ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 6, 1996 TAG: 9607080047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
There were two different qualifying sessions Friday at Daytona International Speedway, and although only one driver participated in the second one, he captured all of the drama.
Dave Marcis was trying to qualify for his 800th Winston Cup race, and he was having all sorts of trouble doing it.
During the rain-delayed first round, which left Jeff Gordon on the pole, Marcis' oil pump locked up and he was unable to start his lap. Marcis does not have any provisional starting spots left, so he could not afford to come up short during the second round.
Marcis, using Dale Earnhardt's qualifying engine, made it easily, qualifying for the 26th starting spot for today's Pepsi 400 (Lineup in Scoreboard. B4. Racing notes. B5.)
Marcis, 55, has won five races in a career that began in 1968.
Only Richard Petty has started more Winston Cup races (1,177) than Marcis. But after making the race, he exhibited all the enthusiasm of a rookie.
``I don't know how to put it in words,'' Marcis said. ``It's just great to be out there running with the guys. There were a lot of obstacles to get through, but we overcame them and we're in the show.''
For Marcis, the most challenging task was getting Earnhardt's engine out of Earnhardt's car and into his car in time for the second round.
``Richard Childress' guys jumped right in and helped my guys and everybody worked hard,'' Marcis said. ``We even got out to run two practice laps.''
Marcis' speed of 186.389 miles per hour would have been good enough for the eighth starting spot had he made that lap Thursday. Marcis coaxed almost the same speed out of Earnhardt's engine as did Earnhardt, who qualified seventh Thursday at 186.409 mph.
The final segment of the first session, meanwhile, was a snoozer. No one came close to matching the 188.869 mph lap that Jeff Gordon posted in Thursday's rain-shortened first round.
``We knew we had a great run,'' Gordon said. ``We knew we had a real shot at it if all the cars had gone.''
Gordon was almost a half-second quicker than anyone else in winning his fourth pole of the season, but he said that is meaningless when the green flag falls at 11 a.m. today.
``When that last car qualified, that gap was gone,'' he said. ``That gap doesn't mean anything now.''
The track obviously was slower when the first round resumed at 9 a.m. Friday, although the weather conditions were not radically different.
But five of the nine drivers who ran Thursday retained a top-10 starting position.
Actually, the first round probably could have been completed late Thursday afternoon. But it was called off well before dark because NASCAR had an early evening date planned for all the drivers - the black-tie opening of Daytona USA.
The top 10 qualifiers include: Gordon; Sterling Marlin at 187.207 mph in a Chevy; Dale Jarrett at 187.044 mph in a Ford; Darrell Waltrip at 186.776 mph in a Chevy; Johnny Benson at 186.652 mph in a Pontiac; Jeff Purvis at 186.474 mph in a Chevy; Earnhardt; Ken Schrader at 186.135 mph in a Chevy; Lake Speed at 186.100 mph in a Ford; and Bobby Labonte at 186.066 mph in a Chevy.
Gordon, Waltrip, Purvis, Earnhardt and Speed ran on Thursday, the others on Friday.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines KEYWORDS: AUTO RACINGby CNB