ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 TAG: 9601230076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
The skies turned cloudy and the weather turned cool during the last hour of Ford testing Monday at Daytona International Speedway, reflecting the downcast mood of the auto manufacturer's camp.
``I don't know what there is to say about it. We're a full second off the fastest Chevys,'' said Jeff Burton, driver of a Jack Roush-owned Thunderbird.
Jeremy Mayfield had the fastest lap Monday, the first day of the final Ford tests for NASCAR Winston Cup cars, reaching 186.580 mph in a Cale Yarborough-owned Thunderbird. But the next-fastest T-Bird, driven by John Andretti, was well behind Mayfield at 185.450 mph.
On the stopwatch, Andretti was a half-second slower than Mayfield and about nine-tenths of a second slower than the fastest lap of January, which was 188.166 mph by Terry Labonte on Jan.17.
Also in the top five Monday were Michael Waltrip (185.300 mph), Ted Musgrave (185.260) and Derrike Cope (184.390) .
Twenty Ford drivers - with the notable exceptions of Dale Jarrett, Ernie Irvan and the Robert Yates teams, who are planning to test at Talladega beginning Friday - were on the 2.5-mile speedway Monday. All were struggling for speed. Two of the best, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace, were unable to crack 184 mph. At day's end, Wallace was at 183.310 mph and Martin was at 183.120 mph.
The three-day Ford test, the final Winston Cup test session before Speedweeks in February, concludes Wednesday.
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB