Yarborough Changes Cars, but Still Daytona Favorite

For six years, the fastest cars at Daytona International Speedway for stock car racing’s No. 1 event, the Daytona 500, have been Chevrolets prepared by Waddell Wilson.

Cale Yarborough won the last two Daytona 500s in one.

This year there will be a change. The cars Wilson is preparing for Yarborough are Ford Thunderbirds. Last September, team owner Harry Ranier announced a switch from General Motors to Ford because, it was reported, he thought Chevrolet did not appreciate the team’s performances.

Other than that, however, the results may be typical Saturday when front-row qualifying is held for the 500. Yarborough, driving the familiar No. 28, and Bill Elliott, in another Ford, are favored to win the two front row spots.

If the weather is cool, as it has been the last several weeks, and there is no wind, Yarborough’s one-lap record of 201.848 m.p.h. around Daytona’s 2 1/2-mile tri-oval is certain to be broken. Elliott has the fastest practice speed, 202.8 m.p.h., and Yarborough hit 204.7 last Monday at Talladega, Ala., where his official track record is 202.6.

“I think it will take something in the 203s to win the pole, and if that’s what it takes, we’ll do it,” Yarborough said after his practice run.

Only three drivers had ever bettered 200 at Daytona before this year, but 10 have been over that figure in testing for the Feb. 17 race.

Neil Bonnett, driving for Junior Johnson since Warner Hodgdon missed a $250,000 payment to Johnson when he filed for bankruptcy last month under Chapter 11, is the fastest Chevrolet driver at 202.1. Dick Brooks, driving the Petty Enterprises Ford, has been over 201. Other 200-plus drivers include Darrell Waltrip, Joe Ruttman, Geoff Bodine, Benny Parsons, Bobby Hillin and defending Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte.

Over 199 have been Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, David Pearson and Harry Gant.

This will be the first time since the Busch Clash was inaugurated in 1979 that pole qualifying will be held on a different day. The 50-lap Busch Clash, with 12 drivers racing 50 laps for $200,000, will be run Sunday.

“Running them both on one day was like trying to get 12 pounds of potatoes in an eight-pound sack,” said one NASCAR official.

The move was also popular with the drivers.

“I’m glad pole day is a day by itself,” said Elliott. “We’ll all be able to concentrate on a quick time rather than having the Busch Clash in the back of our minds.”

Elliott won a $25,000 bonus last year for winning the most poles.

Four Winston Cup races, two at Bristol, Tenn., and two at Nashville, are in jeopardy because the tracks are owned by Hodgdon and money to operate them is tied up by Hodgdon’s bankruptcy.

The Bristol track will be auctioned off Friday, and the Nashville facility on Feb. 24. In the meantime, NASCAR has set a Feb. 15 deadline for track operators, either a new owner or a court appointed trustee, to report how they intend to finance the races.

Bristol race dates are March 31 and Aug. 24, Nashville May 11 and July 13.

INDY CARS--Michael Andretti and Kevin Cogan have been entered in the May 26 Indianapolis 500 by Kraco Enterprises of Compton. Each will have a choice of Cosworth-powered 1985 model cars, a Lola or a March. Cogan is coming back after suffering severe foot injuries while practicing for the Pocono 500.

IROC--Two American drivers, Tom Sneva and Harry Gant, and two European sports car champions, Jochen Mass of West Germany and John Watson of Northern Ireland, have been added to field for the International Race of Champions series.

OFF-ROAD--There was so much snow on the road and it was so cold during last weekend’s Parker 400 that winner Jack Johnson’s Chenowith VW buggy broke down three times during the last 100 miles when his gasoline froze. The Las Vegas driver also won the 1982 Parker race. Despite the snow, 152 of 363 starters finished the opening off-road race of the season.

sand drags, Feb. 16-17 at Dumont Dunes, 35 miles north of Baker.

NEWSWORTHY--Broc Glover’s win in last year’s U. S. Grand Prix motocross at Carlsbad will be seen Saturday on Channel 7 at 4:30 p.m. . . . The Continental Motosport Club, which has conducted a weekly program on Wednesday night for 15 years at Ascot Park, will move it to Friday night this year. The first Ascot MX show is set for April 5. . . . Roger Newell received California Racing Assn. sprint car rookie-of-the-year honors as both driver and car owner.