The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 48

4D THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Sunday February 19 1989 The Daytona 500 Siur Pros 'sects Tun li 1 1 1'4' eet For 01 real comfortable running it now We're confident we're in good shape We'll be there Starting three through 10 in the 42-car field will be Morgan Shepherd Labonte Mark Martin Marlin Phil Parsons Earnhardt Alan Kulwicki and Bodine Elliott lining up 13th plans to start the race in order to earn points toward defense of his Winston Cup championship Seven-time Daytona 500 winner Richard Petty is to get the green flag 34th in his Pontiac after barely making the field as the last of two provisional starters Petty then moved forward eight positions because a multicar crash in the first 125- miler destroyed the primary cars of several drivers forcing them to use backups and go to the back of the field Positioned in the last fourth of the pack are Rusty Wallace Ricky Rudd Neil Bonnett Lake Speed and Rick Wilson row after qualifying at 195916 mph "It took us a week to get the tire situation sorted out Now our car is just as good as Schrader's" Said Earnhardt who dominated his I25-miler Thursday only to finish third when Ford's Terry Labonte and Olds driver Sterling Marlin went the distance without a fuel stop: "I can't wait to start I know I will be tough but I'm keeping my strategy to myself I've got to in case Schrader has a little something I'm not ready for He looks awfully strong But I'm the guy to beat" Schrader and Earnhardt led 42 laps each in the 125-milers Bodine's Chevy appeared the equal of Earnhardt's Thursday and has posted some impressive clockings in practice "We didn't want to come here with the Monte Carlo" said Bodine "But we feel have to be a freak deal something screwy "It's going to be either Schrader Earnhardt Waltrip or Bodine" Neither these drivers nor their crew chiefs deny the outlook is dandy "The week has been good so far" said Schrader who took the 500 pole at 196996 mph Feb 11 won the Busch Clash last Sunday and a 125-mile qualifying race Thursday "Now comes the big one what we're here for I feel like we're ready" Schrader was so confident after Thursday's victory that he begged his team not to change to a special engine for the 500 "I threatened to strap myself across the hood" joked Schrader "But it didn't do any good" "We handicapped ourselves on the tire deal" Waltrip said of sticking with Good-years then switching to Hoosiers in a 125-miler Waltrip will start on the front 25 miles of long straights and high banks Now however the Chevy contingent and fans are clapping their hands in delight Their old reliable Monte Carlo model is heavily favored in the 200-lap event that begins an I 8 million 29-race schedule for what generally is considered the most competitive circuit in motorsports In fact some Chevy rivals predicted Saturday that Monte Carlos driven by Ken Schrader Dale Earnhardt Darrell Waltrip and Geoff Bodine might make a mockery of the 500 "It's going to be between four Monte Carlos They're just going to drive everybody else into the ground" said Bill Elliott the Ford-driving 1988 Winston Cup champion whose chance to challenge has been diminished by a broken left wrist suffered in a crash during practice on Feb 1 1 "For anybody else to win it'll By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH Fla Just three months ago the NASCAR Winston Cup teams fielding Chevrolets were wringing their hands in despair as were officials of the automaker and Chevy fans NASCAR had ruled the ultra-sleek racy new Lumina ineligible until May 1989 after determining the model actually is a 1990 car and not yet in general production That meant the Lumina wouldn't make its debut in the Daytona 500 the $17 million classic opening the Winston Cup season today at 12:15 pm (CBS WBTV channel 3) It was a dark prospect especially since arch-rival Ford Buick and Oldsmobile had new cars ready and eligible that appeared very aerodynamic a critical factor on Daytona International Speedway's Daytona To Miss 4 Greats Daytona 500 Lineup The lineup for today's Daytona 500 with residence type of car and qualifying speed WI mph when applicable: 1 Ken Schrader Chevrolet 196996 2 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 195916 Morgan Shepherd Pontiac no speed 4 Tiny Lahonte Ford no speed 5 Mark Martin Ford no speed 2 Derrell Waltrip Chevrolet 195916 Morgan Shepherd Pontiac no speed 4 Tiny Labonte Ford no speed 5 Mark Marlin Ford no speed 61 10-0c'c oer ribl 44tst 1 4 4 1 7 -Ar': i 4 0 1 tillitit Baker Allison 4(- e- st (: P4' 1k 44' pi' 4 4 4 04 2N''' 4 EE :4: 0tiii: i '14'41' :41::::::: 4 4- 1 a i '''IYX'4 I' 0 7 dof Oeth i I lks'oxt 'd C41 CA 2 1 i 6 Sterling Nain Oldsmobile- no speed 7 PM Parsons Oldsmobile no speed 8 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet no speed 9 Alan Kuivricki Ford no speed 10 Gaon Bodine Chevrolet no speed 11 Rick Mast Chevrolet no speed 12 Harry Gant Oldsmobile no speed 13 Bill Elliott Ford no speed 14 Larry Pearson Buick no speed 15 Ken Bouchard Pontiac no speed it Davey Allison Ford no speed 17 Joe Rittman Pontiac no speed 18 Brett Bodine Ford no speed 19 Dave Marcia Chevrolet no speed 20 Dale Jarrett Pontiac no speed 21 Lee Raymond Ford no speed 22 Mike Alexander Buick no speed 23 Michael Waltrip Pontiac no speed 24 AJ Foyt Oldsmobile no speed 25 Charlie Baker Chevrolet no speed 26 Bobby Hi ilin Jr Buick no speed 27 Ronnie Sanders Chevrolet -no speed 28 Chad Little Ford no speed 29 JD Mc Duffle Pontiac no speed 30 Rodney Combs Pontiac no speed 31 Phil Barkdoll Oldsmobile 191906 32 Ben Hess Oldsmobile-- 191217 33 Ernie INEM Pontiac 190585 34 Richard Petty Pontiacprovisional starter 35 'Rusty Wallace Pontiac 190694 36 'Ricky Rudd Buick provisional starter 37 Greg Sacks Pontiac 190521 38 'Nell Bonnett Ford 194611 39 'Lake Speed Oldsmobile- 192230 40 'Rick Wilson Oldsmobile 192287 41 'Kyle Petty Oldsmobile 42 Mickey Gibbs Chevrolet 190428 Note: Positions 3-30 determined in qualifying races 'drivers who substituted backup cars atter crashing their primary cars moving them to the back of the field and I were the only ones on the lead lap "Then Coo Coo Marlin's car blew up That brought out the caution and enabled me to close up on David They threw the green flag with about 35 laps to go I had thought I could keep up but he pulled away again "Richard Petty had the fastest car in the field but he'd split the radiator and was having to pit about every 10 or 12 laps for water Well after one of those stops late in the race he came Out of the pits right in front of me He motioned for me to come on He was going to help me try to catch David "I fell into Richard's draft and it was the absolute ride of my life I'd never run so fast "By now just a few laps were left and I was saying to myself 'I won't have time! I won't have time' "Then I came off Turn 2 and saw dust A car had spun out and was sitting off to the inside It was David and the Wood Brothers' No 21 I couldn't believe my eyes that he was in the dirt Both David and that car seemed bulletproof Spinning out just didn't happen I almost wrecked by rubbernecking to make sure it was true" Parsons concedes that his opinion about "not missing it" has proved to be wrong He has phoned the Daytona speedway press box practically every day since leaving town Monday "I'm going crazy up here in Ellerbe" he told one reporter "Tell me what's happening" MARK SLUMStaff Goody's 300 winner Darrell Waltrip tells his daughter Jessica to look at the photographers in Victory Lane Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Fla Injured Driver Has More Surgery I Notebook 'rent Associated Press and Staff Reports DAYTONA BEACH Fla Stock car driver Tom Usry injured in the ARCA 200 race last Sunday at Daytona International Speedway underwent surgery Saturday for the third time in a week Usry's injuries included a broken left arm cracked vertebrae a hairline fracture of the left kneecap and facial lacerations His car left the track flipped several times and was struck by another car during the Automobile Racing Club of America race Usry from Broadway underwent surgery at Halifax Medical Center where he was taken after the accident Orthopedic surgeon Clifford Allison of Hueytown Ala who was held overnight for observation after crashing in the same race was released Monday Gary Staley who finished third in Friday's Florida 200 Charlotte-Daytona Dash sedan race has been disqualified NASCAR announced Saturday A postrace inspection revealed a carburetor in Staley's car that did not meet NASCAR specifications automatically disqualifying Staley from North Wilkesboro Gary Finley won the race with Mickey York second After the disqualification David Probst moved up to third followed by Fred Turner and Tony Powell James Acker and plastic surgeon Bruce Kennedy headed the surgical teams Usry is listed in serious but stable condition a speedway statement said It quoted Kennedy as saying he plans to perform a skin graft Tuesday Another driver in the ARCA race Bob Dotter Jr of Chicago is listed in good condition He is recovering from burns he received in a crash The track statement said he complains of intermittent headaches Continued From Page 1D victory last year "I can sit here and say that not being in the race as a driver isn't going to bother me" Baker said during a break at the speedway Wednesday the car parked nearby that he and partner Danny Schiff will field for Greg Sacks today "But I'm not going to make myself believe that and I'm not going to make you believe it either "The truth is that when the engines start I'll have a knot in my throat as big as an NBA basketball" Baker 48 1980 winner of the 500 isn't in the race this time because there was a very large knot on the right side of his forehead last Aug 15 Driving a car for the Dooliebased team he co-owns with Schiff Baker had been involved in a multicar crash during May's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway He escaped with only minor bruises or so he thought Seven weeks later Baker went out to practice for the Budweiser At The Glen on the road course at Watkins Glen NY Suddenly while roaring down the long backstretch at about 170 mph he became what later was described as "disoriented" "Disoriented?" Baker said with a scoff Wednesday "I went blind! Things went as black as if someone had pulled a cap down over my eyes "I got slowed down a little bit and thought to myself 'Wow! What was I said 'Oh it was just an aberration something that'll never happen again in my life' By then I was on another straight stretch but the track looked like a black snake to me It was wiggling moving around in front of me "I slowed down somehow made it to the pits and told the crew to get Morgan Shepherd up there to relief drive for me" Forty-eight hours later Dr Jerry Petty of Charlotte gave Baker the bad news The bump he'd taken on the head in the 600 was much worse than Buddy had thought He had a blood clot on the brain about the size of a peach "I'll come in next Monday after we get back from the race in Michigan and have it taken care of" Baker recalls telling Petty "The doctor was plainspoken with me" Baker said "He told me 'Buddy if we don't operate almost immediately there isn't going to be a next Monday' "Hey you better believe that got my attention I had never spent a full night in a hospital and he's telling me I might die? So we went ahead with the operation which by the way was completely successful "The injury simply moved my plans up a year Now I'm not saying I'm retired understand? Just saying I'm testing retirement as a driver while staying in the sport as a team owner "Would I ever drive again in a second car of ours? Only if I had every test known to man beforehand to show that a jolt wouldn't leave me in bad shape cause a stroke or something like that" Baker was asked how he'd like stock car racing fans to remember his especially intense relationship with the Daytona 500 The tall tough-looking driver a charger who had eight top-five finishes in the 500 and with luck might have won it several more times shook his head His eyes appeared on the verge of misting "I'd like them to say that nobody in the grandstands ever needed a seat when I had a good car and was in contention the last 10 laps" Allison's Message Somewhat like Baker Bobby Allison won't be in the 500 this year because he is healing Allison 51 who had become the Winston Cup circuit's oldest winner in a dramatic one-two finish with his son Davey in the 1988 Daytona classic suffered life-threatening injuries last June A T-bone crash in the Miller 500 at Pocono (Pa) Raceway left the legendary Alabama native with head and abdominal trauma and a badly broken left leg He was in hospitals at Allentown Pa and Birmingham Ala from June 19 through Oct 4 and returned to the Pennsylvania medical facility for follow-up surgery on Feb 2 He was released Friday to return home to Hueytown Ala "I would really like to be in Waltrip Hangs On For Win In 300 Saturday's 300 Results Saturday's Goody's 300 Busch Grand National mulls from Daytona Basch Fla with starting position Cart laps completed earnings snd reason out: Fin St Driver Car Laps Earnings Pusan Out 1 9 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 120 834457 Running 2 7 Rusty Wallace Pontiac 120 22725 Running 3 2 Rob Moroso Oldsmobile 120 35382 Running 4 27 Dale Earnhardt Pontiac 120 12882 Running 5 4 Geoff Bodine Chevrolet 120 10707 Running 6 17 Rid Wilson Oldsmobile 120 8075 Running 7 10 Jack Ingram Chevrolet 120 20725 Running a 26 Michael Waltrip Pontiac 120 6732 Running 9 30 Ken Schrader Chevrolet 120 6057 Running 10 1 Kenny Wallace Pontiac 120 5350 Runnina Fin St Driver Car Laps Earnings Reason Out 1 9 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 120 834457 Running 2 7 Rusty Wallace Pontiac 120 22725 Running 3 2 Rob Moroso Oldsmobile 120 35382 Running 4 27 Dale Earnhardt Pontiac 120 12882 Running 5 4 Geoff Bodine Chevrolet 120 10707 Running 6 17 Rick Wilson Oldsmobile 120 8075 Running 7 10 Jack Ingram Chevrolet 120 20725 Running 8 26 Michael Waltrip Pontiac 120 6732 Running 9 30 