Gordon Sees Early Run Hold Up for Pole Position

By SHAV GLICK

May 2, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

FONTANA —

Jeff Gordon, who won last year’s inaugural California 500 from the third starting position, will start even better Sunday--on the pole--in the second NASCAR race at California Speedway.

One of the early starters in qualifying Friday, Gordon ran a lap at 181.772 mph in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo and then sat back and watched as 45 other Winston Cup drivers took their one lap around the two-mile track and failed to better it.

It is Gordon’s 17th pole, but it was the defending Winston Cup champion’s first this year. He became the ninth Bud Pole winner in the 10 races this season.

Jeremy Mayfield was second-fastest at 180.659 in a Ford Taurus. He was followed by three more Fords, driven by Mark Martin, Winston Cup points leader Rusty Wallace and Johnny Benson.

Bobby Labonte, winner of last week’s DieHard 500 at Talladega, Ala., was the fastest Pontiac driver, running 179.578 for seventh-fastest. Sixth was last year’s pole sitter, Joe Nemecheck.

Speeds were surprisingly lower than last year, when Greg Sacks had the fastest qualifying lap of 183.753 mph. Nemecheck ran 183.015 for the pole, but Sacks ran faster on the second day.

“I really thought someone would do better,” said Gordon, who will collect a $100,000 bonus if he can win Sunday’s race from the pole. “We were pretty happy with the way the car ran right off the truck, but during the day Ray [Evernham] and his guys made some little adjustments, and all of a sudden it came to life and I was able to get on the gas harder.”

Dale Jarrett and Brett Bodine crashed during their qualifying attempt, both as they were going into the third turn. Bodine’s brother, Todd, also crashed during morning practice.

“I’m all right, but I just ruined a good race car,” Brett Bodine said. “The car just got away from me going into three. We don’t usually make mistakes, and I think the racetrack has kind of crept up on us as far as conditions going away. I wasn’t ready for it to be that slick. It was just a mistake on my part.”

Gusty winds, coupled with a gradually warming day, also hampered drivers with late starting times.

Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt, whose frightening crash last Sunday at Talladega triggered a 20-car pileup, looked none the worse for wear Friday.

Elliott, although still sore from hitting the wall head on, qualified 12th, and Earnhardt, his mustache singed by fire from Elliott’s car, was in 29th position. Only the first 25 qualifiers were assured a starting berth for Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. start, but Earnhardt’s 177.866 lap was considered safely in the field.

Nonqualifiers can make another attempt today, but they might choose to stick with their Friday speed to make the 43-car field.

Jarrett and Brett Bodine will make second attempts, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. will try to qualify Todd Bodine’s Pontiac. Bodine was hospitalized briefly for observation but was released.

Motor Racing Notes

Two races, plus the second day of Winston Cup qualifying, will take the spotlight today.

Defending Auto Club 200 champion Ken Schrader, doing double duty, will be on the pole for the Winston West race. Schrader, who won a Featherlite Southwest Tour race earlier in the year, drives anywhere he can find a race--and often wins.

Schrader ran a record 179.623 mph Thursday. Kevin Harvick, the Winston West points leader from Bakersfield, will start alongside the veteran from Fenton, Mo.

“I haven’t had much superspeedway experience, so I’m looking at this as a learning experience,” Harvick said. “I have a lot to learn about drafting, and maybe I can pick up some pointers watching Kenny.”

The second True Value International Race of Champions, a 50-lap adventure for 12 drivers in identically prepared Pontiac Firebirds, will follow at 2:30 p.m.

Trans-Am champion Tom Kendall, whose unplanned retirement ended when he was named to drive one of Felix Sabates’ Chevys in two Winston Cup road races, will be on the pole as a result of having finished last in the IROC opener at Daytona Beach, Fla. Kendall, who lives in Santa Monica, was forced to miss Thursday’s IROC practice when he got caught in the freeway traffic jam caused by a suicide.

Gordon, who won the Daytona IROC, will start from the rear of the field with fellow Winston Cup driver Jeff Burton.

