Classic Full Race Replay: 1988 Phoenix | NASCAR Cup Series

back at Phoenix International Raceway ESPN Speed World and here now is the starting lineup for today's checker 500 the first time ever for the Winston Cup cars here at Phoenix pole-sitter is Jeff bodean at 120 3.20 three miles an hour his third pole position of the year outside of row number one it's Rusty Wallace in the Kodiak Pontiac car number 27 the second row is hairy candid car number 33 and Ricky Rudd in number 26 row number three the number 89 car driven by Jim Sauter and then Bill Elliott in number nine the fourth row Mark Martin in car number six along with Neil Bonnett in 75 in row number five at his Sterling Marlin in car number 44 and Rick Wilson in number four then Michael Waltrip and Lake speed in the sixth row and as we take a look at the rest of the starting lineup you will notice that interspersed through the starting lineup are a few of those that compete regularly in the Winston West series they have also joined their Winston Cup counterparts in this event this afternoon I thought this is a very unique racetrack there are two other one-mile tracks on the Western Cup circuit both are very high banked racetrack these turns are relatively flat and the dogleg on the back it's a t-shaped racetrack and certainly one that will give them plenty of challenge here this afternoon there are a total of 43 starters in this race with bill Schmidt in car number 0-3 bringing up the tail as you can see the cars are now going down the front stretch on their last warm-up lap next time around will be getting the green flag and the start of the checker 500 the Phoenix International Raceway is a one-mile oval the pole time was 29.2 200 seconds at a speed of 120 3.20 3 will go 312 laps and we should have about 92 95 laps before the cars will have to come in for a fuel stop it is a 500 kilometer race not a 500-mile race so 312 laps and hour in car camera will be carried by Dale Jarrett the Hardys race cam cars now are down the backstretch this is not a true oval there is instead a dogleg in the middle of the backstretch creating sort of a t-shaped oval they are now through turn number three as the pace Carr is leading the field at this time but we're just about to go green and start this checker 500 look at the hill over there just outside of turn number 4 there usually are a few hundred people on that hill watching a race today there are thousands there and the grandstands are packed we are set to go for an afternoon of exciting racing in Phoenix Arizona here comes Jeff bodean and the others down for a start Rusty Wallace on the outside of the front row the green flag waves and here we go well Rusty Wallace would certainly like to lead this first lap if at all possible that would give him five bonus points in Winston Cup competition but Geoff Bodine has taken the lead now right now going out of turn number two it is Geoff Bodine that leads Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd through the dogleg now they go high on the racetrack and dive into turn number three now Wallace begins to move in on Geoff Bodine would like very much to lead lap number one he'll try to go inside of Bodine coming up for Bo dine a little bit sideways side-by-side action here it's going to be both time leading Ricky rut goes to the inside of Rusty Wallace and tries to get capture second position but cannot do it and net in the opening lap we've seen some bumping and banging going on almost a repeat of North Wilkesboro a few weeks ago as they got together they're banging around and I expect we'll see a good bit of that here this afternoon well as you indicated rusty wants to lead so to make sure that he gets those five extra points he needs all that he can in order to win that Winston Cup he is second in points going into this race [Music] Rusty Wallace right on the back bumper of Jeff bowtie now rusty will look inside as the cars come out of turn number two once again and go down the backstretch side-by-side racing it's Wallace to the inside in car number 27 and Geoff Bodine the poll Center outside in number five and rusty is going to take the lead from Bodine at least momentarily here comes benign back however on the outside but look at the number 26 car driven by Ricky Rudd it's also involved in the contest and Bill Elliott is not too far behind at car number nine so Rusty Wallace does have those five bonus points he gets credit for leading lap number three well unless Bill Elliott leads a lamp that now cuts the margin to 74 he went into the race with the seventy five point seventy nine point deficit now down to 70 for Rusty Wallace Geoff Bodine Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott are your first four running back in fifth position is Harry Gant and those five are right together on the racetrack we have a car slowing down on the racetrack that's Davey Allison the number 28 Hamilton Ford he is very slow through corners number three and four and he's going to stay out there on the racetrack but something has obviously happened to that car that caused it to slow so Davey Allison has a problem and he has dropped back to the almost the tail of the field now trying to struggle with that car meanwhile we go back up front and see what is going on up there Rusty Wallace still has the lead boat on comes out of the fourth corner very high Ricky Rudd is still running in third position Bill Elliott is fourth fifth is Harry Gant back in sixth position is Jim Sauter in seventh is Neil Bonnett eighth is Mark Martin ninth is Mike Alexander and in 10th position is Sterling Marlin with five laps out of 312 completed you can see that the first five cars have separated themselves a little bit from the rest of the field as back in six spot is Sauter off the fourth corner once again it is Rusty Wallace leading in the number 27 Kodiak Pontiac and the Chevrolet number five driven by Geoff Bodine hanging in there in second there are the first five once again we welcome you those of you who've been watching tennis we are Phoenix International Raceway the checker 500 Winston Cup race from Phoenix International Raceway we are here on a beautiful Sunday afternoon Phoenix International Raceway hosting the Winston Cup Series for the first time ever the race has just begun we are seven laps into it and at the moment it is Rusty Wallace who has the lead over the pole sitter of this race who is Geoff Bodine he is running in second third position belongs to Ricky Rudd it's a 312 lap race 500 kilometers on this one-mile track and we'll be back with more of our coverage in just a moment as we go back now to tennis contest for second position is between Jeff bodean and car number five and Ricky Rudd in number 26 and let's go down to the pit area and get a report from dr. Jerry punch on what the problem might be with Davey Allison's car he slowed dramatically just the last few laps with Team Manager Robert Gamez and Robert Davey the fail to hook up mud tires you know like he thought in front evidently the springs in the ratchet failed to work and you know they had him just spinning one wheel there for a little bit it seemed to be alright now possibly our Aryan problem or early ratchet problem trouble for Davey Allison so Davey Allison is going to be struggling to get back up toward the front of the field there he goes inside of the number 75 car driven by Roy Smith from Seattle Washington who has already clinched the Winston West championship for 1988 in that state Marcus in car number 71 just ahead of Davey Allison so Allison's struggling here in the early going look at the interval that Rusty Wallace has opened up over second place Geoff Bodine and Jeff has his hands full now with Ricky Rudd in car number 26 as Rudd challenges for second spot Oh Bob a couple of drivers who have never been here before Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd have adapted very quickly to this relatively flat one-mile track at Phoenix Geoff Bodine of course it came out here last week and did some testing and that he said that helped him to sit on the pole but right now he does have his hands full with Ricky Rudd let's watch Rudd tactic here as they go through the dogleg on the backstretch not making a challenge for that second position at the moment but it is a very tight contest for the runner-up position as Rusty Wallace has the lead now we'll watch Rudd stick his nose to the inside of Geoff Bodine as the cars come down the straightaway of course Rudd driving the Buick and Geoff Bodine in the Chevrolet as the Pontiac of Rusty Wallace has bowed at 12 or 15 car lengths lead at this moment well Rudd took advantage of a little bit of a slip of Geoff Bodine Bodine went a little bit high that's all Rudd needed to stick the nose of his Buick down on the inside and he's going to take over second position so now Ricky Rudd has second spot dropping our pole sitter Geoff Bodine back to 3rd position still running in fourth position is the Bill Elliott car and Harry Gant is in fifth we'll be back with more of our live coverage of the checker 500 from Phoenix International Raceway welcome everyone to Phoenix International Raceway ESPN speed world today is live for the checker 500 Winston Cup race and here are the top positions now with 18 out of 312 laps completed it's Rusty Wallace in the lead Ricky Rudd is second third as Geoff Bodine fourth is Bill Elliott and fifth is Harry Gant sixth position belongs to Mark Martin then Jim Sauter Neil Bonnett Sterling Marlin and Lake speed we are under our first caution period of the afternoon it was caused when Brett Bodine blew an engine and did sent dumped some fluid on the racetrack so they have been cleaning it up Brett Bodine is out of the race to summarize what's happened so far the number 5 car of Jeff Bodine led the first two laps then Rusty Wallace passed and has been leading since that time everyone is still on the lead lap with the exception of Brad Knopf singer who pitted too early when the yellow flag came out so here comes now the field off of corner number four you can see the tremendous crowd that has turned out for this first ever Winston Cup race at PIR on lap number 19 the green flag comes back out we are racing once again and the field comes down the front straightaway jockeying for positions and these turns are relatively flat Bob it really gives the drivers a challenge as they go into the turn there's a dogleg on the backstretch as we see Rusty Wallace maneuver through that part of the racetrack Ricky Rudd now that he's moved into second wants to put a challenge on rusty we have seen throughout the first 16 17 laps of this race the first five sort of separating themselves from the rest of the field as Harry Gant running back there in fifth position is able to stay up with the foreign head of him now Dale Earnhardt is trying to move up through the field he started this race back in the 13th position and now tries to gain a position over the number 75 car of Neil Bonnett let's get out of the pit area and Jerry punch Bob bet documents some of the drivers have had trouble early on here at the checker 5 how do we mention Brett Bodine has already retired the Crisco for with an engine problem that first caution flag a lot of oil nobody I think they may have a ratchet not pulling and the third driver to have problems but it really was a break for him with Alan Kulwicki he had a flat right front tire the tire went flat this is the yellow flag came out he came down pit road and changed it and its back at the rear of the field all right we're watching the first two now Rusty Wallace in car number 27 and Ricky Rudd in number 26 and that's something that we will discuss here in the early going the tire situation and now there were five actually six cars that began this race on Hoosier tires everybody else on Goodyear the Hoosier drivers were Ken Schrader Roy Smith Johnny Rutherford Greg sacks Trevor boys and Ken Bouchard but now bear in mind we're racing in the desert and that is sand there on the inside of the track and when you kick up a little bit of that on the track net I would think that perhaps we might see some tire problems as the race goes along good very well in fact these tires don't have a great deal of rubber on them a lot of the drivers were concerned about about the amount of rubber they have and of course the lesser amount of rubber you have the last heat buildup you have but if you run over something is much easier to cut and if the wind should get up and blow some of that desert best out there that could do it here we got a spin Danny turn one car sideways in turn number one another car spins behind so two are involved in this will try to get the numbers for you just as quickly as possible one cars to the inside of the track and the other one is in the middle of the racetrack I believe that both of them are going to be able to keep going Gary cope is one of them involved in the number 68 car and Jimmy means I believe was the other one that got sideways and spun to the inside of the racetrack bar both are under their own power right now the second caution period of the afternoon is upon us as the race to the caution is on and Bill Elliott is in the pits let's go there it's a four-tire change for Elliott Bob he's come in he's about the only one here on pit road although many of the crews are ready to serve as their team's Elliott's the lone one of the front this chosen this opportunity to come in they've already got the right size change left-side change he's gone he'll pick up the back of the pack a boy being in the back of the pack on a track like this it's difficult to pass on really gives him a lot of work to do here's a replay of what happened that has caused our second caution of the day that's dari cope who was spinning there in the middle of the racetrack Derrick's car had been a little bit loose he spins to the outside of the track you can see their own coming traffic Michael Waltrip in the yellow car number 30 gets down on the inside and then Jimmy means Jimmy means in car number 52 comes in and spins around both drivers have brought their cars back around since then so with on lap number 24 we are under caution for the second time this afternoon we're in the desert southwest of Phoenix Arizona for the checker 500 [Music] every seat is filled and they're standing wherever they can at Phoenix International Raceway is will they enjoy for the first time ever Winston Cup racing at Phoenix International Raceway here the top five at 25 laps completed Rusty Wallace leads in car number 27 Ricky Rudd is second in number 26 the number five car of Jeff bodean is third Harry Gant in number 33 is fourth and Mark Martin in car number six is in fifth position Bill Elliott has made a pit stop he is at the back of the pack so he has a lot of cars to pass to get back up there in contention we're watching from Dale Jarrett's Hardy's Oldsmobile in the Hardee's race cam and he's back near at the end of the pack tube because he and Sterling Marlin who is just in front of in the blue car number 44 had just made pit stops as well and you can see Bill Elliott's car not too far if in front of them as they get ready for a restart you can see Dale getting set his hands on the shifter getting set to move up through the gears as they come off of corner number four and to begin the acceleration that will put us back to race speed pace car is in here comes Rusty Wallace the leader off corner number four single file formation as the green flag waves once again some passing going on back in the fifth position as Dale Earnhardt tries to move up and I believe he successfully got away that fifth position from Mark Martin so it is now Dale Earnhardt who is fifth there in the first three though it's Wallace followed by Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine where they learn Hart has done a good job in the early going here Bob he started in the 13th position and is now moved up has now moved up to the fourth position so he's on the move to the front indeed he has he has passed Harry Gant now who has been running in fourth or fifth position since the drop of the green flag but now Harry is back to fifth as Dale Earnhardt in car number three the Goodwrench Chevrolet has moved into fourth position and so as we indicated he still has a mathematical chance of winning the Winston Cup but it's going to take a near miracle for him to pull it off nevertheless he'll not give up until it is absolutely over with and he would also like to get five bonus points by leading a lap here this afternoon so he'll be driving to move up through the field rather quickly and of course as always he'll be trying to win the race that's his first consideration he says the points will fall where they will if you win the races let's go to dr. Jerry punch in the pit area who's watching Rusty Wallace lead this race well gentlemen we saw Bill Elliott come in and make a pit stop in a four-tire change in that most recent caution flag we did not see Rusty Wallace Geoff Bodine or Ricky Rudd come in and I checked with all three crew chiefs they say they just can't afford the gamble this early this track has a history of taking innocent victims out getting mired back in that traffic back in - picked his way tiptoeing through the packs and aliens read work cut out for it it does have a lot of cars to pass before he gets back up front there you can see a whole group of cars as they race down the backstretch Darrell Waltrip is involved in this group so is Neil Bonnett leading the way here the number 83 car belongs to Lake speed the 25 car red car on the outside as Ken Schrader then comes Terry Labonte and the 17 car of Darrell Waltrip what we're watching is 8 9 10 11 and 12 Terry Labonte trying to move on the inside of the ken Schrader car number 25 Miss Reiter is one of those drivers who started on the Hoosier tires and he has worked up through the pack so those tires might be working well for you well Ken Schrader did start this race from 24th position so he has moved up very nicely here in the first 31 laps of this race there's Neil Bonnett who does have a history of racing here at Phoenix International he is an 18 time winner in Winston Cup competition he has been in Winston West action here at PIR five times and called a very impressive list of accomplishments a one-time winner in 79 then a couple of poll position 77 and 81 and earned three runner-up positions and a fourth place ride in Winston West competition here at this racetrack a lot of cars they're running together that are very evenly matched you can see how close they are running together you see Kyle Petty coming in the picture at the top of the screen they're trying to move around Phil Parsons so there's good racing all over the racetrack as expected to do here at Phoenix Schrader the number 25 car running the Highline through the first and second corners we go back up front now and check on Rusty Wallace he still has the lead by about five or six car lengths over Ricky Rudd but rod is right there poised into position to move into the lead if Wallace should make a slight bobble we'll be right back the leader Rusty Wallace Ricky Rudd second than Geoff Bodine Dale Earnhardt and Harry Gant in six spot is Mark Martin then Jim Sauter Neil Bonnett Lake speed and Ken Schrader 11 through 15 Terry Labonte Darrell Waltrip Kyle Petty Phil Parsons and Bobby hill and jr. so they're the first two it is Wallace leading Ricky Rudd those two have pulled away from everybody else just a little bit so it's basically a two car race but look at this racing that's going on ken schrader Darrell Waltrip also the number 21 car of Kyle Petty is involved in this race as is the lemon car of Terry Labonte as they're racing here for the 11th position that's Waltrip and car number 17 with the inside line on ken Schrader but Kyle Petty is also right there in car number 21 Bobby Hillin jr. trails in number eight Waltrip trying to take the spot away from Ken Schrader out of turn number four and darrell has it 'no kalpana has come from 25th position Bob's of his car is really working well and will say again that this is not one of the easiest tracks on the circuit to pass on but the Wood Brothers have that citko Ford working very well for him as he's up there battling for close to a top-ten position with a couple of the Rick Hendrick cars the 17 of Darrell Waltrip and the 25 of Ken Schrader both the from the Rick Hendricks table and then the 21 Wood Brothers car driven by Kyle Petty he sneaks his nose to the inside of ken Schrader in turn number four let's see a petty can successfully complete the pass Alan Kulwicki and Bobby Hillin jr. in car 17 8 respectively watching all this from just behind Schrader taking that high line on the racetrack we've seen him in that groove since the drop of the green flag and now Kyle Petty has about a half a car length advantage on Schrader but through the dogleg Schrader battles back and holds on to that spot well the car number 7 of Alan Kulwicki he made a pit stop earlier and has come back up through the pack to battle with that crab so his car is really running good the number 55 of Phil Parsons is the fifth car here in the line now we see Alan Kulwicki moving to the inside of ken Schrader and Cole Whitt trouble here on the front straightaway car number 20 for the number 24 car driven by Gary Collins from Bakersfield California has crashed here on the main straightaway the car to the inside just and near the start/finish line if we have but both Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd making their pit stops so while Collins car is sitting on the inside of the pit wall here is Rusty Wallace and Jerry punch will call the stop on the Kodiak crew gonna work on rusty Wallace's car right side Carlin ejecta had the right side tires already off in her place they will whip around on the left side of the car Barry Dotson brings that left side Jack around did he make car in the front tire Jon Donson the rear tire Dolman Costa Mesa puts gas in the car they are trying to get out and be tricky run off of pit road left side tires are on ruts are still in the jack and rusty wall is a great pit stop and now run he just barely beats ricky rudd out of pit road and he also beats a Dale Earnhardt out well I'll tell you the pit stops here are so important track position will mean everything because of the fact that it is tough to pass on so they want to get in and out as quickly as they can that means that many last cars that they'll have to pass once they're on the racetrack and Dale Earnhardt obviously thinks that he should have gotten out ahead of Rusty Wallace so there's a bit of a discussion about that on the track we'll get it all sorted out for you there before we go back to green the yellow flag is for a crash involving Gary Collins here on the main straightaway we'll be back with more of our live coverage after this Bob Jenkins Ned Jarrett Jerry punch and dick Berggren back at Phoenix International Raceway for the checker 500 Winston Cup race and we are under our third caution period of the day with lap 45 completed and here now the top five Alan Kulwicki is the leader in car seven Sterling Marlin and 44 is second then Bill Elliott number nine Dave Marcus in 71 and Joe Ruttman in number 73 the yellow was for a crash involving the number twenty fourth car of Gary Collins he is okay NASCAR considering the use of what amounts to an oxygen mask Jerry punch explains in this quick fact quick thanks are brought to you by Quaker State motor oil the bay Q stands for quality always has always will with the ever increasing emphasis on aerodynamics and motorsports more air is going around the car and less is getting inside so a lot of drivers particular the older drivers are more concerned about breathing the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide within the cockpit that's why Richard Petty has tried this prototype device it's an aviators mask out of an f-14 attached to his helmet now this hose goes to a fan in the floorboard of the car attached to the roll case that pulls air in from in the cockpit and runs it through this chemical filter this filters out the carbon monoxide recently carbon monoxide levels have been shown to reach almost in the toxic range but after this apparatus was tried by Richard it's almost zero NASCAR's taking a good long hard look at this setup for possible safety enhancement next year so NASCAR looking for anything they can to make racing safer in the Winston Cup Series let's go down to dick Berggren who has a report on Dale Earnhardt dick well Earnhardt had a bit of a problem here leaving the pits what happened is at the end of pit road there's a panel man a guy that's got a little paddling on one side of the paddle there's a green go and on the other side of the panel does a red stop well Earnhardt's at the absolute tail end of this pit area I should say the absolute front end of the pit area and the paddle man was outside his car he was to the right of the automobile and he had the stop sign up how Earnhardt ever saw that stop paddle I don't know but he was sure the first guy to leave the pits the thing was stopped he stopped inside Wallis knocked on the outside and then right behind Wallis ricky rudd stop and then all of a sudden the panel turned around and went green but he was at that point academic and Earnhardt's guys really thought this is they beaten to the battle they ought to be able to have the chance to start in the front but that's not the way it happened Gerry well well Alan Kulwicki met another unscheduled stop here in the pits that can just moving down pit road very slowly he will be stopped by that man you're talking about with a big stop sign there a little bit of confusion here they were concerned about possibly having another tire go down and they brought it in and checked the car the tires were not flat and Paul in rows the crew chief said hey we'll just put some wedge in the car must be this awfully loose and it must feel like it's going flat coming out of the corners another unscheduled stop in trouble for Alan Kulwicki you'll notice the cars re-enter the racetrack through an acceleration lane there is some grass yes that's real grass bullied or not growing in the desert the acceleration lane just to the inside of the actual racetrack and so they must use that to get back on the racetrack and that adjoins the racetrack in turn number two now Bob they held him there until all of the cars had gone by this file Alan Kulwicki was hell there was not a penalty or anything of that nature all the cars are still in the lead lap as we get the green flag accepting Andy beers while in car number 23 and Randolph singer in car number 98 there's wale was in the pits for quite a while behind the wall he has rejoined the race though as the race resumes on lap number 48 it is Sterling Marlin in front with Bill Elliott running second as we have a car spinning that is I believe it's Dale Earnhardt is it not down the backstretch kicking up a tremendous amount of dust that's Joe Ruttman I believe in car number 73 that's also involved but there is a second car that's spun and I believe it is indeed they learn hard yes it is the yellow comes out once again for the fourth time but Earnhardt is stopped back there on the backstretch Joe Ruttman is getting his car going again and pulling back onto the racetrack but not the Dale Earnhardt car it is sitting helplessly on the inside of the racetrack at the dogleg well it doesn't I don't know if the car won't fire or maybe something happened to it that calls to spend originally but certainly ironheart is not moving and he's going to lap down right as the leaders go by well let's look at it once again to see if we can determine what happened okay here's Earnhardt at the right of your screen trying to move on the insider up and they look like ruttman might maybe have tried to pull down and maybe give Earnhardt room on the outside but Earnhardt had already made the commitment to the inside and they got together and went spinning in the desert dust so a definite setback for Dale Earnhardt who came into this race 198 points behind and this is certainly going to set back his chances of winning that Winston Cup well it certainly will in fact it'll just almost negate any chances that he has of winning it as a car just simply wouldn't crank Bob after he got it factory spun down there Joe Ruttman did get his car fired now there is a record back there pushing Earnhardt's car back to the pits he's already gone a couple of laps down so boy this is tough he has his car fired now so he will be coming back to the pits Earnhardt had to gain 50 points on Bill Elliott to keep from being mathematically eliminated for Atlanta so indeed it could be the end for Dale Earnhardt and his chances at a Winston Cup back in a moment back in the checker 500 Sterling Marlin leads Bill Elliott his second followed by Dave Marcus Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd in six places Ken Bouchard then Geoff Bodine Harry Gant Terry Labonte and Jimmie means his 10th with 52 laps completed we are under our fourth caution of the day because of an incident on the backstretch Ned Dale Earnhardt trying to make a pass on Joe Ruttman that's Earnhardt in the dark car down on the inside Ruttman in the car number 73 and they tangle spin down to the inside of the racetrack into the dust Earnhardt's car would not refire I think I said that he'd gone two laps down he's made several pit stops he's coming back into the pits right now but he only lost one lap the wrecker did get to him get him pushed off got the car started he's in the pits right now and dick Berggren it's there well earlier this year we've seen teams align the front end of the car using a piece of string this is a new method Curt Joe merdeen is doing it using a pair of eyes and that's it he highball the front end they jacked it up he changed the toe and just guessed this wearing on a beat and they're letting it back down again and Curt hearts back out again on pit road Jerry punch has more Jerry well his problems their export back in again a 33 year old Wisconsin driver has been on pit road for a four-tire change I just came in before the right the green came back out they checked the tires as the green came out and Earnhardt spun boy he also had another right front tire go down he came back in they put four tires on the car he's been back in the pits three more times under this yellow flag as they try to decipher what car number seven so a couple of major contenders have made numerous pit stops here in the early going we're still under caution however the signal is being given for one more lap and then we will go back to green out Ned there was some discussion about the cars being restarted in single file formation which is a departure from what NASCAR usually does and that is the two abreast formation but they have decided to go with the two abreast they will continue with the concept that they have used for the last several years that is in a car that is one or more laps down can't go up and pull up the side of the lead car so we'll see Earnhardt making movement that they've been given a signal for one more lap he'll be pulling up beside of Sterling Harlan and let me say Bob that there's only one car out of the race at this point and that is Brett Bodine who blew an engine early in the race Gary Collins crashed in car number 24 but they made repairs on his car and have gotten him back in the race and Alan Kulwicki as Jerry punch indicated is having his problems he is in once again getting ready to go back out however another time there's the car number 24 in the TFC had been out for a while after a crash here on the front straightaway but they're trying to get him back out there Dave Marcus also made a pit stop he goes back out on the racetrack so Gary Collins car is the only one a long pit road he had contact with the wall coming out of turn number four hit the inside retaining wall did not damage the car apparently too badly as a matter of fact as we speak and as the cars come off of quarter number to get a restart Gary Collins will go back into the race now our heart could not get all the way up to the front before the green flag came out so he's back behind about 10 or 12 cars so he doesn't have a very good chance to get his lap back right now he's got a lot of cars passport can do it here's the green and Marlin leads him through corners number one and two with Bill Elliott running second and Rusty Wallace in third spot fourth is Ricky Rudd and in fifth is Geoff Bodine will watch Dale Earnhardt move up through the traffic going to the outside of the number 10 car driven by Ken Bouchard now will challenge the 11 car driven by Terry Labonte and it's situation where drip Rusty Wallace now makes a bit on the second spot from Bill Elliott they go into turn number one side-by-side it's Wallace in the number 27 car on the inside and Bill Elliott in the red and white number nine Coors motor craft board on the outside and still nobody has a real lock on that position as it's a side-by-side and door handle the door handle race now Wallace edges ahead just a little bit and takes over a second here comes running number 26 and bill Elliott's car kicking out a little bit in the turns moving a little high that gives him the opportunity to move on the inside now Elliott had hoped to pass Sterling Marlin he was running in second place at the restart of the race so he could get five bonus points but instead he's moving back in the field and Marlin is moving away he is already back to fourth and is a being challenged for that spot by Geoff Bodine in car number 5 so Elliott has fallen from second back to fourth they'll make that fifth position as Bodine sweep so had in the dogleg bill Elliott's car obviously not working the way he wants it to but now he battles back a little bit on the outside however Geoff Bodine still has that fourth position nailed down a lot of battling going on all over the racetrack there's everybody fighting for position and Earnhardt in particular trying to move his way up towards the front of the pack so that he could get a lap back as Hershel McGriff makes an unscheduled pit stop on pit road car zero for Hershel the oldest driver in the field but certainly one of the most competitive and here's Rusty Wallace going for the lead Rusty Wallace will go inside the 44 car driven by Sterling Marlin they come off of corner number four and I believe Rusty's going to get the lead back although it's a drag race down the straightaway into turn number one let's see what happens it's going to be Earnhardt I mean Rusty Wallace going back into the lead Marlin battling back on the outside in car number 44 huh Rosie does not want to relinquish that top spot great competition going on here and also Ricky Rudd and number 26 watches all this now Wallace is going to pull ahead coming out of corner number 4 Marlin will go to second rut is on the inside in 26 and Geoff Bodine is not too far behind in the yellow and white number five car well the inside is definitely the preferred position right now that in the conditions the racetrack is in they've been running their most of the week most of them qualified run down on the inside and that is the fastest groove but barlen doing a good job on the outside there's what moving to the inside in the dogleg taking over second spot here comes Jeff bodean pulling alongside Sterling Marlin now trying to take over third some close competition at the stripe it is Marlin with just the slight advantage but now Jeff bodean inches ahead going into turn number one and Geoff Bodine will go into third spot but watch Marlin on the outside as he comes off of turn two his car is very strong as they go through the dogleg part of the racetrack on the backstretch but then he has to back off going into turn three and Bodine does get the position and here comes Bill Elliott meanwhile in car number nine and there is Earnhardt also in number three but remember he is one lap down to the field having been involved in a spin on the backstretch with Joe Ruttman Rusty Wallace on a tremendous role here in the Winston Cup Series and we asked him earlier can you keep your streak alive I hope so the car has really been extremely fast we've got laps down in some of the races because cut tires running over debris or things like that but this is the car that I've won three races with this year this is Whitney and it's been good to me I think we got the momentum going for us right now whenever you can come out to a new track and be awful fast without even ever testing on it and knowing that that's the car you've won with three times previously you've got a good feeling going into the race and yes I think we can keep it up well rusty certainly is keeping it up he's keeping up that tremendous pace that we have seen in the past few races he is leading the checker 500 but by just a few car lengths over Ricky Rudd back after this at Phoenix caution waves over Phoenix International Raceway for the fifth time this afternoon as Jimmy pound in car number one apparently blew an engine there was a tremendous amount of smoke that's caused a pit stop by Bill Elliott let's go there Bob the reason for the pit stop is the last time Elliott pitted was on lap 25 now everybody else pitted on lap 47 Elliott is now pitting out a sequence the reason for this lap 25 while there was a yellow flag on the racetrack Elliott suffered a flat right front tire maybe this computer virus is sort of catching on with right front tires we're seeing an awful lot of them go down here this afternoon all right Elliott though has completed the work in the pit area and rejoins the racetrack and the rest of the field see if anybody else comes in for a stop I would I would kind of doubt it right now would you I sort of doubt it most of them have stopped within the last 20 laps and they don't want to lose that track position there is apparently some oil on the racetrack so our yellow will be a little brother of lengthy one as they clean up the oil on the racetrack dumped by Jimmy bound we'll be right back once again Dale Earnhardt has come in for a stop dick Berggren is there they really did not have a chance to properly set this car up with her hard spun and the backstretch had crashed with Joe Ruttman so they're gonna take an opportunity now to put four fresh tires on it he's had a chance to go fast with an apparently Kirk sho Burdines got a pretty good pair of eyes because they've got the front end pretty well aligned even though they didn't use any of the fancy tools right side of his car as well damaged but Earnhardt is going like a rocket now there's the red paddle again for him he's got to wait until the field passes and then don't let him go by he's going to be sitting there for awhile because we got cars just now coming out of quarter number four as they are still under caution look at this crowd there is also a cardinals football game on the other side of town but if they draw more people than this race as I will be surprised there is just an incredible number of people that have gathered for this first ever Winston Cup race let's check the top 10 its Rusty Wallace leading with Ricky Rudd second then Bodine Marlon and Labonte our second five Gant Martin Lake speed Kyle Petty and Mike Alexander that's was 67 out of 312 laps completed we have had five different leaders and five different lead changes and this is our fifth caution period of the day and this again was because of a blown motor on the number one car driven by Jimmie Bown one of the Winston West competitors he was just about to get the black flag we had noticed from Harold kender who was just about to wave it to him when the big puff of smoke went up and the bound car expired and he put a lot of all down on the front straightaway and we mentioned a moment ago Bob that Dale Earnhardt did not get back up to the frontrunners on the restart now he has the prerogative to do that but they were told in the drivers meeting that whatever position you're in if you're trying to get back up if you're lap down you see that flight spot that's a line across the racetrack going into turn three and wherever you're at when you come by they're coming around to get the green flag that's where you have to stay so Earnhardt just simply had not gotten up any farther than that there were about ten cars that he needed still to pass before he got to that white line you can see the oil dry being placed down on the racetrack on the front stretch here and apparently a quite a large amount of liquid was put down on the track that has necessitated the track crew to come out and clean up the situation so we are still remaining under our caution period and so we'll take another commercial break and be right back for more of the checker 500 we are back at Phoenix International Raceway in the checker 500 a 500 kilometer race 312 laps and we are 69 laps into this race a rather large number of cautions already there is some historical data on Phoenix International Raceway the first event was held here in 1964 it was a 100-mile Championship car race and the winner was AJ Foyt this area has a long tradition of racing and as a matter of fact so does this racetrack it's just that the Winston Cup Series is never competed here before until today they've been running Indy cars here for numerous years and of course they hold what's called the copper classic every year which involves midgets and