The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 144

npwieiFWiewww 8D THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Sunday May 3 1 992 MOTORSPORTS 23 i i Memories drive Kyle Petty back to Talladega because it hurt so bad then I was screaming because it was going numb and I feel the pain anymore I feared what that might mean first year I drove for Felix i would have sworn I was watching Love reruns He sounded and acted just like Desi To prepare for the 1992 season 1 the PettySabates team tested marily at Talladega while most other teams were in Florida at Daytona Internationa) Speedway In 15 days Kyle ran 1800 miles at the sprawling Alabama track think any of ft was intentionally designed to get -me mentally ready to come back Kyle said' felt learn more here because the weather fluctuations in the winter- time as great at Talladega as they are at Daytona The only time I thought about the wreck was during the first couple of warm-up laps 1 looked to see if painted over the marks where 1 hit' the wall After that it was no big deal" said Kyle who as a boy did menial tasks on Richard pit crew before beginning his driving career at 18 you take for granted the things you love most and once they're on the fringe of being lost you realize how important they are the way it was for me" Addressing the awaiting Winston 500 in which start ninth after qualifying at 190057 mph required a mental shift of gears for Kyle On the eve of time trials he was the at a Winston-Salem dinner benefiting multiple sclerosis research It was the best function of this type ever attended Kyle was zinged but good especially by his mother Lynda For example she told of Kyle self-conscious about curly hair as a lad sopping his head in greasy kid stuff and then tightly strapping on one of his racing helmets to try and straighten the locks Kyle zinged right back Of Cuban native Sabates he said contact among the trio and they careened out of control Ford became airborne seeming for seconds to be suspended in flight nose down 90 degrees to the pavement However it was Petty who bore the worst of the wild chain-reaction wreck that was triggered among following cars His recollection: was a big wreck but not a bad wreck In my mind a difference Maybe because my mind is warped I got hit in the left rear and spun to the inside and then spun to the outside and hit the wall I tried to stay against the wall and I did as long as the car was sliding fast But when it slowed down I came off the wall and Chad Little had no place to go because I was sitting in the middle of the track He locked the brakes and turned left but there was nothing he could do Chad hit me and broke my leg instantly "When the rescue guys got there they had to cut the roof off the car to get me out and it began to scare me My leg began to go numb funny in a way I was screaming TALLADEGA Ala If truth serum could neutralize the al most-necessary bravado this concession likely would emerge: Driving a race car in traffic at Talladega Superspeedway is an extremely trying experience Relatively the 266-mile trioval track has been the site of more big trouble than any on the NASCAR Winston Cup Senes tour An Petty aura of impending tragedy hangs heavily over the place just a cut tire or blown engine or the slightest of driver miscalculations away For Kyle Petty today's Winston 500 looms an especially tough test Although Petty himself has played the situation down some of those closest to the third generation driver 31 feel that this may be the most difficult start of his career Among them is Felix Sabates the lineup The lineup for Winston 500 of TOM HIGGINS Charlotte businessman who owns the team that fields Pontiacs for Petty It was in this event a year ago that Kyle son of all-time NASCAR victory leader Richard Petty and grandson of pioneer driverhall of tamer Lee Petty suffered a broken left leg For some time afterward it appeared the injury might end the younger Petty's days as a driver just when he was rolling to the forefront of his profession The 22-car accident on the 70th 188 laps is seared horrifyingly in the memory of most who saw it With the field bunched tightly from a restart following a caution -period Ernie Irvan made it three cars wide coming off Turn 2 with" Petty and Mark Martin There was at Talladega Ala: Allison winds up first in wild IROC finish i Talladega stakes highest today for Allison Tire angle limits announced By TOM HIGGINS Staff Writer TALLADEGA Ala Davey Allison charged to victoiy a half-car length ahead of Dale Earnhardt in a wild International Race Of Champions scramble Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway Five drivers NASCAR Winston Cup Series stars Allison Earnhardt Rusty Wallace and Harry Gant plus road racer Davy Jones all led during the last of 38 laps on the 266-mile track Allison Earnhardt Gant and Jones went four wide in Turn 4 the last time around the track never seen anybody do that and make Allison said after his first IROC victory which matches champions from various forms of auto racing in identically-prepared Dodge Daytonas Allison the Daytona 500 champion and Winston Cup points standings leader going into Winston 500 moved in front on Lap 29 the 13th lead change and stayed there through Lap 36 Earnhardt getting drafting help from Wallace and Rudd swept by in the trioval homestretch to lead Lap 37 "I knew they were going to pull that move" said Allison who joked that take three days" to describe the last lap of a sudden it seemed like every car in the field was going by me down the backstretch Seven of in all did I fell back to eighth place and it seemed never get to Turn 3 "Then the drafting line broke up and it was every man for himself All I could see was the bright car colors and tires rubbing the sides of other cars People were hitting each other 1 think about everybody hit me and I hit back "Off Turn 4 I saw Harry was up about a lane from the bottom I went for that hole and suddenly I was even for the lead and then ahead Dale saw what was happening and he shot down to the knew I had a compound fracture right above my knee The bone had come out It hadn't tom my uniform but I could feel it touching the uniform sticking out 1 want to lose my leg Petty was taken to a Birmingham hospital by helicopter A lengthy rod was inserted inside his thigh bone bolts were placed in his hip The following Week he was flown to Carolinas Regional Medical Center in Charlotte where therapy and rigorous rehabilitation began After release from the hospital Petty took his family to a beach home near Charleston He continued rehab with athletic trainers at The Citadel and rode a bicycle for hours on streets at the beach to strengthen his badly battered limb After missing 12 races he made his return in the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend at Darlington (SC) Raceway learned while I was away how much I love this sport and missed Hi and the other guys work hard at making our car handle really well We try to run a very low line We probably change more springs and shocks and shift weight around to do that than anyone Another important aspect of the race is the chase for the Winston Cup championship also worth $1 million Allison leads defending 500 champion Harry Gant by 16 points and third-place Terry Labonte by 41 The standings are so tight any of the top seven drivers could be leading pending the outcome today Starting in positions three through 10 in the 40-car field: Sterling Marlin Ford Rudd Bill Elliott a four-time winner this season Ford Morgan Shepherd Ford Labonte in a Ford for the first time this year Brett Bodine Ford Kyle Petfy Pontiac and Earnhardt Gant lines up 24 th in his Olds a brand new car that still needed some shaking down on the opening day of time trials Thursday but is running better now Allison said drivers whose cars appeared to be working best on race set-up included Irvan Earnhardt Dale Jarrett and Jimmy Spencer in Chevys Elliott and Mark Martin in Fords in the race it could be about anyone running up there Allison said "That's what is so intriguing about Talladega This place has a habit of making winners of underdogs" Those big stakes make it even more intriguing today A PERFECT 36-24-36 MAY 49th 4 SHOWS NIGHTLY DOORS OPEN AT 4 DANCING CONTINUOUSLY But in a moment of candor Sabates conceded Winston 500 is a race we want over and done with us in a way the season starts after this race middle and was comirig strong mien but by then I had too rm momentum for him and just held him off" it Earnhardt had made move similar to to winThe first' of this year's four IROC events at 1 Daytona International Speedway in February even know what hap-' pened except I messed Earnhardt said know who was going to beat who did we? Everybody was so close It was good racing" It appeared Earnhardt was pinched into the Turn 4 wall by Jones perhaps slowing him slightly for a moment got a little busy there at the' end" said Rudd who waS third Jones who wound up fourth enjoyed his role in the scramble they started racing four abreast they sort of lost 'me' 1 know where to go so I went for the hole and I was in the lead going into Turn 3" he said "Then all of a sudden guys came from every direction This is the best most fun racing ever 1 jif Finishing fifth through 1 1 th were: Gant Wallace Al Unser Jr Hurley Haywood Geoff Brabham Scott Pruett and Arie Luyendyk who crashed in Tum 2 on Lab TS aywood Pete Halsmer did not start because of a punctured lung suffered in a crash last Sunday at Road Atlanta There were 15 lead changes fn all with Indy-car driver Unser hr front the most 12 laps Allison and Earnhardt led nine laps each Gant five Indy-car Pruett two lla and Wallace one Earnhardt kept his points lead toward the IROC championship He has 43 to 36 for Allison 345 for Rudd and 255 for Gant with two races remaining in August at Michigan International Speedway ABC-TV will air race next Sunday at 5 pra But the real beauty of this offer is amply driving the 929 It combines luxurious surroundings with a powerful 24-valve V6 as well as the peace of mind of standard driver and front-passenger air bags So visit your Mazda Dealer today and discover the benefits of kasing die new 929L Because the offer like afl good things must ww soon come loan end It Just Peels Right Fnce Mid ob 89 Bulk dttidiMd Iim NQtmmj 99 od 9399 i toMm 81918944 fin month payment bssbimb feaier-cepMnJ cost nfedioft I 93124 Customer urn choose to km fcmsMg rtfstreboB and tarn (Bftert apeheebek mcMM ib mofithfy peynmt OptnB to yaithBM it tow mb tee $13413 pm Purchase fee it $100 Useee Me ter Butoife ctorp e( 912 pm mto evor a ton 0b apprtve cnM OFFER ENDS MAY 4th Lease FR06 50-1518 -Til Frit orcnaurmci UTR3AY 71 PI 500 Continued from page 1 SC driven by Ernie Irvan who took the pole at 192831 mph Ricky Rudd lining up fourth and Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt the lOth-pIace starter who is all-time victory leader with five triumphs including three of the last four 500-milers Earnhardt rated himself and Irvan the co-fa- vorites Saturday got a few good laps at this place" Earnhardt said "I like to race here ready to run a few more good ones" The 188-lap race on the 266-mile trioval