Bristol Herald Courier from Bristol, Tennessee • 19

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER Blazing battles INSIDE UAB's women burning up 2C NCAA bracket College Basketball 3C -Page 3C Spring Training 5C March 23, 2000 Page 1C Thursday, ALLEN GREGORY Sports writer Are stalls on backstretch the pits? Cup schedule where teams must utilize pits on the front and or whatever reason, F' NASCAR restless fans have with their grown passion. Lodging and ticket prices are too high, too many tracks have the same configuration and some races lack excitement. There could be a remedy for the boring blues. How about building a copy of the favorite track in NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway. According to BMS director of communications Wayne Estes, BMS general manager Jeff Byrd and NASCAR chief operating officer Mike Helton have tossed the idea around.

"Instead of building another kind of race track, why don't you look at building another Bristol Motor Speedway people have wondered about that," Estes said. Estes is a veteran of the NASCAR game. He knows the issue is more complex than simply constructing another half-mile oval with 36-degrees of banking in the corners. "Part of what makes this track so special is that it is located in Bristol," Estes said. "We could attempt to build the same racetrack and not have the same racing we have now.

A lot of people want to see us do certain things. Drivers also have suggestions. If you tamper with the current formula, you could goof it up. Will we make changes to keep the track up to the standard that NASCAR requires? Absolutely." The next mator move at BMS will likely involve the incorporation of a single pit-road. Martinsville and Darlington both moved to si roads in the past year.

BMS remains the only speedway on the 34-race Winston backstretch. nly two drivers, Davey 0 Allison Earnhardt in 1990 last and August, Dale have won a Winston Cup race from the backstretch pits at BMS. Each year, drivers and crew chiefs express frustration at having to pit on the backstretch. The dilemma makes for lively scanner talk, but it also adds an extra challenge into an already tough track. NASCAR recently contacted BMS officials.

The subject was familiar. "We know NASCAR wants a single road and NASCAR knows that we plan to comply after we receive NASCAR's design," Estes said. "It's a matter of reviewing the plans at this point." The work never stops at BMS, which seated only 71,000 in 1996. BMS officials will add the high-rise Alan Kulwicki grandstands for this weekend. More than 10,000 cubic yards of earth must be moved in May to convert BMS into a dirt track to accomodate dirt late models and sprint cars.

"With all that we've going on this summer with our dirt show, we hope it (the installation of single pit road) doesn't happen," Estes said. "We want to make sure we've got the right product here. We would appreciate it if NASCAR waits until next year. "There's going to be a complete overhaul of the infield. We typically don't look at the next construction project until the current one is finished, but our development team is going to come back and look at things.

Essentially, we're going to have a build a race track here in May." NASCAR officials accomplished an impressive, though not perfect, engineering feat last season by devising a single pit lane at tiny Martinsville. Concerns with the BMS pit situation deal with entrance and exit points. "NASCAR wants every track to have a single pit road, and we're the last track that does not have that," Estes said. "At the same time, everybody wants to make sure that we've got the right single pit road. NASCAR has all the dimensions and drawings of the track.

The ball is in NASCAR's court." Bristol Herald Courier Doubters Doubters driving Robby Gordon 3 By CAT Jason Davis Bristol Herald Courier The new Alan Kulwicki grandstand above Turns 1 and 2 adds 12,700 seats to Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR Winston Cup Series I LAP LAp aD 3 5 6 Jason Davis Bristol Herald Courier Burchette Sign Company workers install a NASCAR logo Wednesday on the sign atop the leaderboard. Syracuse The Associated Press AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Mateen Cleaves has made it clear that Michigan State is on a mission. One of the reasons he came back for his senior year was to lead the Spartans to a national championship.

That's understandable. The Spartans made it to the Final Four last year. They know what they missed. "I think the experience helps us," Cleaves said Wednesday at The Palace, where the four survivors in the Midwest have gathered to decide which team advances to this season's Final Four at Indianapolis. "We know what to expect." The top-seeded Spartans (28-7) first must get past shot-blocking Etan Thomas and battle-hardened Syracuse (26-5) in the first of two regional semifinal games Thursday night.

Iowa State (31-4) and UCLA (21-11) meet in the second Bowl-ed Over Sky's the limit at BMS By MICHAEL WHITE Sports Editor When Speedway Motorsports, Inc. expanded Bristol Motor Speedway's seating capacity to 135,000 two years ago, race fans may have wondered if the track had reached its limit. After all, where else could seats be added? The answer was simple enough just go up. Between the August night race last and the spring races this weekyear end, BMS has continued its metamorphosis at full throttle. With the addition of the imposing Alan Kulwicki Tower on the northwest side of the speedway, the track has reinforced its standing as NASCAR's premier short track.

"We were at 135,000 seats last year and this new grandstand will take us to 147,000 this year," said Wayne Estes, director of communications at BMS. "Bruton (Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.) always likes to say "The road to success is always under construction'. See BMS, 'sweet' blocks a lot of ers, big shots. from a lot of guys to getting blocked." Thomas is the gan State's other Orangemen's zone heim, who is acuse back to the second time used the zone for can remember. "I don't know tive," Boeheim defense we've been good for us.

"Why is our is Michigan State's I don't know. It's these teams work Michigan State too." The fourth-seeded who opened with ning streak, 63.2 points per regular season, cluding Wisconsin, Herald Courier names sports editor, assistant A sports editor and assistant sports editor have been named for the Bristol Herald Courier. Michael White, former sports editor of the Elizabethton Star, becomes sports editor, and Herald Courier sports writer Robert Anderson has been named assistant sports editor. White, 25, was sports editor of the Star for four years and a sports writer for two years with the Johnson City Press. He has a mass communications and business degree from Milligan College in Elizabethton.

White was selected 1999 Writer of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and picked as best feature writer lowa State takes on UCLA's history. A panel hears Bob Knight's case concerning former Indiana player Neil Reed. Penn State hosted Kent with an NIT Final Four berth on the line. Page 3C. no There's more game.

"The main thing I think you have to do in this kind of situation is turn the TV off and don't read the paper," Cleaves said. The other thing the Spartans have to do is figure how to handle the 6-foot-9 Thomas, who blocked 105 shots during the regular season and had seven in last week's first two Midwest games in Cleveland. "In our league (the Big East), there have been a lot of great shot-blockers," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "But our guy is as good as any I've ever seen. "He blocks left handed, and he three times and best columnist twice in the under 25,000 circulation category.

The Star also received best special section honors for its football edition in 1998. Anderson, 43, has been a sports writer at the Herald Courier since 1978. A graduate of Emory and Henry College, Anderson has covered major national sports events including the NCAA men's basketball tournaments in 1985, 1986 and 1994; the NCAA women's basketball tournament in 1999; and football's Peach Bowl in 1986, Gator Bowl in 1994 and 1997, Sugar Bowl in 1995 and 1999, Orange Bowl in 1996 and Music City Bowl in 1998. switchboard (540) 669-2181 Sports desk (540) 645-2516 Sports fax (540) By ALLEN GREGORY Bristol Herald Courier Good or bad life is never dull around Robby Gordon. The former open-wheel standout drives hard, talks lenges.

Gordon would up the doubters certainly love to shut this season in the Win- ston Cup Series with his own Team Gordon race team. The next step involves Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. "There have been some skeptics who wonder if a new race team can be competitive in this series," Gordon said. "I think our run at qualifying race was We were in the tougher and finished in the top "We qualified in the ingham and had a there. Then, we went had the quickest car.

ing, but at the same a long way to go as ing Winston Cup race Much like former ries competitors Scott Cup and P.J. Jones in Gordon has been the less complicated stock cars. If necessary, ing to try new approaches. "As a driver, I have about what the tires chassis needs," said engine deal with Peter Motor. "We're working builder (Steve Levitt), like a (Ronnie) Hopkins lin), but not many people "It's little more a instead of a production car is a little stiffer to control.

But once you spot, it is a good race ing with that." Along with co-owners John Menard, Gordon team are learning the Spartans focused." That shouldn't this game. The Lansing to The northern suburbs takes about crowd should be of the Spartans. "I don't think that much get to this level," Jason Hart they're going to game. We'd body." The Spartans, third straight ship, appear to right time. They game winning nament victories (65-38) and Utah the disaster at are 19-3 and any team in the But that doesn't at all.

fast and loves chal- Gordon Daytona in the 125 very competitive. of the two races nine. top 25 at Rockreally good race car to Las Vegas and All that was excittime we still have far as understandcars." CART Indy-car SePruett in Winston the Busch Series, gradually adapting to but much heavier Gordon is will- Race Schedule 3-9 9 9:30 11:00 12:30 1:15 2 positions, 3:15 (positions TBA hour, 9 9:30 11:30 (positions 12:30 troduction 1:00 TBA hour) 9 12:20 troduction 1 draw good playblocks shots aren't used Michiis the Boeguide Syrfour for years, has anyone so effecjust a and it's good? Why good? something We know defense, Orangemen, winopponents to during the four, inunder 50 White White Page 5C shots on He that key. But concern defense. trying to the Final in five long as why it's said.

"It's used a lot defense defense just on. can play a 19-game held game keeping Anderson Anderson 669-3696 Meadowview Convention Center Thursday, March 23 p.m. Family Race Night Bristol Motor Speedway Friday, March 24 a.m. Spectator gates open a.m. Cheez-It 250 practice a.m.

Food City 500 practice p.m. Cheez-It 250 practice p.m. Food City 500 practice p.m. Cheez-it 250 qualifying (all 2 laps) p.m. Food City 500 qualifying 1-25, 2 laps) Cheez-It 250 final practice (one time permitting) Saturday, March 25 a.m.

Spectator gates open a.m. Food City 500 practice a.m. Food City 500 qualifying 26-36. 2 laps) p.m. Cheez-It 250 driver in- p.m.

Start of Cheez-It 250 Food City 500 final practice (one Sunday, March 26 a.m. Spectator gates open p.m. Food City 500 driver in- p.m. Start of Food City 500 for points. Michigan State, a scrappy physical defensive team, plays some zone.

The have held opponents to an age of 58.9 points. They held opponents under 50 points, beat Valparaiso 65-38 in first Midwest Regional Cleveland. The flip side of that, however, that the Spartans sometimes bring their game with every night. They were 53-49 at Wright State on Dec. A night like that against acuse and the Spartans' winning their first national since Magic Johnson's 1979 beat Larry Bird's Indiana squad will be over.

"The Wright State game just a night we didn't show play," A.J. Granger said. "That sticks in the back minds," Cleaves said. "It just phasizes that you've got to up every night. You've got Unexpected death strikes D- athlete By MIGUELANGELO HERNANDEZ Bristol Herald Courier Dobyns-Bennett High School and the city of Kingsport are mourning the loss of one their own.

Jamaar Sensabaugh, a D-B sophomore who played varsity football and junior varsity basketball this past season, died Wednesday at Johnson City Medical Center of an undisclosed illness. He was 16. Sensabaugh checked out of school on Friday complaining of a headache and fever, then went to Circulation (540) 645-2530 a lot to learn want and what the Gordon, who has an Guild and Pro with a chassis who is kind of or (Mike Laughuse his cars. handmade race car, line model. The and a little harder find that sweet car.

We're work- Mike Held and and his entire NASCAR game. See the hospital on plaining of when doctors he had a more A spokesman City Medical offer details was a minor. D-B head ham Clark around 5 a.m. ing that Sensabaugh turn for the worse. Sensabaugh, tight end for the year, started the GORDON, Page 5C and also Spartans avereight and their game at is don't them defeated 30.

Syrdream of title team State was up to of our emshow to stay be too hard in drive from East Palace in the of Detroit 80 minutes. The heavily in favor the crowd makes difference when you Syracuse guard said. "We know bring their 'A' expect that of any- who won their Big Ten championbe peaking at the are on a sevenstreak, with tourover Valparaiso (73-61). Since Wright State, they playing as well as country. scare Syracuse Monday after comflu-like symptons informed the family serious illness.

at the Johnson Center would not because Sensabaugh football coach Grareceived notice Wednesday mornhad taken a a 6-3, 220-pound Indians this past last seven games See DEATH, Page 2C Advertising (540) 669-2181.