sprint cars and super Modifieds and championship dirt cars and stock cars but and also some Winston West races have been run here but not a full-fledged Winston Cup race we get the signal now Bob for one more lap before the green flag will be displayed again and we'll see how far our heart gets up through the pack this time he is one lap down here he comes ken schrader has been struggling there in car number 25 dick Berggren can explain why perhaps well I could tell you about that ken schrader has struggled before at this racetrack and won anyway for example in the fall of 1987 he drove a championship dirt car which is about the most fearsome kind of race car you could imagine on this Speedway partway into the race the right rear shock absorber fell off the car that didn't bother him at all he went on in one a few races earlier Schrader had run it an automobile here a with a v6 engine at a 200 cubic inch motor that's sort of like putting a car engine in a motorcycle and he won with that thing that car was so extraordinary they banned the entire concept the concept of the wedge the v6 engine in it the whole thing so Schrader knows his way around here and he could handle a car that's not exactly right on this Speedway for more Jerry punch crews are concerned here about overheating in the pits and not overheating the crew members all that is a little warm here but on the track now on a lot of banked asphalt tracks when rubber comes off the tires it will roll down off the banking but here on a flat track rubber stays on the racetrack Jimmy means Eureka vacuum Pontiac getting a lot of rubber in the grille in the front of the car he is overheating as are some of the other cars we'll keep an eye on that right now the biggest commodity here in the pits is who has a hose to wash these cars off when they come in we're going back to green and indeed Dale Earnhardt has positioned himself now right beside Rusty Wallace as the green flag comes out and so Earnhardt is trying to get his lap back there is a tremendous friendship and camaraderie between Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace and perhaps well I was going to say rusty may let Dale get his lap back completely but no here comes Rusty besides they learn art and showing him no corner whatsoever Wallace wants to keep Earnhardt back a laugh look at this battle out of four oh they touch they banged together of course it's a good friend attempt that he gave him there but also hopefully he give him a little bit out of position but it didn't get him too much out of position here comes Earnhardt back on the outside I didn't think the cars would look like they would after North Wilkesboro but I believe they're going to after this race a lot of bumping and banging and paint trading going on and now Ricky Rudd challenges for the lead as Wallace got a little bit high on the racetrack and out of the groove and that was all that risk Ricky Rudd wanted and Geoff Bodine to take the lead away so here comes rut as the leader now in twenty six Wallace is second in 27 and then the number five a boat on third well Ricky Rudd has been knocking on the door at the lead several times here this afternoon in the first hundred miles that was the opportunity that he needed when Rusty Wallace got a little bit sideways and turned one he stuck the nose of that Quaker State Buick up there and took the lead and now beginning to follow a little bit Bob Rusty Wallace had led 55 of the first 72 laps now relinquishes the lead and of course rusty is also concerned about leading the most laps because that too will gain him some extra Winston Cup points in his bid to take away the lead from Bill Elliott as a result of making a pit stop is way back in the pack he must be back at least 30th position Johnny Rutherford making an unscheduled pit stop Johnny making an infrequent start here on the Weston Cup circuit that was a stop and go situation for him he didn't stay in too long so Johnny Rutherford back out in the fella game car coming down the straightaway the first in line is Dale Earnhardt but he is now back on the lead lap here some racing going on in the mid sections of the pack the number 17 car of Darrell Waltrip is there Richard Petty also in this line of cars bill Parsons in car number 55 Harry Gant in number 33 that group of cars have really been battling for the last 20 or 25 laps even before the caution came out here's a Richard Petty putting a little nudge on Phil Parsons a car number 55 but couldn't make the pass that time Richard Petty by the way is competed in seven of the eight Winston West races that we have had here in Phoenix from 1977 through 84 he claims a career 200 wins was a Winston West winner here at Phoenix three times in 78 80 and 81 so when you talk about stock-car winners on this track Richard Petty tops the list now Darrell Waltrip in 17 and the 55 at Phil Parsons meanwhile we go back up front and see that Ricky Rudd still has the lead over Rusty Wallace our caution summary we have 5 5 periods and they have been for a blown engine on the number 15 car on lap number 14 a spin involving the 68 car of Gary Koch on lap number 44 we had a crash involving Gary Collins he's back in the race however then on lap 49 Dale Earnhardt and Joe Ruttman got together over on the backstretch and the most recent caution period was brought about by Jimmie pounds blown engine lap number 65 and Joe Ruttman is the latest retiree from this race he has taken the hello great special into the garage area let's go to the pit area and get a report from dr. Jerry punch if you take a look at the left side of Rusty Wallace Kodiak poly I can load up their march all the way down the left side of that car now the crew radioed rusty said hey where'd those come from but God he said well my good buddy Earnhardt when he came behind me a few laps ago or actually earlier in the race Earnhardt rubbed in a little bit so we just do a little bit of racing I hear having a big time I tell you a poor Championship up for grabs the greasy voice reading fella big time at speeds over 140 miles an hour I might add there is Wallace as he's dropped back just a little bit now in second position to Ricky Rudd as he approaches now and will go to the inside and pass the 31 slender new car which is being driven here today by Johnny Rutherford and when you talk about experience on the Phoenix International Raceway Rutherford certainly has that category locked up for competing many times here in Indy car competition Ricky Rudd is moving up close on Dale Earnhardt now about to try to put him that lap back down that Earnhardt got back a moment ago when he moved around the leader and there is the view from the Hardee's race cam inside the Oldsmobile driven by Dale Jarrett who is in 18th position this baby Allison in front of him in the howling Ford Thunderbird had rocked behind a veil Jarrett as you hear him decelerate going into turn three right behind him as Bill Elliott Elliott had made a pit stop put on new tires so he's coming back up through the pack [Music] [Music] 81 laps have been completed in this 312 lap 500 kilometer race at Phoenix International Raceway we'll be back with more of our live coverage after these messages there you see the race for the lead between the 26 car of Rudd in the 27 car of Rusty Wallace and Rudd is trying to put Dale Earnhardt in car number three a lap down Dale did get his lap back and is at the tail end off the lead lap and Rudd there in car number 26 the leader of the race is trying to put him down a lap once again let's take a look at the top 15 as we have them at the moment it is Rudd leading with Wallace second than Geoff Bodine Sterling Marlin and Terry Labonte second five Mike Alexander in a good race Lake speed Mark Martin Kyle Petty and Harry Gant and then we have Phil Parsons Darrell Waltrip Bobby Hillin jr. Richard Petty and Benny Parsons running in 15th position let's go to the pit area and get a report from dick Berggren Moffitt takes an interesting chassis engine combination to run well here at Phoenix although none of the drivers remarked at this racetrack looks like Martinsville you need a Martinsville engine to run well you need can produce an awful lot of torque because when they go into corners they really drop down in rpm as thousand rain and when they get to the end of the straightaway and practice I saw some tax that were well over eight thousand rpm and like Pocono there is no like on this racetrack so if you set up to run one very well you're going to miss it in the other most competitors say they've got a torquey engine one with a lot of power to come out of the corner and the corner they want to come out best his corner number for that given up one and two in exchange for for Jerry Bollinger watching the battle air appear on the inside of that works for a few weeks ago well that's the exact same two cars exactly that is the Rudd short tracks hardly play Bernstein that he earned our team and it's the same car that I used last year to win sex of eight short track of him and the same car he won with the Bristol here on ESPN to low to veterans doing battle here at Phoenix and their short track car now rut has put will Earnhardt a lap down but it looked like Dale was pushing him bumping him there in the ribbon as now Earnhardt has indeed gone a lap down again but is just trying validly to get to keep on the lead lap oh boy he needed a caution there before rut got around him and his crew had to be praying for a caution at that time but good it's just a little bit stronger and was able to move around if of course the Winston Cup championship is not decided today and chances are that it won't be we won't have for you the race that will decide the Winston Cup championship the final event of the year that'll be an Atlanta International Raceway in two weeks time so even if it if it's here if not will certainly have it for you live here on ESPN in two weeks at Atlanta as the 1988 Winston Cup season ends we're still watching the 26 car Ricky Rudd lead and now Wallace is trying to go to the inside and also past Dale Earnhardt now Wallis pose down to the inside as Earnhardt moves up and gives him some Running Room Earnhardt now that he has gone to lap down he's not going to give him too much trouble he's not gonna you know just roll over and play dead but he won't give him too much trouble and holding back Wallis now has passed Dale Earnhardt and begins to move away a little bit here comes Rudd out of corner number four and completes lap number 93 [Music] still back in third position is Jeff bodean Sterling Marlin is fourth and Terry Labonte is in fifth position Bill Elliott meanwhile is way back in 18th position so things have not gone well for Bill Elliott in the first almost third of this race those how to secrets pit stops that he made has caused him to be way back at the back into the pack several times here today but he is driven very methodically had come back up through the pack there was one car that was smoking back towards him back to the pack but apparently no problem with it there's the interval between 1st and 3rd 4.8 seconds the interval between Ricky Rudd and number 26 and Geoff Bodine in car number 5 we'll do it again to see if if Bodine is closing in the number 2 car there right ahead of the leader Ricky Rudd is driven by Ernie Irvan check it again here comes Rudd crossing the line here comes Bodine in the yellow and white car number 5 and 3rd and it's a 5.4 second advantage now so Ricky Rudd has things in hand at the moment pulling away from at least the third place car although his interval between himself and Rusty Wallace has certainly not expanded by any means as Wallace is still right there and he goes to the outside of earned Ernie Irvan there in turn number three and disposes of him rather easily Ricky Rudd from Chesapeake Virginia is leading the checker 500 here at Phoenix International Raceway and we'll be back with more right after this [Music] the estrellamountain.edu up to date on all the Motorsports activity with two programs at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday motor week Illustrated and then Speed Week at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday evening toward the end of the race we're going to be announcing the goodyear eagle driver of the race award goodyear we giving $1000 to the Winston Cup racing wives Association in that drivers name now let's check the standings as we are now at the 100 lap mark out of 312 almost a third of the way through this race the lead continues to be held by Ricky Rudd car number 26 second position is Rusty Wallace third is Geoff Bodine fourth is Terry Labonte and fifth is Sterling Marlin let's go down to the pit area right now early in the race you said he was just kind of cruising taking it easy how about when he got beside Dale Earnhardt how hard was he pressuring the button then I'm sure he was running a little bit harder you know trying to keep down a lap down because obviously but give Dale his lap back at somebody else we got to contend with later on an array now the biggest thing we got to be concerned with is working at traffic you know we need a need a caution here directly we need a pit stop leave some tires on it other than that he says everything's okay what were you doing the cost you won't you change will change four tires that's the story for Ricky Rudd's bit Jerry runs punch what's going on where you are well pretty good battle on the racetrack right now clean Sterling Marlin and Michael examiner 244 212 are here in the Kodiak pitted rusty wall they needed to lead the most laps here today to get those 5 extra bonus foot they are not leading obviously let's find out what the problem may be but berry dots in the crew chief Mary you wanted to lead the most left but it's not working out what the problem extend the car they're going to ride comfortably and maybe when they get a pit stop or a caution that Larry McReynolds said I'm coming to get fresh rubber and then try to lead gentlemen well Jerry they're on their longest green flag run of the afternoon right now and as Larry McReynolds pointed out they'd like to see a caution here before too long so they can come in and get four new tires on the car but we're beginning to see some cars slip around a little bit on the racetrack as a result of the tires getting heated up and worn out but rusty Wallace's car is still sticking down on the inside as we see him coming off of turn four here right now but Ricky Rudd has opened up a couple of seconds interval between himself and Rusty Wallace as Ricky Rudd is the leader of this checker 500 the number 44 in the number 12 car battling for position we showed you that just a few minutes ago and here it is again that's for fifth spot Oh Marlin Sterling Marlin in car number 44 drifted a little high there coming out of turn number two and Mike Alexander just washed by and took over that fifth position he sure did it doesn't take much of a slip fill the car behind you can move around and right there was a perfect example of it Mike Alexander who in a Southwest Tour race here yesterday sat on pole position but did not have very good fortune during the running of that race Jim thurkettle was the winner of that Southwest tour race here at Phoenix yesterday that we will have on a tape delayed basis later this week here on ESPN and Roman Cal Sinskey clinched the Southwest Tour Championship during that event other battles going on on the racetrack involved this group of cars Alan Kulwicki is there along with Phil Parsons in number 55 and Mark Martin is in car number six trailing this trio and that's seventh eighth and ninth now cloaca has come from the back of the pack because he did during that last caution period made a couple of hint stops so he has fought his way up through the field him has done a good job of it Bob again I don't think that we can say too much how difficult it is to pass on this racetrack and as I say that Alan Kulwicki almost makes it look easy but the car really has to work well down on the inside of the racetrack to make a pass Alan Kulwicki looking to the inside of the skull Oldsmobile driven by Phil Parsons and now as far Carson's drives high on the racetrack the car slipping just a little bit Alan Kulwicki is to the inside as they go down the backstretch into the dogleg right there and still Alan Kulwicki now he's going to try to take it away can't do it completely and now he does as bill Parsons has to get off the gas the groove is beginning to move up a little bit particularly in turns three and four we're seeing some cars that are running a little bit higher there as Sterling Marlin laps past the 80 beers wall car number 23 it has been behind the wall a while so he's several laps down there is Alan Kulwicki now who has successfully passed bill Parsons also in the picture there's the number two car driven by Ernie Irvan and he's one of the top rookie contenders this year on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit came into this race only six points behind akin Bouchard who is leading the rookie standings as we see Jimmy means coming into the pits in car number 52 that's the red cars the other cars go by on the outside now that car just ahead of the number 7 of Alan Kulwicki is Hershel McGriff who is shall we say a veteran of stock car racing along the West Coast he was one of the original members of the southern 500 drove in the first southern 500 back in 1950 and is still an active race driver today we'll be back right after this back at Phoenix International Raceway the checker 500 Winston Cup race were watching third fourth and fifth the number 5 car of Jeff bodean slides high on the racetrack in turn number two but tries to keep that third position fourth is the number 11 car driven by Terry Labonte and 5th is the number 12 car driven by Mike Alexander now Mike Alexander of course driving the Bobby Allison car that Allison piloted for the first portion of this year before being injured at Pocono and we're very glad to see that Bobby is among the spectators here at Phoenix this afternoon and looking very well in the pits now as Greg sacks most of the cars pitted at about lap 44 during one of the caution period so they'll be coming in at about 130 we're on 116 lap right now most of them will be coming in around 130 135 left the car number 26 of Ricky Rudd just put Neil body at the lap down Neil was running in 25th position so there are still 24 cars on the lead lap after 116 miles like Alexander just doing a fine job of driving that Miller High Life car number 12 cars he moved around Terry Labonte and went into fourth position and now he challenges Geoff Bodine for third one of the best runs in a long time from Mike Alexander and he takes over that third position as they go into the dogleg but no here's Geoff Bodine battling back on the outside but a good race here for third position both I'm number five Alexander and 12 and Labonte in number 11 side-by-side racing through corner number four watch Alexander on the inside now as they come down the straightaway oh they were dead even at the line Alexander the experience he got here yesterday in the southwest tour division certainly has helped him but he likes this kind of a racetrack he's a good race driver honest relatively slick plant racetrack and that's what we have here mike has spent many years driving the half miles and the mile racetracks the shorter circuits and thus have quite a bit of experience on this type of racetrack and now he has taken over third position from Geoff Bodine Terry Labonte in car number 11 now about to move on the inside of Geoff Bodine as Burdine goes high gives him a little Running Room and Terry Labonte takes advantage of it we have seen Geoff Bodine go high on the track there in the first and second corners for the last several laps but he's able to get back everything that he loses in the backstretch now here's Labonte inching ahead just a little bit out of corner number four Labonte looking to take over position number four and it's a side-by-side race once again into corner number one but Labonte now is about a half a car lengths ahead and he's gonna pass and Sterling Marlin is in the pits and Jerry punches their 26 that's 94 laps ago they are getting excellent fuel mileage they will change the right side tires and they are really putting some weight in the rear to tighten it up a little bit was so loose he was slipping and sliding you saw my cousin or go by him a little bit ago in the car number 12 field of the car pit stop for the Piedmont throw down to the lathe Charlie Mullins lady goes a lap down Jerry in fact he's about a lap and a half behind the leader Ricky Rudd Rudd can go a little while before he has to come in because darling Marlin as you mentioned had run about 94 laps rut should be able to go another 15 or so laps so Sterling Marlin goes back out onto the race track by the way that car will spike carries the Sunoco sponsorship during the 1989 season we go back and look at this fourth and fifth place battle between the number 11 of Terry Labonte and the 5 car of Geoff Bodine at the moment though Labonte has that position nailed down fairly well here's a leader meanwhile Ricky Rudd as he tries to put a lap on the number 4 Kodak film Oldsmobile driven by Rick Wilson that's lap number 122 that has been completed and Rudd with an advantage now of a couple of seconds over Rusty Wallace and he might be coming in before too long Rick Wilson and the Kodak fail most mobile was running in the 22nd position that means there are 21 cars remaining in the lead lap that is with over a third of this race completed so we have seen some drivers staying on the lead lap and now here is rut slowing down out of turn number four and coming in for the pits time Rusty Wallace is following a rock down pit road as well so it's a pit stop with two of the leaders let's go to dick Berggren the here will be whether run and wallets can do this pit stop without losing a lap the teams are already over the wall that's not what we usually see and wins the tough competition but the wall here is 30 inches high if they said to the pin the other end of the pin is only 13 inches high so they were very ready for Ricky run right-side tires over Rusty Wallace already we'll take the lead really won't take the lead but at least we beat him back out of the pits Mike Alexander has taken over the lead in the Miller car number 12 and here he comes out of corner number four now one thing this has done it has put Dale Earnhardt back in the lead lap those front two cars had passed her in heart but Mike Alexander has not so that best put Dale Earnhardt back in the lead lap should he get a caution and there is the leader at least for the moment the number 12 Miller High Life joy driven by Mike Alexander going to the inside of the 0-3 car driven by Bill Schmidt from Redding California one of the Winston West competitors Harry Gant is in for a pit stop in the skull Chevy car number 33 he started well up front in this race and has been in the top 15 most of the afternoon here comes a leader down the straightaway once again completing another lap and looks like a little bit of a puff of smoke there from one of those two cars I was unable to see exactly which one but perhaps just a little bit of tire smoke evident from one of those two cars my colleagues and ER the leader and turns one and two they do burn a little bit of tire smoke coming off of there Bob and we'll see some tire smoke occasionally as the cars come off of that turn now Mike Alexander is choosing not to come in for another pit stop so he stays out and maintains his lead and you can see Terry Labonte there's a car between he and Mike Alexander Labonte and the Budweiser Chevrolet number 11 is he going down on the inside of the car that Mike Alexander lap not long ago so that's how close first second and third is and there Sterling Marlin also their car 44 and Alan Kulwicki in number seven they're having a little bit of a difficult time getting around that bill Schmidt machine the Schmidt racing Chevrolet now Labonte moves to the inside of it the 0-3 car and here Sterling Marlin right behind Terry Labonte and now Marlin will try to create a third lane but thinks better of it as they go back into a two abreast situation going into turn number one now Sterling Marlin would like to get up there and get back in the lead lap remember he has already made a pit stop with new tires look how that car sticks down on the inside boy it just he just drives it in there that's what new tires will do for you now he's got a pass Mike Alexander though before he can get back in the lead lap here's Alan Kulwicki coming up on the inside Terry Labonte Benny Parsons just made a pit stop others will be making pit stops before too long we understand that maybe there's some smoke coming from Richard Petty's cars Geoff Bodine comes down pit road and the car number five he was running in the fourth position dr. Jerry punch has a report draw on this pit stop by Geoff Bodine Levi Garrett crew changing right-side tire looks to be a routine green flag stop for the pole sitter Jeff Conine afternoon will scamper around and check the left spot fire pitstop 14.8 10 seconds he is down and away like Alexander has come in for a stop also as we watch Jeff bodean pull out and dick Berggren is there to call the pit stop of who was the leader one of these two tire changes here has bought down a lap alligators doing the same not for Mike Alexander very good stop by the crew and Mike Alexander goes back out onto the race track that's going to put in the lead we believe the number 7 car driven by Alan Kulwicki so Alan has struggled in the first 75 laps or so and got off pit sequence but now finds himself in the lead and he has a while ago before he needs a pit stop because he did stop during the last caution period and that was at about lap 71 when the green flag came back out so he has only run about 60 laps so he should be able to go another 25 or 30 laps before he would be scheduled for pit stop there's the 33 car of Harry Gant right behind Alan Kulwicki and car number 7 so with pit stops some pit stops being made at lap 130 the lead is held by Alan Kulwicki and we'll be back with more of the checker 500 in just a moment we hope you're enjoying today's coverage of the checker 500 from Phoenix International Raceway being brought to you by Union oil NASCAR drivers count on Unocal gasoline's go with the spirit of 76 135 laps completed and the lead held by the number 7 car driven by Alan Kulwicki he is off sequence though with everybody else and for more on that let's go to Jerry punch we mentioned Alan had some trouble early on Allen had some trouble early on here had to make a couple extra pit stops he came in for gas on lap 66 that is actually 22 laps later than did Ricky Rudd Jeff Conine Olustee watts we can go another six or seven laps if he needs to they are planning on making a pit stop for the next five to seven laps so he is able to stay out front a little longer and they can get a yellow flag and make this stop under yellow they're hoping for one but they're ready to bring him in in about five flat for petty big black flag we were told from here in the pits a smoking car number 43 STP Pontiac then we have been noticing that car smoking rather badly and now it is in because of the black flag the number 11 car of Terry Labonte is in for a pit stop dick Berggren he's in D is out already the gas man fell over poor in a pile of gasoline here in the pits everybody is okay but there's about two gallons again stop lomani was in second position and there you can see the gasoline