Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 5, 1993 TAG: 9311050082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt loaded up and went home after only a few laps Tuesday, disgusted with the condition, which they thought was dangerous.
On Wednesday, three ARCA drivers crashed in practice, along with Hut Stricklin, who wrecked his Grand National car. Nobody was hurt.
There were no wrecks among the 30 teams that came to an open practice Thursday, but it rained most of the afternoon.
Rudd said his session Tuesday "was a disaster. The track was unpredictable. The car wasn't sticking to the race track."
"We only ran two or three laps and loaded up and came home," he said. "There wasn't any sense in tearing a race car up."
Earnhardt's car owner, Richard Childress, said, "The track sure was slick for us. We were the first car out there [Tuesday]. Dale ran a 31.70 [172.845 mph; track record is 180.183] and scared the hell out of himself. He didn't run fast the rest of the day.
"We needed to practice, but there was no sense wasting time down there the way the track was. It's definitely not ready to race on right now. You're going to see some big problems down there if they leave it the way it is."
Rudd was puzzled by the timing of the track preparations.
"I have no idea why they would do that before the last race instead of after," Rudd said. "It's really going to be a two-fold problem.
"Right now it is slippery and treacherous because when you hit the cracks, it makes the car very darty. But the second problem is that if it gets hot enough, the tar sealer will turn back to liquid and the track will get very slippery like when somebody blows an engine."
"I think they ought to peel up everything they've done and drag it with tires."
Track spokesman Richard Sowers said the discontent was not unanimous. He said the sealer was applied a few weeks ago. He said the track was scraped with tires Tuesday night and appears to be improving with continuing use.
"Earnhardt and Rudd just absolutely hate it, but there are more who say, `What's all the fuss about?' " Sowers said.
He cited Rusty Wallace (who also was there Tuesday), Chad Little and Joe Bessey as drivers who were not upset about the surface. He noted that while Rudd and Earnhardt did not return Thursday, Wallace did.
Childress, meanwhile, confirmed that Neil Bonnett, who plans to drive in six Winston Cup races next year, will race in the Grand National finale on Nov. 13 at Atlanta, driving Earnhardt's Grand National car.
\ RUDD EXCITED: Rudd said he had a much more successful experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday night testing his Ford Thunderbird, which he will race beginning next year.
"It went great," he said. "It wasn't really a serious test. I wanted to see how the Ford drove and handled. But I was tickled to death. We ran speeds fast enough to qualify in the top five [for the October race]."
\ PETTY BRANCHING OUT: Richard Petty will become a Grand National car owner with the formation of a team to be headed by driver Rodney Combs, one of his partners in a Charlotte-based stock car driving school.
Combs was expected to make the formal announcement today at a news conference at the speedway.
The yellow, red and blue car will carry the No. 43, will run the full GN schedule and will be sponsored by French's Mustard. Although Petty will be listed as owner, the team reportedly will be based at Combs' shop in Concord near the speedway.
Combs, 42, has been driving in Winston Cup and Grand National races since 1983 and has about 50 Cup starts. He is an owner with Petty and others of the Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car racing school at the Charlotte speedway.
\ MARLIN LEAVING TEAM: Sterling Marlin has told the Stavola Brothers he will not be driving their No. 8 Ford Thunderbird next year.
"He said he was leaving and then said he wasn't leaving, so we told him he needed to come up with a decision and stick by it," crew chief Ken Wilson said.
Marlin told the team Monday his decision was to leave.
"He'll finish out the season," Wilson said.
No replacement has been announced. Marlin is expected to take over Larry McClure's No. 4 Chevrolet Lumina vacated by Ernie Irvan.
by CNB