AUTO RACING : Earnhardt Is Lucky, as Well as Skilled

Dale Earnhardt, who is closing in on his seventh Winston Cup championship, knows from experience that driving skill isn’t the only factor in determining a winner.

Luck also plays a part.

Earnhardt has had his share of problems in the past three events, but each time, he’s managed to dust himself off and move on as if nothing had happened.

At Martinsville, Va., Earnhardt did a 360-degree spin early in the race but came back to finish second, right behind Rusty Wallace.

At North Wilkesboro, N.C., Earnhardt fought problems all day and wound up two laps off the pace, in seventh place. But once again, he kept Wallace in his sights; Wallace was fourth.

And last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Earnhardt again was involved in an early wreck that could have been devastating. Instead, he rallied for a third-place finish, a whopping 34 spots ahead of Wallace, who broke a timing chain.

With three events left, Earnhardt enjoys a 321-point advantage over Wallace.

“We’ve really dodged some bullets these last three races,” Earnhardt said. “I’ve jumped right in behind the target and hollered boo, but they haven’t hit me yet.”

NO COMMENT: Almost immediately after winning the Mello Yello 500 at Charlotte, Dale Jarrett was bombarded with questions about his future.

Jarrett has emerged as a leading candidate to take over the driving duties for Robert Yates Racing in 1995 should Ernie Irvan not recover in time.

When asked what his plans are for next year, Jarrett responded: “To go Winston Cup racing. I’m not even thinking about ’95 right now. I’m thinking about finishing these last three races of ’94 and trying to win some more.

“It’s time for some new headlines other than the ones that have been written.”

Joe Gibbs, Jarrett’s car owner, concurred.

“I think Dale’s right,” he said. “We want to concentrate on this victory and not spend a lot of time worrying about next year.”

BODINES THEY AREN’T: Darrell and Michael Waltrip definitely shouldn’t be mistaken for the feuding Bodine brothers.

Brett and Geoff Bodine had a very public wreck during the running of the inaugural Brickyard 400, and the two subsequently admitted that they’re not exactly close.

That’s not the case with the Waltrips. Michael lost control of his car coming out of the second turn at Charlotte with less than two laps left last week. As his car slid toward the retaining wall, older brother Darrell just happened to be in the way.

“We hugged each other and everything’s fine,” Darrell said after wreckers had hauled away the remains of their two cars.

“It was my fault,” Michael said. “I overdid it.”

FAMILY AFFAIR: Dale Jarrett, son of Hall of Fame driver Ned Jarrett, isn’t the only family member with a victory to his credit this month.

Dale Jarrett’s son, Jason, a sophomore at Lenoir-Rhyne College, got his first Limited Sportsman victory Oct. 1 at Hickory Motor Speedway. The younger Jarrett also was named the season’s top rookie in his division.

Dale Jarrett was on hand to see his son’s victory.

“I was really impressed to see him come as far as he has,” the elder Jarrett said.

After Jarrett took the checkered flag, “He keyed the mike and hollered all the way back to the start-finish line,” his father said. “When he got out of the car, he tried to stand on the door and nearly fell off. It was exciting to see him so happy.”

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Almost all of the teams on the Winston Cup circuit have their shops somewhere in the vicinity of Charlotte Motor Speedway. If they’re not within a few miles of the track, then it’s only a town or two away for most of them.

Darrell Waltrip, however, may have them all beat.

After most crashes at Charlotte, a wrecker will haul the car back to the team’s garage, where the remains then become the team’s responsibility.

But after his car was wrecked at the end of Sunday’s race, Waltrip had the wrecker tow it directly back to his shop, which is located just beyond the speedway’s second turn.

BUSY RICK: The Mello Yello 500 must have seemed anticlimactic for Rick Hendrick.

The race marked the end of a busy week for Hendrick, one of the nation’s largest automobile dealers and the owner of Winston Cup cars driven by Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader.

Earlier in the week, Hendrick broke ground for a 45,000-square-foot addition to his motor sports complex and announced a new sponsorship agreement with Budweiser for Schrader’s car.

And last Saturday, Hendrick entertained about 3,500 employees at the Busch Grand National race at Charlotte. The 3,500 were responding to Hendrick’s open invitation for all employees to attend an open house at Hendrick Motorsports, eat lunch at the track and attend a race.

GROWING BONUS: The Unocal 76 Challenge, a $7,600-per-race bonus that goes to a driver who can win an event from the pole, will be $60,800 at the AC Delco 500 in Rockingham.

Ward Burton, the pole-sitter at Charlotte, crashed early and failed to collect a $53,200 bonus.

The bonus has gone uncollected for eight races, since Geoff Bodine’s victory Aug. 21 at Michigan International Speedway.