scheduled for a 2 pm Earnhardt track is green flag (ESPN) going to be a typical Talladega race a bunched-up said Irvan who was a central figure in a multicar crash that resulted from heavy traffic in last 500 "Four or five cars aren't going to drive off carburetor restrictor plates (used to reduce horsepower and keep speeds under 200 mph at Talladega) keep cars in tight packs Cars that be competitive otherwise stay up there because the draft makes them faster something a lot of guys look forward to This is a place that things happen that supposed to happen Some teams had been using up to 3 degrees of camber putting excessive pressure on the axles and causing them to break Seven cars broke axles in the Hanes 500 at Martinsville (V a) Speedway last Sunday Technical director Gary Nelson said no new drive plates or other parts have been approved but rule out their use in the future He said rear axle grease fittings no longer will be allowed starting with the Charlotte races Tom Higgins are a lot better at Charlotte where we have a proven record" Allison swept Charlotte Motor Coca-Cola 600 and The Winston all-star race in 1991 He also took the 1990 Mello Yello 500 say have a good shot to snatch all that money Allison added there's definitely some guys be out there that want to see us get it I think be willing to jump in there and help us when it comes to drafting" Allison has a splendid Talladega record including victories in the 1987 and Winston 500s finished third in the first race I ever ran here an ARCA event in he said know whether it comes natural or I stumbled onto something One thing that helps is that Larry McReynolds my crew chief PROUDLY PRESENTS A TOUCH OF PURE ELEGANCE WITH JACQUELINE WINFIELD PENTHOUSE COVER CENTERFOLD APRIL '90 PENTHOUSE VARIATIONS COVER -JUNE 1991 THIS PENTHOUSE PET WILL AAESMERIZE YOU WITH HER STYLE SOPHISTICATION! 25 OF OUR LOVELY BABY DOLLS TheTerms Are Generous TheTIme is Siort TALLADEGA Ala As expected NASCAR officials issued a technical bulletin Saturday limiting rear camber on Winston Cup Series cars to 18 degrees The restriction goes into effect with the running of The WinstonWinston Open double-header May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Camber is the practice of angling the tires inward at the top in order to have them put a bigger on the asphalt for greater traction "I think be a good close race as usual looking forward to a General Motors car winning" Allison also addressed the problems presented by "pack running" at Talladega "Last year we saw four or five trains' all at once I hope we see that this time like for this one to be a little more boring than that one was" Understandably Allison hopes the race is a relative yawner because the Thunderbird fielded by his Robert Yates Racing team is far in front flying two-thirds of the way toward that $1 million said in 85 that Bill Elliott was going to win it and he did the only time it has been done" Allison said lot of people are telling us they think we can do it this year We were right then maybe they are now consider this to be the vital race If we win this one the odds derbird stayed with Glotzbach through the first two turns but the leader was able to get about a car-length on the second-place car down the long back straightaway Glotzbach who won an ARCA record $20500 won ARCA races at Talladega in July of 1990 and 1991 Jeff Purvis wound up third in an Oldsmobile Cutlass followed by the Chevrolets of Bill Venturini and Jeff McClure Spanish Grand Prix Nigel Mansell goes for his fourth Formula One victory in four tries today and as he did in the first three races he will start from the pole position Torrential rain gave the British driver the pole virtually by default Saturday The weather prevented drivers from improving on qualifying times from Friday when Mansell drove his Williams faster than anyone else Most cars were about 25 seconds slower per lap than on Friday MUST TAKE DELIVERY BY MAY 4th Glotzbach turns back challenge for ARCA win 48 MONTH LEASE Monthly lew Nyment 4391 Security Dopodt 40 Customer Cjprul Reduction TbulDoeAtlew Incepoon 4)99 Now is the best time to put yourself behind the wheel of the elegant new Mazda 929 Fora limited time a special kse from Matda Credit lets you drive off for next to American nothing And for just 399 per month youD receive the advantages of ownership You'D enjoy a Preferred Maintenance Plan that covers all scheduled maintenance for 15 months or 15j000 miles Plus 24-hour Road-sak Assistance and a 36inonthAOiOOOflule nodeducabk'bumper-to-bumper'wananty Hie Mazda Observer New Services Ala Charlie glotzbach held off a last-lap challenge from Bobby Bowsher to win the Poulan Pro 500-Kilometer ARCA race Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway Glotzbach 53 started from the pole and ran at or near the front throughout the 117-lap race leading four times for 77 laps But his Richard Childress-prepared Chevrolet Lumina shake a pack of contenders until near the end There were nine leaders running in a train of cars just eight laps from the finish with Glotzbach having held the top spot since lap 93 Just when it appeared there would be a wild shoot-out Loy Allen Jr running seventh lost control tapped the rear of Red car hit the wall and spun down the backstretch i That brought out a caution flag on lap 1 13 and the green flag was not put back out until the start of the final lap Bowsher driving a Ford Thun I MISS THE RIDDICK BOWE EVERETT MARTIN BOUT LOCATED IN THE BIG SHOW BAR GRILL 5300 OLD PINEVILLE RD BETWEEN WOODLAWN A TYVOLA 527-DOLL OPEN AT 5 PM MON-FRI SAT AT 7PM.