Speedway officials announced that all 86,429 grandstand seats for Sunday’s race have been sold. Tickets are available, however, for today’s doubleheader. . . . The ESPN telecast of Friday night’s NASCAR Hollywood Gala will be shown today at 4 p.m., not at 7, as previously announced. The show will include awards to drivers of each of NASCAR’s five decades.

CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY RACES AT A GLANCE

CALIFORNIA 500 QUALIFYING

Friday’s qualifying for the first 25 positions for Sunday’s California 500. Remainder of 43-car lineup to be determined today in further time trials: *--*

POS. DRIVER (CAR NO.) HOMETOWN CAR MPH 1. Jeff Gordon (24) Pittsboro, Ind. Chevrolet 181.772 2. Jeremy Mayfield (12) Owensboro, Ky. Ford 180.659 3. Mark Martin (6) Batesville, Ark. Ford 180.248 4. Rusty Wallace (2) St. Louis Ford 180.230 5. Johnny Benson (26) Grand Rapids, Mich. Ford 179.825 6. Joe Nemechek (42) Lakeland, Fla. Chevrolet 179.686 7. Bobby Labonte (18) Corpus Christi, Texas Pontiac 179.578 8. Ward Burton (22) South Boston, Va. Pontiac 179.435 9. Terry Labonte (5) Corpus Christi, Texas Chevrolet 179.412 10. Morgan Shepherd (46) Conover, N.C. Chevrolet 179.381 11. Darrell Waltrip (1) Owensboro, Ky. Chevrolet 179.296 12. Bill Elliott (94) Dawsonville, Ga. Ford 179.256 13. Kevin LePage (91) Shelbourne, Vt. Chevrolet 178.998 14. Sterling Marlin (40) Columbia, Tenn. Chevrolet 178.873 15. Ken Schrader (33) Fenton, Mo. Chevrolet 178.709 16. Lake Speed (9) Jackson, Miss. Ford 178.700 17. Kyle Petty (44) Randleman, N.C. Pontiac 178.669 18. Kenny Irwin (28) Indianapolis Ford 178.545 19. David Green (96) Owensboro, Ky. Chevrolet 178.509 20. Robert Pressley (77) Asheboro, N.C. Ford 178.443 21. Jeff Burton (99) South Boston, Va. Ford 178.412 22. Ernie Irvan (36) Salinas Pontiac 178.408 23. Ricky Rudd (10) Chesapeake, Va. Ford 178.280 24. Ted Musgrave (16) Franklin, Wis. Ford 178.213 25. John Andretti (43) Indianapolis Pontiac 178.213

*--*

TODAY’S IROC RACE

TIME: 2:30 p.m.

DISTANCE: 50 laps (100 miles)

*--*

NO. DRIVER HOMETOWN SERIES 1. Tom Kendall La Canada SCCA Trans-Am 2. Randy LaJoie Norwalk, Conn. NASCAR Busch Series 3. Jimmy Vasser Las Vegas CART Indy-car 4. Tony Stewart Rushville, Ind. Indy Racing League 5. Al Unser Jr. Albuquerque CART Indy-car 6. Terry Labonte Corpus Christi, Texas NASCAR Winston Cup 7. Dale Jarrett Hickory, N.C. NASCAR Winston Cup 8. Arie Luyendyk Netherlands Indy Racing League 9. Dale Earnhardt Kannapolis, N.C. NASCAR Winston Cup 10. Mark Martin Batesville, Ark. NASCAR Winston Cup 11. Jeff Burton South Boston, Va. NASCAR Winston Cup 12. Jeff Gordon Pittsboro, Ind. NASCAR Winston Cup

*--*

TODAY’S WINSTON WEST RACE

Time: Noon

Distance: 100 laps (200 miles)

Lineup for NASCAR Winston West Series stock car race with driver’s name, car number and qualifying speed in mph :

1. Ken Schrader (15): 179.623

2. Kevin Harvick (75): 175.238

3. Mike Dillon (3): 175.178

4. Nipper Alsup (47): 175.165

5. Butch Gilliland (1): 175.012

6. Jeff Davis (4): 174.567

7. Lance Norick (60): 173.498