spill that was created by that pit stop quite a bit of it laying there in Terry Labonte's pit stall I doubt if they got that car full of fuel they made such a quick tire change that I doubt they got it full of fuel but that won't worry them too much they'll figure a caution will come out before they run out of gas or either they'll need powers before they'll run out of gas well we're looking for a pit stop by Allen coming in right now 7 yes indeed the leader is coming in and Alan Kulwicki makes his stop Jerry punch will tell us what occurs during this pit stop they actually were waiting for him to come in and about three more laps when he read it and said I'm coming in now apparently a fuel pressure gauge began to fluctuate you kidding that that happened on a flat racetrack you'll end up coasting back to the pit so he is on pit road getting right-side tires and they are putting a little wedge in the left rear of the car as Paul Andrews the Xerox crew chief here works on the car make clean 14.7 tickets pretty good pit stop for the young crews so now the lead will be going to Rusty Wallace in car 27 with everyone having made pit stops now it is Rusty Wallace that goes back into the lead there is rusty who is in turn number 2 look at three abreast racing there in front of him as cars trying to get sorted out Russ ken Schrader there in 2579 car the red wind driven by Roy Smith and of course Johnny Rutherford there in car number 31 and him right in the middle of all this is the leader Rusty Wallace Wallace will be first and Ricky Rudd now goes to second once again Bill Elliott third Mike Alexander fourth and Dale Earnhardt is in fifth position so Earnhardt did indeed get back that lap and he now finds himself in a very good position as we have a car smoking down in turn number one and that's Neil Bonnett in car number 75 we see some smoke coming from that car and it may be all over for Neil Bonnett it also may necessitate a yellow I don't know whether he laid down any oil on the racetrack but the NASCAR officials will be looking at that situation closely there's no indication right now that we will have a yellow neil bond is going very slowly however in turn three well he could be out of gas I don't know what the situation is with the Richard Petty is back out on the racetrack still smoke and Bill Elliott in the pits I was about to mention that he's due for a pit stop Earnhardt will be due for one before too long and here is Elliott getting a right-side tire change NASCAR officials are watching turn number four to see if Neil Bonnett is able to make it around to the pits and indeed he does so there will be no caution flag bill Elliott's pit stop will be under green they have completed the tire change on the right side they have had the car filled up with fuel and away he goes back in competition now we mentioned that Richard Petty is also back in the race although that car is smoking rather badly and he is not back in the race he is in the pit area once again so obviously there's something major wrong with the 43 car of Richard Petty as we watch him come into the pit area right now ahead of pitting ahead of Neal Bannen well he was in for a while they had to hit up on the car there was a lot of smoke coming from it they thought they maybe had found what the problem is but you can see now he's going to swing out take it behind pit wall they'll continue to work on it he's fighting desperately to stay at the top 20 in the western cut point standings nails on it is still at the pit stop in the pits as well they're pushing his car I think he ran out of gas I really think the car number 75 ran out of gas coasted around and now they can't get the car fired as they push it down pit road finally it does take hold but Neil Bonnett has lost a lot of times with this pit stop I think that that smoker whatever I saw down in turn number one was just the fact that he was down on the inside of the racetrack and kicking up a little bit of dust I think there was a quick drive that had been put down from a blown engine that was not on the inside of the track and he pulled out of the line of traffic and got his wheels down in that as we see the leader Rusty Wallace moving around the car number two one of the rookie drivers are in the urban so Rusty Wallace in number 27 is the leader once again and he is trying to lead the majority of laps this afternoon that will give him five additional bonus points in Winston Cup competition and there's an important lap coming up here before too long Bob 156 laps will be the halfway mark and Gillette will take $10,000 to the leader of that lap and Larry McReynolds the crew chief for Ricky Rudd is towing to turn up the wig try to get up there and challenge Rusty Wallace and take that lead try to get that $10,000 so there's Wallace right behind Mark Martin in car number six and let's go to a dr. Jerry punch whose width Richard Petty Jerry well he's behind the wall still sitting in the STP Pontiac Richard what's the problem I don't know if we're know they'd fix it but that's what the giant dick now is fine it just started smoking I don't know what's the valve cover or what it is the story smoke kept getting worse so we had to stop a lot of smoke out of the STP Pontiac in the seven-time Winston Cup champion will not win it today will not get win number 201 and you see the limit of the crew but needs this car trying to determine where the oil leak actually is they continue to work here at the lab click away there's Dale there on the left side of your screen as he checks the underside car that STP Pontiac trying to determine what's causing the oil leak so Richard Petty sitting in the pit area while the race continues on the track 146 laps have been completed and there is the leader Rusty Wallace that car has worked very well even though he has been passed earlier in the race by Ricky Rudd but he beat Brett out of the pits this time and has had no problem staying in front of him Dale Earnhardt meanwhile is making another pit stop as he brings the Richard Childress Chevrolet down to his particular assigned area you can see that the interval there is only one second between Rusty Wallace and a Ricky Rudd and Rudd is trying to take over the trouble down and turn one it looks like a blown engine down there it's a lot of smoke and the caution is coming out as Dale Earnhardt comes out of the pits that would have been a scheduled pit stop for Dale Earnhardt but someone has blown an engine it's Eddy beer Suellen car 23 that is going slow down the backstretch and now we see Rusty Wallace headed for pit road once again a long width Ricky Rudd and dick berggren is down in the Rusty Wallace pits as Rudd moves into the pit area as well when they're ready with right-side tires for Rusty Wallace and left-side tires as well they're using snicker tires on him who said the pit road is only rusting in the 26 a run going at it but they're both crews now have the right sides of the tires car jacked up rusty is ahead of Rudd they've got the right side cherries and change on Rusty's car runs now just starting the left side tires rusting with an advantage they're all watching his position further down pit road even though these guys finish first rut will enter the race track ahead of him now that's an interesting situation there when they're forced to stop by the NASCAR official down there they were ready to charge back out on the race rack but both had to stop Ricky Rudd did indeed lead Rick Rusty Wallace out of the pit area as we are under our sixth caution period of the afternoon because of a blown engine on the eddy fair swale car back in a moment [Music] back at Phoenix International Raceway the checker 500 from Phoenix International look at about 25 miles to the southwest of downtown Phoenix Arizona Rusty Wallace lost the race out of the pit area to Ricky Rudd let's try to reach a rusty on the radio here rusty this Bob Jenkins you got a copy rusty how are things going you appear to be in pretty good shape is the car working for you well rusty this situation of getting out of the pit area ahead of in this case ricky rudd is that important at this time or is that something you just don't worry about rusty in four more laps this is lap 152 and in lap 156 the individual who leads that lap will be awarded $10,000 from Gillette and is that in your mind right now well you have your work to do I guess I hope we can go back to green before that lap comes around but we'll continue to watch your progress and good luck to you so that is only less than four laps away now and I don't know whether we're going to be under green at that time or not and Bob I think the rules are at least in this situation in the past is that they had to run five green flag laps if the caution is out during that period then whoever is the leader after five laps so we'll confirm that in a moment but I'm pretty sure that's the situation so the track clue crew has apparently completed its job of a cleanup of the oil or other liquid that might have been laid down by the any beer swale car as the field comes off of corner number four once again we'll get an indication perhaps this time if we'll be going back to green next time no we will not it'll be at least one more lap before we go back to green so six caution periods have interrupted the flow of things here in this checkered 500 from PIR the leader is ricky rudd car number 26 rusty wallace is second in 27 third is mike alexander in car 12 fourth is Terry Labonte and number eleven and fifth is the five car driven by Geoff Bodine with 154 laps completed we have confirmed there must be five green laps before that $10,000 bonus is paid now let's go to Jerry punch who has a report on the driver of this car the number 17 tied machine Darrell Waltrip although Darrell Waltrip started in 16th spot fellas he has already lost a lap on the racetrack during the green and the car was slipping and sliding so badly coming off the corners they opted to come in during this yellow flag and work on the car they handed on the jack stands here they got beneath the rear of the car and they lowered the rear track bar one hole on the right side now by lowering the rear track bar that will tighten the car up coming off the corners Waltrip thinks that may be just enough for him to be able to make that lap up so keep an eye on the car number 17 when we go back to green that rear track bar is down now they should be able to shoot off the corners like a bullet alright so we'll watch them that from the number 17 car of Darrell Waltrip there is the seven see Rex Ford driven by Alan Kulwicki and he is in sixth position Alan this Bob Jenkins you read me Alan what about the race so far you're in sixth position you have led you're off pit sequence but how are things going [Music] Allen we're at the halfway point of this race so you've had a hundred and fifty six laps to assess PIR and find out what kind of a race track it is what have you found out about the race track what problems have you found with it and with the race so far [Music] where's the best place to pass so far [Music] all right Alan thank you we'll let you get back to work let's take a look at those drivers and cars that have dropped out of competition in the first half of this race as they begin to line up for the restart in two oppressed formation Brett Bodine was the first out with a blown motor Jimmy bound retired so does Joe Ruttman and Eddie Biersch whale in car number 23 and Biersch whale was of course the reason that we are under our sixth caution of the day now Richard Petty was out for quite a while behind the wall but he now has rejoined the field let's go to Jerry punch in the pits Wow Larry McReynolds our crew chief or Ricky Rudd and Larry a great pit stop puts you out in front of Rusty Wallace but you had a little extra incentive for this pit stop well that's it you know the Toto Center drivers meeting about paying ten thousand dollars for the leader of the halfway point so we've been talking about it for 20 laps so put a little fire in him a little fire on us and we get the lead now all we got to do is lead it for five more laps get that money and then go and try to win the race should be very interesting they got a lead five consecutive green flag laps and Rudd says he's gonna do it he won't that ten grand we will watch and see what happens at the drop of the green flag that's Ricky Rudd there on the outside in the green car number 26 that leads them down for a restart green flies Rusty Wallace is behind Ricky Rudd and then Mike Alexander in third position as they go into turn number one and of course that quick drive down on the inside of the racetrack has a result of the blown engine but everybody seemed to get through it pretty well and now Ricky Rudd has opened himself up a pretty good lead over Rusty Wallace now Dale Earnhardt is trying to get back on the lead lap once again remember he had just made a pit stop as the yellow flag was coming out but he did go a lap down Rusty Wallace did not have a particularly good restart Rudd jumped at the start of there at the drop of the green flag and rusty just didn't seem to take off nearly as quickly as Ricky Rudd did so Rudd is looking good at the moment to pick up that bonus of $10,000 he certainly is and I think Larry McReynolds hit the nail on the head when he said they build a little power under Ricky and a little power in the guys and defense got him out first so now Ricky knows it's up to him to keep that Quaker State Buick now from trying to collect that $10,000 certainly not being challenged in any way at the moment he has things solidly in there's trouble on the front straightaway who several cars are into the wall this is going to virtually block the entire racetrack look at the cars all banged up together several involved and we have fire breaking out on one of the cars a lot of fire scene down there as the smoke begins to clear we are unable to tell you exactly who is involved in this crash but we do have some fire that's burning on the racetrack I know Rick Wilson's car was and I could see his car was one that was involved in the Bailey here on the front straightaway environment over there very quickly to put the fire out as the leaders come around now just well just about have to stop as they go in there because they can't see where they're going yeah they're gonna have to go very very slowly through this area I think if they stay to the high side they're gonna get by okay but boy just a tremendous crash the number 31 car driven by Johnny Rutherford is involved in this crash I think he's the one that had the fire from it now this is the shot of it from our Mountain cam you can see several cars spinning and hitting the wall and the car number four Rick Wilson is out in front the the orange car Michael Waltrip I believe was involved Rick Wilson has brought his car back around with a lot of damage done to the frame he's on pit road right now Richard Petty was at the back of the pack so he comes in there and just stops and you can see the fire break out on Johnny Rutherford's car the slender you car number 31 well the Rick Wilson car has made his way into the pit area with a lot of damage there you can see the cars against the inside wall Michael Waltrip and Johnny Rutherford that's Michael Waltrip some country time lemonade yellow car number 30 the one that's behind two cars on this side the 31 car of Johnny Rutherford end is that the car number 10 of the oke RC robbery okay bill Schmidt one of the Winston West a competitor let's go to Jerry punch who's with Johnny Rutherford some scary moments Johnny when with Johnny run through Johnny first of all you okay yeah I'm fine I got bumped around a little bit but you know I don't know who got out of shape but to all hell broke loose a lot of fire out there of course you smell the uniform said you had some charring on the back of the uniform a couple of guys were trying to get out of the car you were pinned on the inside they couldn't hardly get to you well I I knew I could come out on the inside but I hid my fire extinguisher bottle the third time in my career that I've ever remembered to do that and it went off and of course I had a hood fire on mine but it really wasn't anything serious so I just sit there and waited until everybody got by thankful Johnny rut for lone Starr Junior's okay and Mike Waltrip is climbed out of his car they're gonna try to get that car back on the racetrack and uh pit road dick Berggren standing by with Mark Martin dick well mark you all right yeah I'm fine you know just unfortunate accident with astro light Thunderbird the crew had worked real hard they had the car handling pretty good we were looking forward to the top ten finish it got run over from behind it seems like if you try to race through them they come across in front of you and I'll run into them if I try to stop I get hit from behind it just hadn't been my hadn't been my my year you know this is an unlucky car - this car has run six times and it's crashed out five times Jerry punch has more Jerry the guys that is trouble this year at another bad day unlucky day for the kodak oldsmobile for rick wilson ricky first of all you all right yeah I'm fine what happened out there well yeah I can't really believe you know I think Greg sacks just had her you know just luck totally lost what he was thinking about he hit me on the back straightaway you know hit me pretty hard on the back straight when we come off of four there I was up underneath him he has turned into me that calls one heck of her and took a lot of good cars I don't know what he was thinking about well an upset Rick Wilson here he's okay but he left to cool off for a while the car heavily damaged the ko-nach oldsmobile heads back up pit road take another look at the crash from our camera outside of corner number four up on the mountain well it's rick wilson said apparently he and Greg sacks got together and of course they were running in a thick pack of cars and once they got together and starts spinning around the smoke blinded everybody else and so cars went spinning everywhere Michael Waltrip got involved in it the car 0-3 of bill Schmitt got involved in it so as Johnny brother presented brewing there was a Ruffin but apparently all drivers are ok and we'll be back with more of our live coverage after these messages stay with us [Music] the cleanup continues at the end of the front straightaway where at least four cars were involved in a fiery crash but all drivers are okay Mark Martin involved so is Bill Schmidt the 31 of Johnny Rutherford and the 30 car of Michael Waltrip along with the four car of Rick Wilson there is Darrell Waltrip the driver of car number 17 and earlier in the season as a matter of fact after the Bristol race we followed the trials and tribulations of this team led by Jeff Hammond the number 17 car the time machine driven by Darrell Waltrip there was stay for Darrell Waltrip and the tide key for 30 weeks out of the year this team prepares to wage battle against the best the NASCAR field but today will not be their day trouble early Jeff Hammond penny Jones bill will burn and the rest of the crew are forced into action as chisels torture and yes even a hacksaw are used to rework this mango machine even Darrell can't believe how this day has unfolded this once finely tuned $100,000 machine now resembled a junkyard special the checkered flag at the only salvation for this tired crew as they locked their troubles up and head home the day is over but for tide truck driver mike powell he's entrusted with safely returning home this rig filled with over a half a million dollars worth of equipment over always probably fit in probably 80,000 that miles and here's one in fact the track taking the cars and all the equipment early Monday morning Powell has arrived at Racing headquarters in Charlotte and yesterday's disaster is unloaded ready to take its place among these beauties that awake their turn Poli crash to Bristol on Sunday this is Monday morning we're at the shop in the process of removing the sheet metal all the damaged goods as far as the fuel sale remove the engine confetti the rear frame section away take it inside the shop we're going to reconstruct it replace all the damaged sheet metal in frame sections and uses the back of car mom's Virginia two weeks [Music] it works together also find spare time to relax together this team is version of recess it's called lunch we're like a family now we see one another probably more than we do our own families a lot of times and and we're real close so we go to Angela and you know we we have fun together and we race together we work together we we lunch together we have fun together then there are those special rare moments when Winston Cup Crew Chief Jeff Hammond replaces the thunderous roar of engines with the quiet solitude of his farm and family the simple things are so important to me the animals I just you talk to them and act like they understand and they're you know they're they show affection and then you got your wife there and you get a chance to talk about things that have going on around home and you miss a lot when you're on the road you spend four or five days a week don't so you come home a lot of things haven't ended for the change but while Hammond reflects at home Mike Powell has again crisscross the country and as dawn breaks he pulls into another Winston Cup arena to begin preparations for what the high chemo will be a winning weekend the ugly duckling of last week is unloaded as a Polish swine expectation and emotion are again running high indeed the true wealth they're all smiles including darrell waltrip if he envisions glory in victory lane so as the car is wheeled onto the starting grid it's another roll tonight to try and beat the odds once again and that's the story of a Winston Cup crew and the trials and tribulations that they sustained during the course of a season well let's take a look once again at the crash that has caused this very lengthy delay and it started when Rick Wilson said he and Greg sacks got together as they were coming actually Bob I think they've gotten off a turn four and down the front straightaway and as they spun around then several other cars got involved as well Rick Wilson of course in Greg sacks bill Smith Michael Waltrip Johnny Rutherford and the car number six of Mark Martin but now look now at the crews that come over immediately to the wall and begin to extinguish the flames sure there is a lot of of competition out there on the racetrack but when the driver is in trouble they are right there to assist in any way they can with safety precautions well of course the safety crew here at the Phoenix International Raceway were on the scene very quickly as well as well as some of the crew members that were pitted in that area so the cleanup is continuing from this crash that has taken six cars out of the checker 500 we'll be back with more of our live coverage from Phoenix International Raceway [Music] ESPN Speed World at Phoenix International Raceway this afternoon for the checker 500 Winston Cup race we're in the desert with the cactus and the Cowboys and the horses but that mountain over there back of turn number four is populated this afternoon with thousands of race fans who couldn't get a ticket for a seat so they have chosen to watch this race from the mountain well two weeks from today on November the 20th we will be live from Atlanta International Raceway in Georgia for the conclusion of the 1988 Winston Cup season the Atlanta Journal 500 air time is at 12:30 Eastern and that is undoubtedly going to be the race that will indeed determine the Winston Cup champion for 1988 12 32 weeks from today from Atlanta for 168 laps into this race still under caution still cleaning up this massive crash in the on the straightaway no driver injuries involved in that incident Bob let's see if we can raise Rusty Wallace again on the radio Rusty Wallace this is Ned Jarrett the ESPN booth you read me well I'm sure that you're glad that all of that mess was behind you the last restart the Rudd got the jump on you a little bit there and was headed towards that $10,000 but you didn't get five full green laps in so you'll have to start all over again you're going to be better prepared for it this time okay we'll see if that works good luck to you let's go to dr. Jerry punch in the pit area with this report well what rusty didn't tell us man and Bob is that when Barry Dawson radio to him a few minutes ago and said you know the five to ten thousand dollars will be after five consecutive green flag laps but he said that listen this is the first time that Rudd and Earnhardt had been running this close together since Wilkesboro so they warned rusty said you may want the ten grand but if they start rubbing up there just stay back and save the car we want a championship more than we want $10,000 what said will do I'll keep an eye on them and if the openings there I'll get ten thousand and the championship so we'll watch and see what happens a lot no shortage of excitement down here but possibly another shortage up where dick Berggren is Nick well it turns out Jerry that the crash wasn't bad for everybody it sure was for the teams who got knocked out but it was not a bad thing for the teams who were searching for tires we had another tire shortage situation going many of the teams went running around to the cars involved in the accident even before they got this thing cleaned up what's happened now is Earnhardt's team is searching for tires they'd like more Elliot's okay Ruud would like to find a set rusty would like to find a set and Waltrip steam says they are borderline but there are still some additional tires around here hopefully everybody's going to have enough to be able to get good sets for the run to the checkered flag so the cleanup still continues from this crash and so we will take another commercial break and return in just a moment with more of the checker 500 [Music] 171 laps complete out of 312 and Ricky Rudd has the lead over Rusty Wallace Terry Labonte Mike Alexander and Geoff Bodine 6 through 10 Alan Kulwicki Sterling Marlin Bill Elliott Davey Allison and Phil Parsons and then 11 through 15 Benny Parsons Bobby Hillin jr. Harry Gant Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty now we'll check the cars that have been forced out of competition and most of those that have dropped out of it because of this most recent crash but before that outwards brett bodine jimmy bound joe ruttman and eddie bears whale Michael Waltrip was involved in this crash as was Rick Wilson Mark Martin Johnny Rutherford Greg sacks and Bill Schmidt but again all drivers are ok Oh Bob of those 15 cars that we saw there 13 of them are in the lead lap Dale Earnhardt in 14th position is a lap down so it's Kyle Petty in 15th position Dave Marcus is in 16th Kenny Schrader 17 Jim Sauter 18th Darrell Waltrip 19th Dale Jarrett 20th derrike cope 21st the car number 69 of Trevor boys is in 22nd position Chad little this 23rd from 14th through 23rd those cars are all one lap down Neil Bonnett is two laps down in 24th position and Ken Bechard also at two laps down is in 25th position still no indication that we're going to go back green they just still trying to get things sorted out after this very lengthy caution period and the and the accident now Michael Waltrip's car coming back now boy I thought he was finished for the day but Mike being the crew chief on the country time lemonade Pontiac because he and the crew have done a lot of work on that car and got me back out there so he's gonna join the fray though he's a number