Lori's Charolette notes 97-10-04

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Some sad news to report today fans. This is the first weekend in 216 races... yes I said 216 races, that we will not see the familiar sight of the #17 Western Auto Chevy driven by owner/driver Darrell Waltrip. Darrell had a not so great qualifying effort on Wednesday, and chose not to attempt to re-qualify. This marks the first time in Darrell's 25 year career, that he did not make the field, due to the fact that the car was not up to speed. And of all years for this to happen, the year that Darrell is celebrating his 25 year career as a Winston Cup driver.

In the past Darrell, when having problems, was able to use the Past Champions Provisional, and provisional starting spots. But those have run out. This marks the first time Darrell has missed a race since 1990. He was injured in a 1990 crash at Daytona, started the following race, and then missed the next five races while recovering from the accident. He finally returned to drive the car again in September 1990, at Richmond International Speedway.

This will be a sad day not only for the drivers, but also for the fans of Winston Cup Racing. For many years, and still today, Darrell's wisdom, class, and zest for the sport he loves has been an inspiration to us all. To see him not out there with the rest of the field, fighting for every position he can get just will not seem like a normal Sunday. His sportsmanship, geniuses, and respect for the sport and his competitors makes for a fantastic role model to all the fans, young and old.

For those of you that are his fans, I hear that he may be commentating this weekend. Also there is a fantastic article commemorating his 25 years as a Winston Cup driver and Champion in this month's Stock Car Racing Magazine.

Lori Tyler NASCAR Fans lori@nascarfans.com _______________________________________ NASCAR Fans Website http://www.nascarfans.com

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