Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 10, 1992 TAG: 9202100073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
MARLIN TAKES DAYTONA POLE
Sterling Marlin won the pole position for the Daytona 500 and Bill Elliott grabbed the second starting spot, but the venerable Junior Johnson, who owns both cars, didn't bother to stick around Daytona International Speedway on Sunday to see his cars capture the front row.Johnson was at the track when Marlin turned the fastest lap of the day at 192.213 mph. But by the time Elliott circled the 2.5-mile track at 192.090 mph, Johnson was on his way back to his North Carolina home.
"Junior has been around a long time in racing," Marlin said. "It's probably nothing new to him. He don't seem to get too excited about nothing."
Elliott said that just after Marlin's run, and before his own, "I was walking around the garage area and Junior said, `I'm leaving.' "
Perhaps Johnson saw the handwriting on the wall. The Fords, as expected, blew away the rest of the cars.
After 49 cars took two laps each in a qualifying session that lasted more than two hours, Fords had the six fastest times and seven of the top 10.
Harry Gant, in an Oldsmobile, had the quickest non-Ford time at 190.702 mph, which would have been fifth fastest. But his time was disallowed after qualifying when NASCAR inspectors discovered that his car was a quarter inch lower than the legal height.
Trailing Marlin and Elliott were the Fords of Mark Martin (191.750 mph) and Dorsey Schroeder (191.404 mph).
After Gant's time was disallowed, Phil Parsons (190.319 mph) became the fifth fastest, and Davey Allison (190.271 mph) was sixth fastest, both driving Fords. Dale Earnhardt had the quickest Chevrolet at 190.082 mph. Brett Bodine, driving another Ford, was eighth fastest overall at 190.030 mph.
Richard Petty, qualifying for his final Daytona 500, was ninth quickest at 189.909 mph. Petty had the fastest Pontiac. "We figured we might be a little faster, but that's pretty good," he said.
And Ricky Rudd, driving a Chevrolet, was 10th fastest at 189.809 mph.
Under the Daytona 500's unique qualifying rules, only the front row was established Sunday. The rest of the starting positions will not be set until after Thursday's Twin 125 qualifying races.
"It's really a big thrill to me to be driving in Junior's car and sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500," said Marlin, who finished second to Ernie Irvan in last year's race.
All the cars were slower than their best practice speeds by a mile an hour or more. This was attributed to stiff easterly winds of 10 to 15 mph that created a headwind on the backstretch.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING