Sears Point Qualifying - Fri., June 26
The Kid's on a roll, and the Kid's got the pole. They asked Dale Earnhardt about his qualifying chances before he went out, and he made reference to "The Kid," saying he didn't think he could best his time. He nicknamed Jeff Gordon with "The Kid" during the '95 season when Jeff was on top of the championship points battle. Actually, they are good friends, and are even in a couple of outside business ventures together. Earnhardt was right, he efforts were only good enough for a 17th starting spot in Sundays road race, and Jeff Gordon turned in the fastest time. Jerry Nadeau, an excellect road racer, posted the second best time to round out the front row, and was joined by Dale Jarrett, Geoff Bodine, and Jeremy Mayfield as the top 5 qualifiers. Some of the top road racing drivers didn't make the top 25, including Mark Martin, who got partially off the newly configured track during his effort to qualify.
This week, NASCAR belongs to Jeremy Mayfield. You can just imagine how good the Owensboro, Ky. native feels, winning his first Winston Cup race on one of his favorite tracks, passing his boyhood idol (Darrell Waltrip) to take the lead for the fifth and final time, while fighting off a two-time WC champion (Jeff Gordon) who stayed right on his tail. He had to fight for it, and that made the win all that much sweeter, for the 29-year-old race driver.
All in all, it was one of the best races so far this season. It was full of exciting racing on a very difficult track. There was controversy, as always. There were hard feelings caused by the John Deere car driven by Chad Little. He thought he was far enough past the Havoline Oil car of rookie Kenny Irwin, to cut down left into the groove on the white line on the bottom of the track, but the tapes showed that he wasn't! He came down and his left rear bumped the right front of Irwin's #28 car that was holding his line, which spun Mr. Chad Little into the wall. Then he claimed that Irwin hit him? I imagine that after he sees the tapes of the wreck, he'll know where the mistake was made, and who made it. We fans have the luxury of watching the replays on the TV, and the drivers don't, plus they are all wound up by the heat of the moment, and the violence and disappointment of the wreck.