Ken Schrader Chevrolet 120 6057 Running 10 1 Kenny Wallace Pontiac 120 5350 Running Parsons Yarborough Daytona" Allison who also won the 500 in 1978 and 1982 said in a message relayed to the track's infield press center this week "I can't remember the last time I missed a race there "But watch the 500 on television at home in my easy chair I've got a couple guys I'm keeping my eyes on Obviously I'm pulling real hard for Davey If it weren't for me he would have won last year's Daytona 500" Allison said the recent surgery has helped ease the extreme pain in his leg "It's way better They took the rods out and that made an immediate improvement" said Allison who won the 1983 NASCAR national championship and ranks third on the all-time victory list with 84 "I just wish my head had improved as quickly as my leg If that had happened I'd be in great shape" Allison had a shunt removed then re-installed in his head in the recent visit to Allentown "I was dizzy and really struggled with nausea after they removed the shunt It was obvious I still needed it" he continued "They put a plastic shunt (to drain fluids and relieve pressure in the skull) in place of the original metal one It may be permanent but we'll have to wait and see They tell me football players have shunts and they pose no problems for them "I'm putting in time and feeling better because I can see progress I have a long way to go but we're working real hard" Never had Allison's famed competitive fire blazed more fiercely than at Daytona last February At an age when most men are contemplating the slow pace of retirement he won a 125-mile qualifying race the Goody's 300 and the Daytona 500 in four days This week Allison showed he still has his well-known biting wit "I'm missing my friends and the racing at Daytona" he said "But I really miss the annual fishing tournament they have on Lake Lloyd in the infield during race week I guess the fish are going to get off easy this year" In an unprecedented sweep Allison even took the angling event last February As part of its Daytona 500 production today CBS will air a vignette on Allison Parsons's New Career Benny Parsons 47 doesn't plan to be in Daytona Beach either He'll join Allison and millions of others in the television audience from his home in Ellerbe in Richmond County "I'm of the opinion I won't miss not being in the race as much as everyone thinks" Parsons the 1973 Winston Cup champion and 1975 Daytona 500 winner said at the speedway last weekend "The reason is really pretty simple Although I retired last fall as a driver I've still got something else to do with the sport an interesting connection" Parsons is to broadcast qualifying at all 29 Winston Cup races for WFMX-FM of Statesville He'll also serve as expert commentator for ESPN during its 20 live NASCAR telecasts And he'll have a spot on Charlotte's WPCQ-TV channel 36 on Mondays to analyze the racing of the previous weekends 66 There's no denying I'll never forget winning at Daytona in '75 What a sensation I almost tingle even thinking about it "I had no chance see I was running second but David Pearson was destroying the field He Yarborough: Still Involved Yarborough 48 gets a firsthand view of what develops at Daytona Firmly following plans and promises to his family to retire as a driver the stocky South Carolinian has turned his Charlotte-based team's ride over to Dale Jarrett full time But he'll be in the pits along with crew chief Elmo Langley at every race "It would have been difficult to quit driving all at once" said Yarborough who bought the Race Hill Farm Team in late 1986 and renamed it Yarborough Motor-sports "So I weaned myself Sixteen races in '87 Ten in '88 Now zero this year" Yarborough is the only driver to win three successive Winston Cup championships taking the title 1976-78 He's fourth on the all-time victory list with 83 wins And he's second in Daytona 500 triumphs with four winning in '68 '77 '83 and '84 He was runner-up four more times Yarborough's 1984 victory ranks among the most dramatic in Daytona history He'd become the first stock-car driver to top 200 mph at Daytona during his first qualifying lap that February Then his potent Pontiac flipped through the air on the second lap landing on its roof Yarborough unhurt turned to a backup Chevrolet Showing characteristic determination he drove to victory Fairly or not the Daytona 500 that Yarborough probably will be remembered for longest is the '79 race in which he finished fifth He and Donnie Allison were dueling for the lead on the last lap when their cars collided in Turn 3 and both wrecked As Richard Petty sailed by to win Yarborough and Donnie Allison crawled from their cars and began fighting Bobby Allison