Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404090063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BRISTOL, TENN. LENGTH: Medium
But the Pontiac teams are more focused on getting their existing cars to run fast because at the moment, they aren't.
"That's our concern right now," Pontiac driver Kyle Petty said. "We're stuck with this car for the next two years."
After five 1994 races, the best finish by any of the five Pontiac teams is Petty's fifth-place finish at Richmond. Only two Pontiac drivers have led a race this year. Petty led six laps at Rockingham and Bobby Hamilton led two laps in the Daytona 500.
Rusty Wallace's defection to Ford was a big blow, of course, but Petty has been running worse than he has in the last couple of years.
The teams are scheduled to meet in the near future to discuss what body changes or other modifications they need to make the cars go faster, Pontiac's Brian Hoagland said. He said NASCAR has indicated a willingness to allow some modifications.
Petty said one of the problems is that NASCAR, under the leadership of Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson, has been increasingly stricter over the past two years about allowing teams to modify the stock body shapes of the cars.
"I can't say how different our car is than it was last year because then I'd be saying I'd been cheating," Petty said. "But the Pontiac has some built-in disadvantages," including a shorter rear deck lid, which reduces the all-important downforce. "And I think everyone else just got better," he added.
\ MARTIN'S GN POLE: In another tough qualifying session that saw a dozen cars flunk out, Mark Martin won the pole for today's Goody's 250 Grand National race with a speed of 123.746 mph in his Ford Thunderbird.
Harry Gant won the outside pole in a Chevy at 123.586 mph, followed by David Green (123.340 ), Ricky Craven (123.182) and Rodney Combs (123.166). Also in the top 10 were Hermie Sadler, Kenny Wallace, Jim Bown, Jason Keller and Tommy Houston.
The 36-car field will include provisional starters Tim Fedewa and Tom Peck. But among the drivers going home were Chesapeake's Elton Sawyer, who was 37th fastest, Ken Schrader, Mike McLaughlin, Doug Heveron, Jeff Purvis and David Bonnett.
\ A NEW RULE: NASCAR announced Friday it has modified the rules for provisional starting spots to increase the chances that teams have to get in races.
It is a minor modification, to be sure, but here's how it goes: If both provisional starting spots haven't been used for a race, and there are teams that have failed to make the race and failed to qualify for a provisional starting spot (based on 1994 car owner points), then a team or teams will be eligible for a provisional based on 1993 car owner points.
Yes, it's complicated. But if the rule had been in effect at Darlington, where only one provisional starting spot was used, Loy Allen would have made the race. He didn't make the field using a provisional because his team wasn't in the top 35 in 1994 car owner points - a requirement for using a provisional. But the team was in the top 35 in 1993 car owner points.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB