxury that paved the way for a 11.26-second victory against Terry Labonte's Oldsmobile. His moment in Victory Lane with Kathy was touching.

Both cried and hugged inside the car for a minute, before to the millions of television viewers to accept the laurels for their deed. "Why did I cry like a baby 500. Geoff Bodine mixed his luck and a car that had the ahilitv to hold the field in check to tearfully accept $192,715 and a place in stock car racing's mgnesi iratemity. The Daytona 500 is no fluke. It is a race inai aemanas penection.

only the giants win uaytona. bunaay, Bodine joined the club. "Nobody knows how hard it was to get iicic, mm nicy may never Know until write a 1 uook, uoame saia. "it a great story." Nelson miracle worker Turning the wrenches for Bodine's was Gary Nelson, a man accustomed to unbelievable finishes. His first race with Bobby Allison four years ago was a victorv here.

His first race with Greg Sacks last year was a victory in the Tim Mueller, Shawn Spenca, FLORIDA TODAY rirecracKerwo. WWP1 iii. THE 500: Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine (top. No. 5) duels with defending champion Bill Elliott while cars line up in the pit area (right) for fuel and tire changes.

You guessed it. Sunday's victory ith Bod ine was his first race with the Bodine team. "My job is really easy," Nelson said. "It was close todav. We had a window on our tact gas stop between laps 158 and 163.

We came in on ia ana tnougnt we could make it the rest oi me way. Bodine crossed the finish line with less than a gallon left in his fuel tank. Dale Earnhardt, who pitted one lap earlier than uoame, also pusiied his luck. in victory Lane," Bodine asked. "Kathy and I were recalling all the problems we had getting into racing.

We recapped the money problems we had, the hard life we had getting here." Tears of despair had turned to tears of joy. All it took was a great car and a ton of luck. About 125,000 fans at the Daytona International Speedway stood and cheered as Bodine and Dale Earnhardt raced nose-to-tail toward a last lap duel for stock car racing's biggest prize. But Earnhardt's Chevy ran out of gas three laps short of the checkered flag and Bodine chugged home on fumes. The victory was worth $192,715 to Bodine.

The total purse of $1.4 million made it the biggest racing payday in NASCAR history, excluding a $1 million bonus paid to Bill Elliott last year for winning three of stock car racing's Big Four events. Bodine's run was practically flawless. He was always near the front of the pack, leading seven different times for 92 laps. After Earnhardt's car wheezed See BODINE, Next Page Tcp 10 finishers 1 Geoff Bodine, Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (148.124). 2.

Terry Labonte, Old-smobile Delta 88. '3. Darrell Waltrip. Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. 4.

Bobby Hillin Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. 5. Benny Parsons, Oldsmobile Delta 83. 6. Ron Bouchard, Pontiac Grand Prix 22.

7. Rick Wilson, Oldsmobile Delta 88. 8. Rusty Wallace, Pontiac Grand Prix 22, 9. Sterlin Marlin, Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS.

10. Lake Speed, Pontiac Grand Prix 22. "5 Tim Mueller, FLORIDA TODAY GEOFF BODINE: New Yorker wins Daytona 500. Insida cn 0 Darrell's Diary. Earnhardt gassed.

Crashes mar race. Big pay day for Wilson. Complete results. Bodine made it. Earnhardt did not.

"As hard-headed as these two guys are, the last lap was going to be a whale of a finish." Nelson said. "I really like this track. I've learned a few tricks here. Preparation is key to winning at Daytona." And luck. Sunday's victory proved to be a noteworthy change in car owner's Rick Hendrick's luck.

Two weeks ago, Hendricks climbed the stairs of the Daytona International Speedway press office to announce his car would not Jtart on the pole for the 24 Hours of Daytona. His car was on the pole, but a vibration in practice, forced him to withdraw from the race. Luck finally changes Sunday's climb was easier. He was walk-, jig with a winner. "That was the worst moment in my life," Hendricks said of his previous bad luck.

"This is the best." Nelson has built an impressive resume in Mi miner if -Hi I Crash keeps Elliott from defending Daytona title By Mike Blanch! FLORIDA TODAY his short racing career. At 32, he already has four Daytona 500 victones and a national championship with Allison in 1983. DAYTONA BEACH Slow "In racing, it starts at the beginning and you learn something every day," Nelson said. ly, the crippled Ford hobbled around the final lap, its right side gashed and oozing red paint. Nevertheless, Bill Elliott decided to pick up a couple of "It (Sunday's Daytona 500 victory) was an extension of what I've learned in the past.

clutchless Oldsmobile into the pits before finishing the race himself. It was one of the few pleasures the slow-talking 30-year-old enjoyed Sunday. "Pushing those two GM cars made my day," said Elliott, who finished 13th in a race he was expected to win. Elliott, trying for an unpre-cented second straight Daytona triple (winning the pole, a Twin 125 and the Daytona 500), was one of 10 drivers involved in a crash on lap 116. Unlike Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant and Joe Ruttman, El 1 could.