stopped to help his brother "I hope to become a winner as a team owner too" said Yarborough "I think I will including someday at Daytona "The Good Lord has rode with me in my career and he's given me a good one" In Closing "People have been calling me all through the winter" said Baket "They've asked if I'm really not going to run the 500 And if Benny Bobby and Cale aren't either "I've told them we really aren't And they've said 'It won't be Daytona without you' "It will be of course There'll be some young guys out there as hungry as we used to be "But it feels good for people to say the race won't be the 11 25 Tommy Houston Buick 120 16232 Running 12 19 Ed Berner Buick 120 11125 Running 13 5 Dale Jarrett Pontiac 119 4607 Wreck 14 13 Bobby rli llin Buick 119 5082 Running 15 3 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 119 6182 Running 16 24 Billy Standridge Pontiac 119 8900 Running 17 35 Steve Grissom Pontiac 118 7925 Running 18 40 Brad Teague Oldsmobile 118 3800 Running 19 12 Bobby Hamilton Buick 116 3150 Running 20 34 1D Pontiac 114 8032 Wreck 21 8 Mark Martin Ford 113 3050 Running 22 18 Ben Hess Oldsmobile 113 3000 Running 23 22 Elton Sawyer Chevrolet 111 7682 Wreck 24 16 Phil Parsons Oldsmobile 109 2900 Wreck 25 23 Brett Hewn Pontiac 109 2875 Wreck 28 15 Harry Gant Buick 93 4307 Engine 27 29 Rick Mast Buick 89 8832 Engine 28 33 David Simpson Buick aa 2675 Broken axle 29 32 Ronald Cooper Buick 84 6657 Engine 30 14 Jimmy Means Pontiac 74 2575 Engine 31 28 Randy La Joie Oidsmobile 73 4125 Cylinder 32 38 Chuck Bown Pontiac 66 5825 Clutch 33 38 Jimmy Hen siey Chevrolet 21 6007 Engine 34 21 Jimmy Spencer Buick 18 4825 Cylinder 35 37 Ken Bouchard Pontiac 15 2275 Ignition 36 39 Joe Thurman Ford 12 3700 Engine 37 31 Donnie Allison Buick 7 2225 wreck 38 6 Patty Noise Buick 6 2200 Wreck 39 11 Tommy Ellis Buick 6 7982 Wreck 40 20 Kelly Moore Chevrolet 5 3700 Cylinder Average speed: 131211 mph Time of race Two hours 17 minutes 11 seconds Margin of victory: th-car length Caution liege: Six tor 31 laps Lead changes: 22 among 10 drivers Continued From Page 1D couldn't lose Rusty just wasn't going to let me win He took me and rode me up into the wall He told me he messed up that he thought he had me cleared No way! I guess he can't stand to lose I had him beat plain and simple 19 "Dale should be disappointed" 6 said Wallace "I 7 would be too i in his shoes i 1 The thing is on the last lap 2 there aren't too '1 -S many gentle( men out there I 04 just messed up I thought I was clear of him I thought 1 won the race 1 iNallace didn't see Darrell I looked back and only saw Robbie Moroso coming I didn't see Darrell 'til he was beside me" "When I saw Rusty and Dale get together I went low" said Moroso who led 56 laps far more than other driver "1 tried to catch up but the track was blocked too bad" The 120-lap race before an estimated 80000 was marred by two other multicar crashes remarkably similar to wrecks in the ARCA 200 last Sunday and in a I25-mile Daytona 500 qualifying event on Thursday Seven cars were involved in the first of Saturday's accidents which developed on Lap 8 Eliminated in the chain reaction tangle were Busch Series champion Tommy Ellis Patty Moise and Donnie Allison No injuries resulted from this incident "I was trying to be extra cautious" said Moise "I guess sometimes that doesn't pay They all just seemed to stop in front of me I hit the brakes too hard and the car spun around" A backstretch spin by the contending Olds of Phil Parsons brought out the yellow flag on Lap 110 and indirectly led to the second big crash Shortly after the restart on Lap 116 the cars of Tommy Houston and LD Ottinger collided in Turn 2 Ottinger's Pontiac got airborne and landed on Houston's Buick Behind them Brett Hearn had braked at the sight of trouble His Pontiac flipped onto its roof and came sliding by the slowing machines of Ottinger and Houston sending up dirt and dust Hearn continued upside down through Turn 2 and along the backstretch clipping the Chevy of Elton Sawyer and spectacularly flipping upright Hearn was taken to Halifax Medical center with possible injuries to his left ankle and knee The race was red-flagged for 10 minutes while the wreckage was cleaned up Lap 118 was run under yellow then came the furious finish Placing fourth through 12th and completing all 200 laps were Dale Earnhardt Bodine Rick Wilson Jack Ingram Michael Waltrip Schrader Kenny Wallace Houston and Ed Berrien Six yellow flags covering 31 laps held Darrell Waltrip's winning speed to 131211 mph He earned $34457 from the series record $388550 purse Wallace won $22725 and Moroso $35382 Moroso received more because of bonuses going to the highest-finishing Busch Series regular.