Daytona GM tests 95-01-23

DAYTONA GENERAL MOTORS TESTING -- 1-23-95

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sterling Marlin kicked off his first appearance of the winter at Daytona International Speedway Monday with the fastest speed of the day in General Motors NASCAR Winston Cup stock car testing.

Marlin, the defending champion of the Feb. 19 Daytona 500, was clocked at 191.898 mph in his Morgan-McClure Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a speed that equaled the second-best laps of the winter previously run by Rusty Wallace in a Ford and Robert Pressley in a Monte Carlo.

Other fast laps Monday were recorded by Pressley, 191.816; Michael Waltrip, 191.530 in a Pontiac; and Jeff Gordon, the defending winner of the Feb. 12 Busch Clash, 191.002 in another Monte Carlo. Four additional drivers for the 21 teams that were present topped 190 mph, including Daytona 500 pole winner Kyle Petty, who ran 190.799 in a Pontiac; and veteran Jimmy Hensley, who "sat-in" at 190.396 mph in Dale Earnhardt's Chevy, while Earnhardt fulfilled another obligation.

Earnhardt is expected to test on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Testing continues today. A section of the Oldfield Grandstand will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with access through the Visitors' Center.

Richard Petty's race car driving son is nothing if not a free spirit. The younger Petty raced last week, but not in the cars he's accustomed to. And, he not only won, but set a world record in the process.

Unlike NASCAR Winston Cup races, there wasn't anybody to call out: "Gentlemen, start your engines," and they didn't wave a green flag at the start or a checkered flag at the finish. Kyle Petty's conveyance was a 46-foot Scarab offshore powerboat named the "Drambuie Challenger" and powered by four Caterpillar diesel engines. Petty, the driver, teamed up with throttleman John Tomlinson and navigator Dick Clark to set a world record time -- six hours, 42 minutes, 41 seconds -- for the 320-mile jaunt from Tampa, on the Gulf of Mexico; to Miami on the Atlantic Coast.

"I had a lot of fun doing that," explained Petty, during a lull in stock car testing. "My body still aches from the pounding you get. It's different than driving in the 500. In the race, your upper body, your arms and shoulders, get sore and your butt gets sore. In the boat, your back and kidneys take a constant beating because you're cushioning the impact of the waves with your legs."

How did Petty get into a powerboat? Easy. A representative of Caterpillar, which is an associate sponsor on Petty's Winston Cup car, called and asked if he would like to give it a try. Petty was ready. The first tries -- late last year -- didn't come off due to hurricane-induced bad weather. Next, the team encountered an engine problem.

"It was a lot of fun, a change of pace," noted Petty. "I'd try it again."

MEDIA ADVISORY: There will be a major announcement by NASCAR Winston Cup driver Joe Nemechek and NEMCO Motorsports on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m., in the Benny Kahn Infield Media Center at Daytona International Speedway.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The fastest laps* recorded in pre-season General Motors NASCAR Winston Cup stock car testing Monday at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, listing driver, car, #, time in seconds and speed in miles-per-hour:

Sterling Marlin              Chevrolet #4          46.90         191.898
Robert Pressley              Chevrolet #33         46.92         191.816
Michael Waltrip              Pontiac #30           46.99         191.530
Jeff Gordon                  Chevrolet #24         47.12         191.002
Kyle Petty                   Pontiac #42           47.17         190.799
Darrell Waltrip              Chevrolet #17         47.21         190.638
Terry Labonte                Chevrolet #5          47.22         190.597
Jimmy Hensley                Chevrolet #3          47.27         190.396
Randy Lajoie                 Pontiac #22           47.37         189.994
Dave Marcis                  Chevrolet #71         47.40         189.837
Jeff Purvis                  Chevrolet #44         47.43         189.753
Joe Nemechek                 Chevrolet #87         47.59         189.115
Scott Brayton                Chevrolet #14         47.68         188.758
Bobby Labonte                Chevrolet #18         47.77         188.403
Bobby Hamilton               Pontiac #43           47.80         188.285
Greg Sacks                   Pontiac #40           47.81         188.245
Steve Grissom                Chevrolet #29         47.85         188.088
Ward Burton                  Chevrolet #31         47.90         187.891
Ricky Craven                 Chevrolet #41         47.92         187.813
Mike Chase                   Chevrolet #32         48.20         186.722
Kerry Teague                 Chevrolet #13         48.59         185.223

* = Randomly hand-timed and from various sources.