Geoff Bodine and Dale Earnhardt just had me covered." Elliott claimed he is the chief cause of GM's newly developed sloped-back cars. After the race, he said the party was over. "A year ago we had our act together," Elliott said. "Things obviously aren't the same now. Our car was much too tight.

Generally, it just wasn't handling right. The GMs had the speed and the handling. It seemed like they could run liott survived the crash, but the post-wreck trip to the pits ruined his chance at victory. And it wasn't just the time spent trying to piece his red T-Bird back into a contender. Once in the pits, Elliott collided with Sauter.

After that, finishing the race was his only goal. "The car didn't ride at all after the incident in the pits," said Elliott, who suffered a bruised right shoulder and a sprained right wrist during the race. Not that it was riding well before the crash. Although his No. 9 Coors Melling Ford was fifth at the time of the 10-car crash, Elliott, who qualified at 205.039 mph, was not confident entering the final half of the race.

It was a different feeling for Elliott, who cruised into a class by himself last season by winning 11 races including a decisive victory here last year and more than $2 million. "Everybody thought I was sand-bagging and holding something back all week," Elliott said. "But I never really had anything today. I ran as hard as "Basically, I work on the handling, safety and reliability of the car. "The key in business, in life, is to be around good people," Bodine said.

"Money neeay stragglers on his way to the finish line. Elliott, the pole-sitter and heavy favorite in Sunday's Daytona 500, reinforced his image as a NASCAR good guy by pushing Dale Earnhardt's out-of-gas Chevrolet and Jim Sauter's isn why you come to Daytona. Money gets you there, though. And luck carries you to Victory Lane. I) Billy Lcnz EE EE ESQ 1 Sun Bert Conference Men'i Baeketoall Southeastern Conference Men'e Basketball I The Cocoa Beach girls basketball team.

No. 1 in Class 2A, plays at Astronaut at 7:30 p.m. I Florida Mini-Tour golf tourney begins at Indian Pines Golf Club at 8 a m. I Steve Ford had a 211 total to help the BCC golf team to an impressive fourth-place finish at the Gator Invitational. I Former BCC Ail-American Paul Axlnger finished second in the Honolulu Open, 2 strokes behind champion Corey Pavin.

Pet. Old Dom. 10 3 .769 W.Ky. 9 3 .750 Ala-Birm. 8 5 .615 J'ville 7 5 .583 S.

Florida 5 7 .417 Va. Comm. 6 7 .417 S. Alabama 4 8 .333 N.C.Char. 1 11 .083 13 10 9 i 8 7 7 6 5 I Report on promising heavyweight Mike Tyson TKO win against Jesse Ferguson Sunday in Troy.

Y. See Sport ectJon, USA TODAY. I USA TODAY'S Top 25 men's basketball poll and a story on who a moving up and who's sliding down. See Sports section, USA TODAY. Claim to lam: Second baseman for Brevard Community College baseball team.

Style of play: Pete Rose clone. "I love to dive and get dirty and stuff. That's the funnest part of the game." Why? "I don't Pet. .929 .714 .643 .571 .500 .500 .357 .286 .071 Kentucky Alabama Auburn Florida LSI) Georgia Vanderbilt Tennessee CMe Miss Miss. St.

4 10 1 13 Tonight' game Ala-Birm. at N.C. Charlotte Va. Comm. at Jacksonville Old Dominion at S.

Florida W. Kentucky at S. Alabama HORSE RACING I p.m. Fountain of Youth Stakes from Hallandale (ESPN) BASKETBALL I 8 p.m. Pro: Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ert(WTBS) 1 8 p.m.

College: Syracuse at Pittsburgh (ESPN) Wednesday's games Florida at Kentucky Alabama at Tennessee Auburn at Georgia Oie Miss at Miss. State Thursday's game LSU at Vanderbilt I Those trolling tube lures and Rag Mops inside the west turning basin and main channel at Port Canaveral should get fair to good catches of bluehsh. I More outdoors, 5C. 1 know. It's just something inside of me.

I guess." Favorite player: Joe Morgan. Favorite team: Whichever one Morgan was playing for at the time. Why Morgan? "I just liked him hitting for power for such a small guy." Relevant statistic: Lenz Is 5-foot-9. 168 pounds. Great! sports thrill: Hitting first home run as a junior at Satellite High.

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