THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510290167
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PHOENIX LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
The 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup season did not come alive for Rusty Wallace until it was almost over.
Entering today's Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, Wallace has finished third or better in six of the last seven races, including a victory at Richmond, his second of the year.
But two victories in a season are a major disappointment for Wallace, who won eight races last year and 10 in 1993. It's as if he put his usual success on a diet.
``To me, it's been flat, to my standards,'' Wallace said Saturday. ``It's been pretty quiet. That new kid, Jeff Gordon, shook people up. And to tell you the truth, in the first 10 races, we just got outran at a lot of places. We were hurt by that Ford-Chevy thing.
``But I tell the guys, I wish the season was starting right now because everything is going really good.''
It is ironic that Wallace is peaking now, because his team has been rocked with changes in October.
At the beginning of the month, Wallace lost (he says ``fired'') three engine-shop employees, including head engine builder David Evans, a longtime associate. And then, right after the Charlotte race, key crew member Todd Parrott left, with Wallace's blessing, to become a crew chief for Robert Yates.
``We haven't missed a beat,'' Wallace said. ``It was just amazing. I really, honestly believe now we're better than we've ever been because all these guys are smiling. They're pulling together.
``Before, this guy didn't like that guy, and this guy didn't like that. And me and (crew chief) Robin (Pemberton) tried to keep this whole thing together.
``He stepped into a bomb when he went to work for us because we were having problems. It wasn't no secret we were having a lot of problems with those three engine guys.''
Wallace's chronically poor performances on the superspeedways continued unabated this year (he finished 34th, 20th, 27th and 30th at Daytona and Talladega), but he believes that will change with the engine-room shakeup.
``I felt less in control of things on the superspeedways because I could only go as fast as the engine would let me go,'' Wallace said. ``And I was verbally upset with the horsepower that our team was creating. And that's one of the things that led to the problems and dismissals.''
The engine builders were hired as a group by Felix Sabates, whose own team was decimated by firings and resignations.
Sabates' moves, which include hiring Ricky Rudd's engineer, had the immediate effect of changing the way teams hire employees.
``You can't have people coming in and just flashing money and hiring your people away,'' Wallace said. ``The sport won't stay going. Since then, we have got firm three-year contracts with most of our employees right now. And almost our entire engine shop has signed those. That's a coming deal.''
Pemberton says the personnel upheaval had another silver lining.
``Those guys who left were doing an excellent job, but for the five or 10 people below them, it will just give them more opportunity to further their careers,'' he said.
Pemberton himself was under tremendous pressure when Wallace was struggling through the first two-thirds of the season. He is laid-back, calm, relaxed - an exact opposite of Wallace.
``That's what I need, though,'' Wallace said. ``I don't need somebody as hyper as me so we can drive off the fence. He keeps me calmed down. He keeps me in control.''
Said Pemberton, ``I think it's along the lines of opposite attract. We can regulate each other. I'm totally enjoying the situation.
``The biggest misconception of him is his ranting and raving. He has absolutely not gone off the deep end. Not one time. He's intense, but he's not loco by any means.''
You can tell Wallace does not like having the spotlight stolen by Gordon, as complimentary as he is to the young star.
``I like that kid a lot,'' Wallace said. ``But this year Gordon has won seven races, and you'd have thought he won the Daytona 500 10 times. . . . (Dale) Earnhardt and I have noticed that. It's like those boys came over and had a couple of victories and everybody else is forgotten.
``When we win, it's just kinda normal, ho-hum, expected. But when this team does it, what the hell's the big deal?'' by CNB