Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 28, 1990 TAG: 9004280115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Indeed, it seems everywhere NASCAR turns these days, there's a fellow named Bodine making news.
Last Sunday at North Wilkesboro, N.C., it was Brett Bodine winning his first Winston Cup race.
On Friday at Martinsville Speedway, Geoff Bodine took care of the headlines, capturing the pole for Sunday's Hanes 500.
"It has been a good week for the family," Geoff Bodine Bodine said. "Now I hope I can prove I'm just as good as Brett. Wouldn't that be nice? Have the Bodine brothers [win] back-to-back. Sounds good to me."
When Geoff Bodine comes to Martinsville, everything always sounds good. His qualifying run of 91.726 mph marked his second straight and sixth career pole on NASCAR's shortest layout.
"Like I've said many times before, I love Martinsville," said Bodine, a 10-time NASCAR winner (seven Modified, two Grand National, one Winston Cup) on the low-banked .526-mile oval.
"This has been a great race track for me in a lot of divisions. But the special thing is that I won my first Winston Cup race here [in 1984]. I haven't won one [here] since then, but I think this is going to be our weekend."
It was his Friday, that's for sure. A day that started with everybody talking about Goodyear's new radial tires and a newfound oil slick in turn two ended with the same old storyline.
Bodine doesn't win every Martinsville pole. It just seems that way.
"We might make it look easy out there, but believe me, folks, it's not easy out there," said Bodine, who continues to put Junior Johnson's Ford up front in his first season at the wheel.
"We made a little adjustment before qualifying and made the car a little loose," Bodine said. "It actually slowed down a little bit, but it was good enough."
Good enough to deny three-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt his first pole in 88 races. Driving the same Chevrolet that local driver Jimmy Hensley put on the Martinsville pole last September, Earnhardt came up a tick short of Bodine at 91.311 mph.
"This car was capable of winning the pole," Earnhardt said. "I just needed to get it around the track. I think I got everything out of it. We got close, but close ain't good enough.
"Bodine's car was just a little better. We'll get one [a pole] before the season is over."
Ernie Irvan's Oldsmobile was third-fastest at 91.030 mph. Mark Martin, in a Ford, was fourth at 90.995. Dale Jarrett, in another Ford, rounded out the top five at 90.564.
Ken Schrader, in a Chevrolet, was sixth. Darrell Waltrip, whose Chevrolet has won three straight and four of the past five Martinsville events, qualified seventh.
Waltrip's team changed engines 90 minutes before qualifying in hopes of finding more horsepower.
"Considering everything that happened," said Waltrip, "I guess we're pleased with our effort. We're ready to race. We can put it on the truck now and just wait until Sunday."
Whether he likes it or not, Geoff Bodine will have to wait until Sunday, too. He said he and the Johnson team are loaded for bear this time.
"We've run good everywhere we've been this year," said Bodine, who has won two poles and scored top-five runs - a second at Rockingham, N.C., and a fourth at Darlington, S.C. - in seven starts.
"It's been a good year up 'til now and our first win is here. This is it. We're going to get it. I'm sure of that," Bodine said.
"This is the weekend this team shows its stuff.
"It's coming together this weekend, and when it's over, we'll have lots of celebrating, lots of champagne, all the kisses from the girls, and walk out of here smiling like my brother did last week at North Wilkesboro."
\ LUGNUTS: Bodine's sixth Martinsville pole moved him within one of Waltrip's all-time track-record number of seven. With his 27th career pole, the New Yorker became the first driver to win two poles this season. He also won one at Darlington. . . . Because of temperatures in the low-90s and a slick track surface, especially in turn two, Bodine's qualifying lap was well off the track-record effort of 93.097 mph he turned last April. . . . The top 20 positions in Sunday's 30-car field were determined Friday. Among those failing to qualify in the first round were former Martinsville winners Harry Gant (22nd) and Richard Petty (29th). Rockbridge Baths' Rick Mast was 25th. Second-round trials are scheduled to begin today at 12:30 p.m.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB