DATE: Saturday, May 3, 1997                 TAG: 9705030336

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SONOMA, CALIF.                    LENGTH:   67 lines

RECORD RUN PUTS MARTIN ON THE POLE AT SONOMA RUSTY WALLACE IS A STRONG SECOND, WITH WITH JEFF GORDON THIRD AND TERRY LABONTE FOURTH.

Mark Martin hasn't won in 42 races and he's never won at Sears Point Raceway, but you'd have to be a fool to bet against him this weekend after he won the pole for Sunday's Save Mart 300.

Martin sped around this 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course at a Winston Cup track record of 92.807 mph Friday to win his second pole position of the season and the 34th of his career.

Martin beat fellow Ford driver Rusty Wallace, who qualified second-fastest at 92.533 mph, which also beat Terry Labonte's record of 92.524 mph, set last year.

``I was certainly looking forward to coming out here,'' Martin said. ``This is the car that ran second for us here the last two years and we haven't done anything but drag it out, blow all the dust off it and shove a great (Jack) Roush engine in it.''

Jeff Gordon was third-fastest at 92.471 mph in his Chevrolet, followed by Terry Labonte at 92.433 in a Chevy and Ford driver Brett Bodine at 92.230.

Michael Waltrip was sixth-fastest in a Ford at 92.059 mph, followed by Geoff Bodine in a Ford at 92.011, Dale Jarrett in a Ford at 91.979, Wally Dallenbach Jr. in a Chevy at 91.943 and Ricky Rudd in a Ford at 91.882.

Sears Point almost always extracts a couple of casualties during practice and qualifying, and it was no different Friday.

Bobby Labonte ruined his Friday qualifying lap coming out of turn 8 when he lost control and spun into the inside tire barrier, demolishing the front of his car. He'll have to try to requalify today in a backup car.

Chad Little slammed the front of his Pontiac into the tire barrier coming out of turn 6A during practice. He went to his backup car and was 44th-fastest in qualifying.

Martin avoided such trouble by getting it out of his system almost immediately Friday.

``I like to drive hard to the point of being wild or reckless, and I did that in the first 100 yards this morning in the first practice,'' he said. ``I spun it out and did a 360 and kept the thing going.

``I got my wreck out of the way. I didn't hit anything, but that was it. I decided then and there that we probably weren't going to wreck anymore today.''

Martin, in fact, spun in the same spot Bobby Labonte did. Labonte, however spun to the right, which directed his car into the tires, while Martin spun to the left near the entrance of a left-hand turn, which kept the car out of the rough stuff.

Martin gave teammate Jeff Burton credit for a driving tip that was worth ``a tenth (of a second) or two'' after he drove a qualifying lap that he called ``very fast but calculated.''

``I didn't throw total caution to the wind,'' he said. ``It was an excellent lap. I didn't try to be very spectacular in any of the corners, but I had no bad ones, either.''

Fifty-four drivers, including seven Winston West drivers, made qualifying runs Friday for 45 starting spots. That's two more spots than usual because there are two provisionals for the West Coast drivers.

Those outside the top 38 were Dick Trickle, Ken Pederson, Dave Marcis, David Green, Steve Grissom, Little, Mike Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Davis, Mike Chase, Larry Gunselman, Chuck Pruitt, Bill McAnally, Sean Woodside, Bobby Labonte and Darrell Waltrip, who did not finish his qualifying lap after nearly spinning out.

Drivers who wish to requalify will get another chance at 1 p.m. EDT. ILLUSTRATION: Mark Martin's speed of 92.807 mph earned him the 34th

pole position of his career.

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