THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510080157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
For only the second time in his 21-year Winston Cup career, Dale Earnhardt needed a provisional starting spot to make a race.
He will start dead last, in the 43rd starting position, in today's UAW-GM 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
``I've started back there before,'' Earnhardt said. ``We started 38th in this race last year and finished third. It'll just take a little longer for us to come to the front.''
Earnhardt was only 37th-fastest after Friday's qualifying session. He tried again Saturday and went about a half-mile an hour faster but ended up even farther down the speed list, in 40th. He is using the champion's provisional to get into today's race.
``Some days you can run fast and some days you can't,'' he said. ``We've got a good car. It's not the car's fault that we didn't qualify. It's just a combination of things.''
Ray Evernham, Jeff Gordon's crew chief, said: ``Earnhardt ain't having no problems. He'll be leading this race in 75 laps. All that has done is made him madder. He never qualifies good here, and he always gets up front.''
Gordon qualified third, while Ricky Rudd won the pole.
Meanwhile, Lake Speed led the second round of time trials in his Ford Thunderbird at 178.607 mph, which was tied for 15th-fastest overall.
The four other provisional starting spots went to Derrike Cope, Mike Wallace, Rich Bickle and Elton Sawyer. Failing to make the race were Chad Little, Kenny Wallace, Jeff Purvis and Delma Cowart.
MARTIN WINS GN RACE: Mark Martin overwhelmed the field in winning the All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300 Busch Grand National race.
Martin, a Winston Cup regular, earned his third Grand National victory of the season and the 20th of his career. He led 167 of the 200 laps, including the final 52. He averaged 136.415 mph.
``The car was just solid,'' Martin said.
Dale Jarrett, another Winston Cup star, led 23 laps and wound up second, about 10 car lengths behind, followed by Jeff Purvis, Jeff Fuller and Mike McLaughlin.
Series point leader Johnny Benson and his closest pursuer, Chad Little, were involved in separate crashes. Benson finished 26th and Little came back after spending 71 laps behind the wall for repairs to finish 34th and barely keep his title hopes alive.
Benson, who came into the race with a 220-point lead over Little, now leads by 244 with two races remaining.
FINAL PRACTICE: Terry Labonte unofficially had the quickest car in the final Winston Cup practice Saturday afternoon, reaching 176.470 mph in his Chevy. Just behind him were Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte, who won the Coca-Cola 600 here in May.
RUTTMAN TO ROUSH: Veteran Joe Ruttman, who is second in NASCAR SuperTruck points this season in Ernie Irvan's truck, has signed a multiyear agreement with Jack Roush to drive one of his trucks beginning in 1996.
SPORTSMAN IMPROVEMENTS: Amid the heavy media criticism of the NASCAR Sportsman series in the wake of Friday's gruesome accident that killed Russell Phillips, NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett sought to make a counterpoint.
Triplett said there have been a number of improvements, including single-file starts and restarts, a requirement that every driver have a two-way radio and spotters, and a requirement that drivers submit resumes with references.
``Those things have come in the last two or three years as we've looked at ways to improve the series,'' he said.
There was another Sportsman race Saturday. It included a three-car crash in turn four. No one was hurt. Lester Lesneski of Stanfield, N.C., won the race.
A CLOSE FRIEND: Jeff Purvis, a close friend of Russell Phillips, finished third in the Grand National race after starting 39th.
``To finish third the way we did today makes this a little better weekend, especially after we lose a real close friend in yesterday's race,'' Purvis said Saturday. ``Phillips was a very close friend of ours, and we're on our way now to visit the family and offer any help that we can.''
SUPERTRUCKS: Ron Hornaday Jr. won his sixth NASCAR SuperTruck Series race, beating Wally Dallenbach Jr. by 4.3 seconds in the Subway 100 at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Hornaday, in a Chevrolet, led all 40 laps on the 2.52-mile course.
HERO HONORED: J.D. Gibbs, 26-year-old son of Winston Cup car owner Joe Gibbs, was honored Saturday night at nearby Concord Motor Speedway, where he regularly races Late Model Stock cars.
During a race at the track last weekend, Gibbs pulled a fellow driver from a burning car. MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this report. by CNB