| |
 'Better get used to the way it smells' Clotheshorse Earnhardt wins IROC race at Talladega
Posted: Saturday April 24, 1999 04:49 PM
TALLADEGA, Ala. (Ticker) -- About the only racing series Dale Earnhardt can win in lately is the International Race of Champions (IROC) series. Earnhardt scored his second-straight IROC win this season, and the ninth of his career, by making a daring last-lap pass out of the fourth turn to win Saturday's IROC race at Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt won with an average speed of 182.126 miles per hour, beating Rusty Wallace by .075 seconds. Mark Martin was third, followed by Jeff Gordon and Kenny Brack of the Indy Racing League. By going two-for-two to open the 1999 IROC schedule, Earnhardt is in solid position to win the season championship with just two more races remaining. By contrast, Earnhardt has won one race in his last 100 NASCAR Winston Cup races. "It's always good to win, whether it is at Talladega Short Track or Talladega Superspeedway," Earnhardt said. "It's always good to win no matter where or what you win." Earnhardt is a master of superspeedway races, and on Saturday, he used a bold move to take the high-line out of the fourth turn as the field headed to the checkered flag. Earnhardt kept his car on the high side of the race track as the field entered the tri-oval. The start-finish line at Talladega is located between the trio-oval and the first turn and Earnhardt was able to push the nose of his race car just past Wallace at the checkered flag. "We just stayed in line and I kept working with Rusty to keep my position," Earnhardt said. "I wanted to keep Rusty out front. I was content to work with Rusty and I knew Mark and some of the guys would be making their moves. It got down to the last lap, Mark got by Terry Labonte and Mark got behind me. I knew it would really be on, then." Earnhardt pulled to the rear of Wallace's car, then because of momentum, he went high going into the third turn. "I just went to the outside and took that wild chance," Earnhardt said. "I moved away from them really wide and that enabled me to get in the clear air and that kept Mark from drafting on me. It was a reflex move of going in there and going after them. I had my momentum up, went to the high side and it worked out with me." It was the ninth win of Earnhardt's IROC career. "He's the master when it comes to restrictor=plate racing," said Martin, who finished third. "There is none better. That was an exciting race, I was real proud of everybody. We were able to get it done without a big wreck like we have had at Talladega. That was exciting. It's what racing is all about." Although he finished second, Wallace was excited about the finish. He came to the winner's circle to congratulate Earnhardt. "Heck of a race," Wallace said. "I thought I had it won, but he got me right there at the end. It was a great move on his part, he's the master at that stuff." Asked if he thought Earnhardt's move was a dangerous one, Martin - -who had the best view of it -- said, "I don't think it was risky. It looked like the right move to me." At the start of the race, Eddie Cheever of the Indy Racing League dropped from second to last place on the very first lap. By lap 3, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett went three-wide going into the first turn while Martin, who has won the IROC title the last three years, went from 10th to second. The only caution of the race came on the eighth lap when Dale Earnhardt Jr's engine blew up. When the green flag waved, Jarrett passed Gordon for the lead and held that position until the 24th lap, when Wallace passed him for the lead. Wallace stayed in front for the next 15 laps before Earnhardt passed him in the final corner of the final lap to win the race. "When we did have that momentum coming off the corner, I figured, 'What the heck',' " Earnhardt said. "As far as sweeping the series, I've had some good races at Michigan. I could sweep this thing if I get the right draw in the cars. I have a good shot at winning the championship if I have some good races in the other two races." This was the first IROC race at Talladega since 1996, after the complex had hosted the series for many years. "It's a good race track for me and the series lends itself to where these race cars can draft," Earnhardt said. "The open-wheel guys seemed to have a little more knowledge after Daytona and were working with the draft and knew where they needed to stay." And Earnhardt knew where to stay toward the end, which allowed him to win. "If Dale Earnhardt is finished, then why did I win today?" Earnhardt said. "You give me the best piece you can give me and I can beat anybody. I still want to win. I still want to race." In each of his two IROC victories this season, Earnhardt has only led one lap. He pulled off a last-lap move at Daytona and a last-lap move at Talladega. "That's the only lap that counts," Earnhardt said. "The funny thing is I went looking for my IROC driving suit and when I found it, it hadn't been dry-cleaned since the last race. I'm not going to clean it again so you guys better get used to the way it smells." Bobby Labonte, filling in for injured CART star Al Unser Jr., was seventh, trailed by defending Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever, CART points leader Greg Moore and Winston Cup star Dale Jarrett. Burton was two laps off the pace and defending Busch Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., who went out after seven laps with a blown engine, was last. The elder Earnhardt, who averaged 182.126 mph -- yellow flag laps don't count -- leads the standings with 42 points. Martin, who is going for his fourth consecutive title, is next with 35. Labonte follows with 27 points and Wallace has 26. The IROC purse, which totals $760,000 and pays the champion $225,000, is based on series points. The next race is June 11 at Michigan Speedway, with the finale Aug. 6 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
