Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 10, 1991 TAG: 9102100113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D10 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
The Clash was born 13 years ago as a made-for-TV event that was to be an all-out dash for cash. Instead, it became either a strategy game, with the fastest drivers holding back to make a last-lap move to the front, or a runaway by a dominant car.
In an effort to make the event more competitive, organizers have split the race into two 10-lap sprints, separated by a two-lap caution period during which any car that wants or needs to pit for changes may do so.
The first half of the race will pay $25,000 to the winner. The running order of the cars then will be inverted and the overall race winner will get $35,000.
The starting order for the $280,000 event on Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-mile oval was determined by blind draw, with defending Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope at the head of the 14-car field.
Ironically, Cope is the only driver in the field who didn't win a pole in 1990. He got into the race as a wild-card entry, winning a draw among last year's fastest second-day qualifiers.
"I don't know what to expect in the race," said Cope, who surprised just about everybody with his 500-mile victory here last year. "Starting out front, I'll try to lead as many laps as I can, and try to get to the front as much as I can. I'll try to learn as much for the Daytona 500 as I can.
"To me, it's like two races. The first 10 laps pays 40 percent of the purse. I'll run the 10 laps hard, and, if I'm up front, that's one victory. If I start the second half in the back, I'll see how far we can move up from there."
Kyle Petty will start from the outside of the front row, with Alan Kulwicki and Geoff Bodine in the second row, followed by Brett Bodine and Dale Earnhardt, Dick Trickle and Greg Sacks, Ernie Irvan and Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader and Mark Martin and Bill Elliott and Ricky Rudd.
Schrader has won the race the past two years. Earnhardt, the defending Winston Cup champion, has won the race three times, but has not been in the field since his last victory in 1988.
The only other former winner in Sunday's race is Elliott, who won in 1987.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB