Unknowns Get Their Chance to Smell the Roses

One of the nicest things about the second day of the Los Angeles Street Race was that if the cars didn’t interest you, you could stroll through the Exposition Park rose gardens. It was hard to tell which was the attraction Sunday as the museums and the race track shared the holiday crowd.

Forty-nine Featherlite Southwest Series drivers attempted to qualify Sunday, but the one that today’s Kragen Z-One 200 has been built around--Winston Cup veteran Mark Martin--won’t be on the track until today. After finishing a disappointing 40th because of engine failure in Sunday afternoon’s Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C., Martin planned to fly out Sunday night.

In the absence of Martin and fellow Winston Cup drivers Ken Schrader and Chad Little, first day qualifiers were led by Greg Pursley of Newhall, a part-time competitor at Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway, who completed a lap of the six-turn, 1.4-mile street circuit at an average speed of 79.120 mph.

Kurt Busch of Las Vegas, who clinched rookie of the year honors last week at Erie, Colo., will start alongside Pursley with a 77.970 speed. Both drive Chevrolet Monte Carlos.

Schrader and Little were also at Darlington, Schrader finishing 13th and Little 18th.

“It’s going to be like a parking lot for those guys back in the field at the start,” said Pursley, who usually is a crewman at Mesa Marin for Ray Adamo, the track’s Winston West Series leader and former track champion. “It’ll take a few laps before everyone gets sorted out because it’s going to be very difficult to find a place to pass.”

Surprisingly, two of the first three qualifiers, Pursley and Roger Mears Jr. of Bakersfield, are not Southwest Series regulars. Mears is third at 77.671 in another Chevrolet.

“It will be tough starting that far back, but you can never count those guys [Martin and Schrader] out,” said Mears, who usually participates in desert off-road events. “They have so much experience, I’m sure they’ll make their presence known.”

Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev., and M.K. Kanke of Granada Hills, the Southwest Series points leaders, will start alongside one another in the third row. Portenga ran 77.126 in a Chevy, Kanke 76.728 in a Pontiac Grand Prix.

Only the fastest 25 drivers qualified for today’s 40-car field. The remainder of the starters will be determined in a second session at 11 a.m. today.

Among those who missed were former Indy 500 driver Willy T. Ribbs, who is 27th in a Ford Taurus at 74.487 mph, and Butch Gilliland, the Winston West champion from Anaheim, who failed to complete a lap.

Today’s race is scheduled to start at approximately 2:30 p.m., following timed races for the American City Racing League, Ultra Wheel Spec Truck series and the PRO Racing Series.

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On the Streets

* What: Ford Los Angeles Street Race, featuring the Kragen Z-One 200, a NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series event.

* Where: Exposition Park, on six-turn 1.4-mile course bordering the Coliseum and Sports Arena.

* When: Today, qualifying 11 a.m., preliminary races at noon, main event at 2:30 p.m.

* Tickets: Reserved seating $30, children $15; general admission $20, children $10.

* TV/Radio: None.