Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 22, 1990                   TAG: 9004220048
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

RADIALS PUT NEW SPIN ON STRATEGY AT MARTINSVILLE

"It's almost like I didn't even know the place," Bodine said. "I had to tell myself, `Hey, this is Martinsville . . . the place I know better than any track on the circuit.'

"Well, setting up a car and getting around this track is entirely different now. I couldn't believe how different things were."

The track itself hasn't changed a lick. It's still .526 of a mile long. It's still as tight as a one-lane bridge.

So what's the difference?

"The radial tires," Bodine said. "The radial tires have changed everything you thought you knew about Martinsville."

So throw away those old books, guys. The springs that worked so well last time? Forget 'em. The shocks that did the number last time? Toss 'em out.

"The old books won't help anybody," Bodine said. "With the radials, we've got to start a new [book] now."

The first chapter begins with the Hanes 500 on April 29, when for the first time in the track's 41-year history, a stock car race will be run on radial tires.

"It's a new deal for everyone," Bodine said. "The big change comes with the car's chassis. Shocks and springs are the key. The radials require you to set up the chassis entirely different from the bias-ply tire.

"It should really be interesting. I'm just glad I'm one of the ones who came in here early to test. I'd hate to be coming in here on Friday for qualifying knowing that I've got only a couple hours to get ready."

Thanks to the radials, many of the top NASCAR teams saved one of their valuable test-date spots to visit Martinsville early.

"We didn't know what to expect here," said crew chief Barry Dodson, whose Rusty Wallace team spent all day Tuesday and a half-day Wednesday getting reacquainted with Martinsville.

"And from what I've seen, I think it's the toughest track we've been to as far as finding a good setup for the radials."

Apparently, many teams are still searching for answers. In test sessions this week, at least five drivers spun their cars coming off turn two.

"I think that will stop, though, when we work in a groove here," Wallace said. "I think the radials will be all right here."

Bodine said the radials, which have a much harder rubber compound than the bias-ply tire, make driving a 3,500-pound race car a new game.

"The radials are less forgiving," he said. "They don't slide in the corners like the bias-ply tires. It helps the driver who is smooth. I think the guys are used to going hard into the corners and sliding a little will have to change their styles. You can't spin your tires too much."

HANES 500

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

What: Hanes 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race

Where: Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval)

When: Sunday, April 29, 12:40 p.m.

Television: ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

Radio: WSLC (610 AM), WYYD (107.9 FM), 12:15 p.m.

Friday's schedule: 7 a.m., Winston Cup registration and inspection; 11 a.m., Winston Cup practice; 3 p.m., Winston Cup time trials for positions 1-20; 4p.m., Winston Cup practice as time permits

Saturday's schedule: 8 a.m., Modified registration and inspection; 9 a.m., Modified practice; 10:30 a.m., Winston Cup practice; Noon, Modified time trials; 12:30 p.m., Winston Cup time trials for positions 21-30; 2:10 p.m., Start of $46,800 Raven Boats 150 Modified race; 4 p.m., Winston Cup practice

Sunday's schedule: 7:30 a.m., gates open; 12:40 p.m., Start of $454,757 Hanes 500

Keywords:
AUTO RACING