Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 23, 1990 TAG: 9007230223
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LONG POND, PA. LENGTH: Medium
Waltrip, who drove the first lap of the AC Spark Plug 500 despite a broken left leg, earlier had said he hoped to be back home in Nashville, Tenn., in time to watch relief driver Jimmy Horton take the checkered flag on television.
Horton, though, was out of contention before he started because Waltrip didn't adhere to NASCAR officials' instructions concerning his unique situation.
"This morning, they [NASCAR officials] said that on the start of the race to go to the rear," Waltrip said. "I thought that meant come down and get the green and then fall back. That's what I did. I didn't know they meant to go to the rear on the parade lap. I didn't understand."
After crewmen lifted Waltrip from the car in 12 seconds, Horton hopped in and was raring to take off in an effort to avoid losing a lap. But a NASCAR official held the car on pit road 20 seconds as restitution for Waltrip's error.
Horton lost more than a lap to the field and never caught up. He later spun the car and finished 20th, three laps off the pace.
Waltrip said the team wouldn't have lost the early lap if NASCAR hadn't interfered.
"I got in and out of the car slick. No problem," he said. "But it's my fault. It may have hurt us a little."
Waltrip said he hasn't made a decision on his game plan for Talladega next Sunday.
"I'm going back to the doctor [today] to get my leg checked," he said. "Maybe next week I'll be stronger and I can run until the first caution."
Horton again will serve as Waltrip's reliever at Talladega.
Davey Allison lost his radio communication with 150 miles to go, and, thus, lost any chance at outrunning winner Geoff Bodine.
"If the crew had known what I was saying, I could have gotten a little bit of wedge [chassis adjustment] on the last pit stop," Allison said. "I could have raced Bodine. We ran him from the back of the pack three times. But the car got a little loose towards the end."
Allison's Robert Yates-owned team operated for the first time Sunday with new crew chief Jake Elder.
Pole-sitter Mark Martin left Pocono a puzzled man. He didn't lead a lap en route to a sixth-place finish.
"We didn't run good," he said. "Judging from Saturday's practice, I would have thought we would have led the most laps and won the race. How far off can you be from something?"
The track-record crowd of some 110,000 fans paused for a moment of silence before the race in memory of driver Rich Vogler, who was killed Saturday night in an accident at Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
Vogler, a five-time national midget-car champion, was supposed to start 32nd in Sunday's AC Spark Plug 500, his NASCAR Winston Cup debut. A symbolic empty slot was left open as the field made the pre-race parade lap.
Vogler, 39, died of massive head injuries sustained in a one-car crash. He was leading the race when his sprint car inexplicably veered into the fourth-turn wall at approximately 100 mph.
Vogler's helmet was found some 20 feet from the car's roll cage, United States Auto Club official Bill Marvell said.
Vogler, who also won USAC's sprint-car title in 1980 and competed regularly in the Indianapolis 500, was considered one of the country's best drivers by his peers.
"We're all very sad," USAC spokesman Scott Simpson said. "[The accident] claimed the life of our best driver ever."
Virginian Rick Mast, driving a Pontiac owned by Bobby Jones, finished 22nd. The Pontiac is one of former car owner Buddy Baker's old arsenal.
by CNB