Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103030067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Among the subplots:
Will this be driver Jimmy Hensley's final GN race?
Word is that unless Hensley and his Richmond-based team owned by Don Beverly and John Dodson find a major sponsor, Martinsville may be the last race for an operation that finished second in last season's GN championship race.
Of course, a victory at Martinsville could change all that. If Hensley could pick a race track to run for his job, no doubt it would be Martinsville's tight .526-mile oval.
Can 54-year-old Jack Ingram conquer Martinsville one last time as he makes his GN retirement tour?
"When I won there seven years ago, it was a special moment in my career," Ingram said. "For the longest time, I couldn't seem to win there.
"It would be something else to win another one - especially this time."
Can defending GN champion Chuck Bown and the Ridgeway-based Hensley Racing team rebound?
Bown is off to a slow start, but Martinsville could be a cure-all. Bown won the title last season by dominating the short tracks, where he posted all of his tour-high six victories.
Who will emerge in the hotly contested Late Model Stock division's season opener?
Defending champion David Blankenship of Richmond says the 100-lap race at Martinsville is the highlight of the season for the LMSC class.
"When I won last year, it was like taking the checkered flag at Daytona," Blankenship said. "It's essentially an all-star race. Everybody from the Mid-Atlantic Region is there.
"Without a doubt, the races at Martinsville Speedway are the most prestigious we run all year."
Could this be the Modifieds' final Miller run?
Because of the increased popularity in the LMSC class in the area, there has been much speculation that the northern-based Modified division could be on the way out at Martinsville.
As of March 1, there were 162 entries filed for the 500-lap card, which includes a 100-lap LMSC race and 200-lap shows in the GN and Modified divisions.
Time trials for the $208,000 event get under way on Thursday at 2 p.m., when the GN and Modified cars run for positions 1-20 for their respective events.
The heavily populated LMSC class takes over on Friday, when practice and qualifying for spots 1-20 are held.
The balance of each 30-car field will be determined Saturday with six 25-lap qualifying races, two for each division. The first heat starts at 1 p.m.
The Miller 500 Classic takes the green flag at noon on Sunday. The LMSC race will be run first, followed by the Modified and GN events.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB