ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING NOTES
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
Security was tightened at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday in the wake of the fatal bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.
Guards were inspecting all packages and bags brought into the Winston Cup garage by mechanics, other team members and guests.
And a squadron of guards, some reportedly with dogs, swept the grandstands Saturday morning to make sure there were no suspicious packages or objects in the stands.
``They've done some things, but nothing we really want to elaborate on,'' said John Story, spokesman for Daytona International Speedway, who is working here this weekend. ``But you can assume they've taken some measures.''
But the threat in NASCAR, if there is one, would seem to come from fanatic fans rather than terrorists.
``I get threats and lot of other drivers get them, too,'' Rusty Wallace said.
``There are people out there who really get excited about drivers. I don't think security is where it needs to be in NASCAR.
``I'll never forget sitting in the basement of my house with two armed security guards after The Winston,'' he said. That was the 1989 race in which he tapped Darrell Waltrip into a spin and went on to win.
``I remember Earnhardt had FBI guys with him one time and they were going through the fender wells of his car,'' Wallace said. ``It's that type of stuff. Race fans get so volatile and opinionated about drivers, it gets kind of scary sometimes.''
``That bombing in Atlanta didn't prove a darn thing and if it happens here, it won't prove a damn thing either.''
SACKS WINS BUSCH RACE: Greg Sacks called his victory Saturday in the crash-filled Humminbird 500K Grand National race ``the biggest win of my career.''
Sacks reached the checkered flag about a car length ahead of pole winner Joe Nemechek, while Randy LaJoie finished right behind Nemechek.
``It's been a real long time. It's been an eternity,'' Sacks said after his first big NASCAR victory since the 1985 Firecracker 400, his only Winston Cup victory. ``But this victory starts what I consider to be the second leg of my career.''
Sacks said the key to his victory came on the last lap when Nemechek managed to pass LaJoie to take second. ``I moved up and helped Randy in the draft'' to take away any drafting momentum Nemechek might have hoped to get from LaJoie, Sacks said.
The race was slowed by four crashes, including two multi-car pileups.
Seven cars crashed on lap 19, and nine cars were involved in a wreck on lap 28.
No one was hurt in those crashes, but Mark Martin was bruised and taken out of the race in a three-car accident on lap 69. And in a single-car accident on lap 110, Todd Bodine flipped once before landing on his wheels and slamming into the inside wall on the backstretch. He was unhurt.
It was a bad day for NASCAR cars getting upside down.
In addition to Bodine's flip, Bob Keselowski rolled his truck several times in a crash during the NASCAR truck race Saturday at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., but walked away. Mike Bliss won the race. It was his second victory of the year.
WAY BEHIND: Bill Elliott starts today's DieHard 500 in 39th, marking the third time this season the former Winston Cup champion has had to use a provisional starting spot to make the field. The other two came before Elliott broke his leg here in the Winston Select 500 on April 28.
The broken leg, Elliott said, just set him back more - even more than just missing five races.
``It seems like you've only been out for five races, but you lose that little bit of sharpness from racing every week,'' Elliott said. ``I went to New Hampshire and I got in the car there and man, I didn't think I had ever been in a race car before in my life.
``I got to messing around there and they've got these new so-called downforce cars and all this stuff, and I hadn't figured a lot of that stuff out.
Going to Pocono last week, I made some decisions and I made some changes on the race car Sunday morning that totally put us out in left field.
``It seems like every decision I have made here in the last two or three weeks has been totally wrong. To try to get back in midseason in a stretch of umpteen races. . . I don't know. I'm at a total loss. I know things will be better and I know there is light at the end of the tunnel, but right now, you're just trying to work through all this stuff and race.
``And to top it all off, it's rained every week since I've been back. I guess ya'll can just call me Bill Darkcloud.''
QUALIFYING RAIN OUT: The second round of Winston Cup qualifying was rained out Saturday, as was the morning practice session.
That was good for Gary Bradberry and bad for Chad Little. Bradberry makes today's 42-car starting field. Little goes home.
Bradberry qualified in the 38th and final starting position Friday and was on the bubble for the second round without the benefit of being eligible for a provisional starting spot. He would have had to withstand the qualifying efforts of those drivers behind him had the second round been run as scheduled.
Little, one of the drivers behind Bradberry, was denied a second chance to try to make the field by the morning showers.
The four provisional starting spots went to Elliott, Geoff Bodine, Brett Bodine and Nemechek.
Nemechek, for the record, did not have to go to a backup car, as reported here Saturday. He spun during his second qualifying lap Friday, but did not hit the wall. The front air dam of his car was damaged when it hit the apron and the rear deck lid was damaged by the wrecker that hauled the car back to the garage, but the car was repairable.
LENGTH: Long : 108 linesby CNB