THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502180712
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Three down, one to go.
Dale Earnhardt survived a last-lap scuffle with Al Unser Jr. to earn his third trip of the week to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway on Friday in the 100-mile IROC series season-opener.
Unser opened up a two-car-length lead heading through turns 1 and 2 on the final lap of the 40-lap race. But as Earnhardt and the rest of the pack reeled him in down the backstretch, Unser tried to take a low line and then move back up to block out Earnhardt.
``We were on him,'' Earnhardt said. ``My front end was just about up into his right rear tire. He came on over and got into me.''
Unser spun into the outside retaining wall as Earnhardt led Scott Pruett and Ken Schrader to the line. Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace rounded out the top five.
``We opened the gap up a little bit too much in one and two,'' Unser said. ``That train was coming so I was trying to guess which direction they were going to pass me on. They faked low and went high. When I went up high Dale already had his front end underneath my rear quarterpanel and that's what spun me.''
The incident was reminiscent of something that happened last season between these two drivers.
``I ran into the same thing last year, except Dale blocked me,'' Unser said. ``Last year I lifted. This year Dale didn't. I was trying too hard to win this thing.''
Earnhardt won last year with Unser running second.
Unser led 22 laps of the tightly contested invitation-only all-star event which saw 14 lead changes among five drivers.
The Winston Cup brigade wasn't represented out front until lap 16 when Rudd, who sat on the pole, worked his way there. But passing was the main problem for everyone Friday.
``I just couldn't get a dancing partner,'' Rudd said. ``I'd get to about third in line on the inside and then I'd go to the back. I couldn't get anybody to go with me.''
Jeff Gordon, driving this series for the first time, powered his pink Dodge from the rear to the front and took the lead from Rudd on lap 17.
Earnhardt overtook Gordon two laps later and when Gordon left the draft to make another charge for the front, he was left hanging and fell all the way to the rear of the field.
``I'm still amazed at how equally these cars are prepared,'' Gordon said of the Dodge Avengers being used this season.
Said Rudd: ``It was probably the best evenly matched they've had these cars in a long time.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dale Earnhardt celebrates with champagne as his wife Theresa looks
on Friday after Earnhardt won the 100-mile IROC season-opener at
Daytona International Speedway.
Al Unser Jr. (3) spins out on turn three as Hurley Haywood avoids
him on the final lap of the IROC race Friday. Dale Earnhardt, whom
race leader Unser was trying to block, won his 26th Daytona race.
by CNB