Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 23, 1990 TAG: 9007230249
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LONG POND, PA. LENGTH: Medium
Minutes after gambling and winning the AC Spark Plug 500 stock-car race at Pocono International Raceway, Bodine received even better news when he rolled into Victory Lane.
"[Car owner] Junior Johnson gave me a big hug and said, `Geoff, we're going to be together next year and a lot of years to come,' " Bodine said.
"Yeah, I had heard all the rumors recently. I don't know who started them. Another driver, maybe - somebody who doesn't like me, I guess.
"But I hope everybody had their VCRs on today. All those rumor mills, they're dead, they're gone."
So was Bodine, for the most part, Sunday. The 41-year-old native of Chemung, N.Y., led 122 of the 200 laps around Pocono's 2.5-mile triangular-shaped layout.
Despite the dominance, though, Bodine and the Johnson team had to gamble to win. The 500-mile race boiled down to a fuel-economy contest. Bodine won by going the final 107.5 miles on a 22-gallon tank of fuel.
A post-race inspection revealed that Bodine's Ford had only six-tenths of a gallon of fuel in its tank.
"I thought for sure we were going to run out, but we somehow made it," Bodine said.
"On the final restart [with one lap left], the car sputtered a little when I mashed the throttle. My heart stopped, but my lips were moving. I told Tim [Brewer, crew chief] on the radio, `We're out of gas.'
"Then, it started picking back up. But the fuel pressure was jumping around; the gauge was bouncing everywhere. I just held my breath."
When his closest pursuer, Harry Gant in an Oldsmobile, ran out of fuel halfway through the final lap, Bodine said he knew he was home free.
"I saw Gant run out in turn two and I said on the radio, `Boys, we got it now.' I just coasted around from there," Bodine said.
Bodine crossed the finish line 1.29 seconds ahead of Bill Elliott's Ford. Elliott, who was never a factor most of the day, benefited greatly when his crew chose to top off the car with fuel during a caution flag on lap 159, allowing him to go the distance.
Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison, all of whom had to pit late for gas, finished third through fifth, respectively. Mark Martin, Virginian Ricky Rudd, Butch Miller, Richard Petty and Terry Labonte rounded out the top 10.
Gant, who besides Bodine was the only driver who attempted to stretch fuel mileage, limped home on empty and finished 14th.
Gas mileage or not, Bodine and his team deserved to win this one. Bodine had the best car, not to mention what many racing observers say is the best pit crew in the business. The Brewer-led crew repeatedly got the No. 11 car out of the pits ahead of the pack.
"It was a perfect day," Bodine said. "The car performed flawlessly. These guys are the best. . . . They proved it again today."
The race was one of the most competitive held at Pocono. Bodine had the strongest car, but he had plenty of company up front with Allison, Wallace and Gant.
Greg Sacks, who led three times for 31 laps, and Kyle Petty were in the hunt until the 325-mile mark. Petty's Pontiac eventually was sidelined with a blown engine, and Sack's Chevrolet was taken out in a multicar crash on lap 137, triggered when Sterling Marlin clipped Dale Jarrett into a spin.
Marlin, who had a rough day, touched Gant's car on lap 157 and spun into the second-turn wall, bringing out the ninth of 10 caution periods.
The leaders all pitted under the yellow, setting up the fuel-economy scenario.
While the others pitted in the waning laps for a splash of fuel, Bodine and Gant pulled away from the field. Bodine was leading by 3.2 seconds when Ken Ragan tagged the wall on lap 196, forcing another yellow.
"We didn't need that," Bodine said. "I had a good lead and I would have liked to have kept going.
"I don't know, maybe the caution helped us fuel-wise.
"But this business is a big gamble. We gambled and won."
\ LUGNUTS: The victory was Bodine's second of the season and the second of his career at Pocono. He also won here in 1988. And guess what? He said he ran out of gas at the finish line. . . . Bodine picked up $58,500 for his ninth career win. . . . Earnhardt, whose car battled handling problems all day, managed to pick up 15 points on Winston Cup points leader Martin. Earnhardt trails Martin by 48.
by CNB