Don’t worry if you don’t know what the Sovran Bank is. I didn’t either until I looked it up and found it was a bank that operated in Virginia between 1983 and 1990. I guess that makes sense that it would sponsor a race at Martinsville (as opposed to say Michigan or Talladega).
The version I will be working off is only an hour long so I’m guessing it’s a clipped version. Richard Petty says he’s expecting to win and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a short track or a superspeedway. Eli Gold and Dr. Jerry Punch talk about Earnhardt’s success so far this season but suggest his aggressive style has caused controversy. They call him “The Rambo of the Short Tracks” and there’s a marketing idea that never was. Earnhardt downplays the controversy (he spun Sterling Marlin at Bristol) but says he’s focused on winning. Marlin says it’s water under the bridge and he wants to try and win at Martinsville.
Back from a commercial (clipped) and they are interviewing Morgan Shepherd, the polesitter. Okay, ten minutes in and we’re still in the pre-race segments. Come on, let’s get to the race! Hey, Shepherd is driving a Buick. Long time since I’ve heard of a Buick in a race. Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Fords all in the field but only 31 cars in the field, with Bill Elliott starting last with a provisional. There was no practice due to rain in Virginia in the days prior to the race.
Shepherd leaves them to green but the battle is between Harry Gant and Terry Labonte for second. Jimmy Means is off the track but we stay green and Means gets back on track and keeps going. However, Means will bring out the first caution when he spins and collects Shepherd. No real damage to either car but Gold and Punch barely reference the fact that the leader just got spun.
Heading back from pit stops and commercials, Gant has the lead but Earnhardt is right on his back bumper, with Darrell Waltrip in third. Earnhardt makes a pass for the lead and DW comes with him. Gant has gone high and falls back to third. (Man, those ’87 Chevys look awesomely cool!)
Waltrip would dog Earnhardt for some time before making the pass. Shepherd, back in the pack, may have some continued issue. Bill Elliott meanwhile is heading towards the front. He started last, was 11th after the caution and is 6th as we head to break.
Hey! They referenced Larry McReynolds, but all you see is his back as they look towards the issues of polesitter Morgan Shepherd. With Darrell Waltrip leading, there are only ten or eleven cars still on the lead lap. Gant, who has been very loose in the corners, comes into the pits. It’s a 28.2 second which Dr. Punch says “isn’t too bad for four tires.” In 2021, a 28.2 second pit stop is a disaster.
Alan Kulwicki blows an engine and that will bring out the caution. Waltrip comes in and has a 26.6 second pit stop, to which Gold remarks he is continuing to have a good day. Meanwhile Richard Petty spins and collects Phil Parsons while under caution, and Rusty Wallace has to maneuver through the two cars.
As we come back from the break, we can’t even find out who is leading before a caution for debris, and we go to seemingly the entire field pits. Earnhardt beats Rusty Wallace out of the pits which I guess is for the lead. Kulwicki who, only moments ago saw his car literally go up in smoke, follows them out. (Could he be a lap or so down?) Kyle Petty, in the Wood Brothers #21, has spun and lost a tire. As Darrell Waltrip once said “You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel!”
As Petty is towed to the pits, we learn Bill Elliott is leading, having taken only two tires. Petty comes back onto the track and gets black-flagged. So the Elliott, Wallace, Earnhardt, Waltrip and Geoff Bodine are your Top 5, with Phil Parsons the only other car on the lead lap. So either Parsons did a super-human job of recovering from the spin under caution or this tape has jumped ahead but quite a bit. (With Kulwicki going from a blown engine to returning to the track, I’m guessing it’s the latter.)
As Benny Parsons (out of the race) is interviews, Rusty Wallace looks like he’s about to tap Elliott to get by him. Wallace almost turns Elliott but Bill manages to save the car but loses the lead. Earnhardt takes advantage and moves into second.
Richard Petty is slowing and tried to get to pit road but comes to a stop. With the caution out, Wallace hustles into the pit. Earnhardt comes to a stop at the exit of pit row (at the instruction of an official) and Waltrip nearly plows into him. He does get stopped in time. Earnhardt leads the race as we go back to green. The battle becomes between Earnhardt and Bobby Allison who tries to get back on the lead lap, but without success.
Waltrip was running for second before Wallace gets around him. Moments later Waltrip heads to pit row and goes behind the wall. He had been losing oil pressure and the engine let go. Wallace manages to get around Earnhardt with a clean pass. Back in the pack, Phil Parsons and Bobby Allison get together and Allison spins. He gets the car pointed in the right direction but the caution is out.
As the race starts to wind down, Geoff Bodine is leading while Earnhardt and Wallace trade some point. Looks like Bodine has stayed out but his crew chief Gary Nelson says the car is okay on fuel. Earnhardt goes around Elliott for second. Richard Childress says Earnhardt can make it on fuel but needs a caution for Earnhardt to catch Bodine.
Kyle Petty, back on track, is battling to stay ahead of Bodine. I guess an airgun malfunctioned and that’s why the lugnuts weren’t tight on the wheel. And just when it looks like Bodine might be headed to a victory, he and Kyle Petty collide and Bodine spins out. Earnhardt goes by him and Bodine almost clips Wallace. There’s no caution and so Earnhardt is back to the lead. Amazingly, Bodine is back up and running in third.
After a commercial break, Earnhardt comes to ten laps to go with the lead. Wallace, Bodine and Phil Parsons are the only cars on the lead lap. This could be Parsons best finish to date.
Five laps to go and it’s still Earnhardt. He splits Elliott and Terry Labonte, both laps down but battling for fifth spot. He’ll pass Labonte as he comes to the white flag.
And Dale Earnhardt will take the checkered flag at Martinsville, his sixth win of the season, fourth in a row and 26th career win (50 more to go). Dale is happy; Geoff Bodine is disappointed but doesn’t think the spin was intentional, just unfortunate. Kyle Petty takes the blame but would still have raced the same way.
Phil Parsons did get his best finish to date as did Michael Waltrip, who finished 10th.
From Martinsville, we head to Talladega and a race that changed NASCAR.
johnmilner.ca 