of laps down but those lamps have spent under caution here since he went out of the race as a result of being involved in that accident so you can scratch Michael Waltrip off of you're out of race list because he is just about to rejoin in the country time lemonade Pontiac well we welcome you if you're just joining us for this Sunday afternoon of racing here at Phoenix International Raceway it's almost 3:30 our time and almost 5:30 on the East Coast so far today we have had some exciting racing and a couple of incidents the first actually the second caution period of the day was brought about on lap number 24 when the 68 car of Derry cope spun and then joining him was the number 52 car driven by Jimmy means then we had Dale Earnhardt and Joe Ruttman involved in an incident coming off of corner number two Ruttman was able to get going immediately but Dale Earnhardt lost a lap and then this massive crash here on the main straightaway that occurred just a few laps ago there were six cars involved in this and a little bit of fire from the Johnny Rutherford car however all drivers got out of there and there were no injuries as a result of this very bad crash down at the end of the front straightaway and that's where we are right now as the field still is behind the pontiac pace car one of those cars that was involved in that accident Mark Martin we had to note that he had debated he had just stopped before that to top off the fuel tank figuring he could go the rest of the way with one more pit stop and that proved to be not good strategy as he was back there in the pack and was in that accident let's go to dr. Jerry punch on pit road well we're not exactly on the pit road in him we revived we've snuck around behind the garage and we're gonna give the fans a peek at what's going to happen in 1989 now we've gotten the key some junior Johnson we've unlocked the Budweiser truck back in here in the infield here and what we're gonna show you this is the car they've been running all year for the past couple years that's the 88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo but no more Chevrolet's and 89 this car on the bottom of the brand new 1989 Ford Thunderbird this car loaded up here in the truck will go to Atlanta this Thursday for testing Junior Johnson will debut the brand new Budweiser colors on a Ford 489 and we'll give you this preview we're gonna lock it back up here very quickly and I promised jr. I get the keys right back to him a lot of folks would like to be in this truck right now with me looking over this car and we'll lock it up fellas okay thanks Jerry so that's the car that Junior Johnson will be campaigning along with Terry Labonte in the 1989 Winston Cup season will be back to Phoenix in just a moment Bob Jenkins Ned Jarrett Jerry punch and dick Berggren back at Phoenix International Raceway where the checker 500 has now been under caution for 15 laps because of this accident down at the end of the main straightaway however it looks as if yes indeed Harold kinder is going to raise his finger indicating one more lap to go so it has been a lengthy caution but we're just about to go back to racing Bill Elliott has had his ups and downs throughout the afternoon as Elliott now is back in the top 10 he started the race in sixth position dropped all the way back to 25th at the end of 40 laps then at the end of 80 laps he had moved up to 19th and now is in eighth at the end of 175 of course when he dropped back to the 25th position he made a pit stop fairly early Bob and made an adjustment on his forward and and that put him at the back of the pack but he was sort of off sequences forest pit stops were concerned for a long while and he'd get back in the back and then come back up through so he's driven a good race but he has had to do a lot of battling to get back up through the pack now we're reminding fans again that five green flag laps there's a $10,000 bonus for the driver who leads after they have run five full laps and on the restart it's going to be Dale Earnhardt positioned to the inside of Ricky rut for the second time this afternoon Earnhardt still trying to get his lap back he is a lap down in 14th position but will try to get it away from Rudd as they come around for the restart Rusty Wallace is right behind the leader Ricky Rudd and the number 21 car of Kyle Petty is right behind Dale Earnhardt on the inside of the racetrack rut once again gets a tremendous jump coming off of corner number four and he just pulls away from Dale Earnhardt so Dale is going to struggle once again to get that lap back he and Rusty Wallace meanwhile are side by side as the cars come out of turn number two Earnhardt has his nose ahead of Rusty Wallace and here comes Terry Labonte and turned up 411 showing some strength and he might have his eyes on $10,000 but it's got two cars to pass before it get to ricky rudd earnhardt has positioned himself between first and second Rudd and Rusty Wallace there's one green lap Wallace is going to really have to go to catch rusty a rather ricky rudd rut showing that that car is running very well at this stage of the race yeah I think Rudd is actually pulling away from rusty at this point so if he can keep that kind of pace going he'll have that $10,000 that's pretty good nice bonus for the halfway point well it sure is we're well past the halfway point but remember we were under caution just before the halfway point and then we had this very lengthy period so although the races 178 laps old we have not yet paid the $10,000 that was supposed to have gone to the individual who led at the halfway mark now Terry Labonte challenges Rusty Wallace for second position Labonte is showing some strength that we haven't seen today he's been up in the top ten that most of the day but he can't find a place to move around Rusty Wallace he looked on the outside that didn't work then tried to look on the inside but that didn't work either Terry Labonte in the number 11 Budweiser sponsored Chevrolet and Rusty Wallace in the number 27 Pontiac sponsored by Kodiak and there they are battling for position out of turn number two through the dogleg three green laps have been completed this will complete four for Ricky Rudd as you can see he is stretching out the advantage over Wallace and Labonte [Music] notice how they're still hugging the inside of the racetrack found between turns one and two some of the cars before this length the caution had moved up in the groove there Bob but these cars now with new tires on them we're running very low down on the inside of the racetrack okay here comes the $10,000 for ricky rudd and he is going to win it rather easily he crosses the stripe and there it is Gillette personal products division Awards $10,000 to ricky rudd the quaker state buick team owned by Kenny Bernstein the crew chief on the car Larry McReynolds all will share in the $10,000 bonus ricky has one victory so far this year on the Winston Cup circuit he won the Budweiser at the Glen back in August has come awfully close in several races recently but just hasn't been able to put it all together get the chair for flag first business doing a good job here today and Mike Alexander is coming in for a pit stop an unfortunate break for Mike who was running in fourth position and having a tremendous afternoon and this is certainly men scheduled pit stop they're going under the hood it looks like on the car so it's not a tire problem now they're talking to Mike Alexander to see if they can figure out what it was so now they do raise the hood of the car very unfortunate for a young man that had driven a tremendous race here this afternoon watching this battle for second position still with Wallace in 27 and Labonte in number 11 and now watch Geoff Bodine in the yellow and white car number five stick his nose into things and make it a three car battle for second spot well Bodine was the pole setter here this afternoon he lost the lead fairly early to Rusty Wallace but he has stayed in contention all afternoon and certainly is not to be counted out in this race things have settled down here just a little bit now in this battle for a second that was a side-by-side affair a little bit a while ago but now Wallace is in second thought and light up by Labonte and Jeff bodean we go inside with a Hardee's race cam once again the car driven by Dale Jarrett as he is involved in some traffic ahead of him as the number 33 car of Harry Gant let's follow him around interesting to hear the places that Dale gets off the accelerator and onto the brake and then back on the accelerator as he is right behind the number 83 car driven by leg speed and the 33 car driven by Harrigan and when it is get into black flag once again Hetty had been behind the wall for quite a while with a smoking problem on his STP Pontiac but now apparently the smoke is coming again and they have black flag Richard Petty there he is slowing down coming out of turn number two so Richard will be going to the pit area once again he has had problems for the last 50 laps or so trying to stay in the race but continues to be black flag let's go to dr. Jerry punch who can assess the bike Alexander problem my gender still sitting in the kitchen see they have an ignition problem they're changing all the wires all the spark plug wires they also take the rotor button in distributor cap on the Miller Buick and he's been sitting here now about four laughter so so he will lose a lot of time and still sits while they try to diagnose the problem so Mike Alexander who was running in the top five falls out of it and sits in the pit area while the crew tries to find the problem on that car Ruud Wallace Labonte Bodine & Co Wiki Marlin Elliott Hill and Gannon Allison in the checker 500 there is something wrong with the Hardee's Oldsmobile car number 29 we are inside that car with Dale Jarrett right now but we've seen some smoke at the end of that at the tail of that race car in the last few laps Ned yes and he's dropped off the pace a little bit he's still running Bob but running on the low side of the racetrack and you can see that there is some smoke coming from the back of the car now on the straightaway it's not too bad or I should say when it decelerates go into the turn we don't see it but then there are points on the racetrack where we see smoke coming from it the NASCAR officials have been looking it over and they have just given him the black flag so they'll have to bring him into the pits and see what problem is Dale was running in 20th position but now receives the black flag and will have to come in to get that situation resolved a lot of smoke coming from it at times on the racetrack the Hardys Oldsmobile driven by Dale Jarrett there's a leader Ricky Rudd from Chesapeake Virginia Ricky came into this race in 11th position in the point standings and as Ned indicated he has won one contest earlier this year on the road course at Watkins Glen but has been very close in several other races he was second in the most recent Winston Cup race at Rockingham and finished seventh at North Wilkesboro and eighth and Charlotte so he has been in the top ten in the past three Winston Cup races here is a battle between the number seven car of Alan Kulwicki and the five car of Jeff Bodine and Bodine was up there in a position battling for second for a while but now Alan Kulwicki has come on to take away the fourth spot from Bodine Co Inc or has been running very well as he mentioned when we talked to him on the radio he had gotten behind had made some pit stops early there because of a lug problem but since then the car has really been running good well Ricky run while we watch a Kulwicki and Jeff bodean run has led 100 of the 194 laps so far and Rusty Wallace has led 66 the driver who leads the most of course will receive extra bonus points from Winston but at the moment Rudd has led the majority of the laps so far rusty just doesn't seem to be able to close in very much on Rudd no Wright has pulled away you can see Dale Earnhardt in the black car number 3 who has a lap down is still running in front of Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte brought on the back bumper of Rusty Wallace but Ricky Rudd has been able to move away from them and just sitting out there running on the racetrack by himself he's not in any traffic you can see him on the left side of your screen as he goes into turn three and those other three cars which are running fairly close together Dale Jarrett goes back out at the pits but still smoke coming from the Hardee's those mobile I'm sure that they'll be bringing him back in here before too long Wallace second and terry labonte in third position the leader is ricky rudd look at the people that have gathered over there on monument Mountain just off turn number four who's Jerry punch every Winston Cup race pack has its own unique feature that makes it sort of special on the tour at Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Virginia it's the famous duck pond well here at Phoenix International Raceway its fundament mountain on this Monument Mountain here actually part of the Estrella Mountain chain separates the Phoenix Raceway property from the Gila Indian Reservation this fence actually is the boundary line for Indian Reservation but today on race day is terms of special purpose it is the general admission portion of the grandstand the reserved seats all 32,000 sold long before this race began so some 7,000 fans have bought seats and pin the holes ahead for this beautiful panoramic view a Phoenix International Raceway sevens it's 10,000 fans sitting here watching the first ever Winston Cup events to be held here we arrived at the racetrack about 7:30 this morning there were hundreds of people lined up to gain a general admission ticket that would allow them to sit on this bounty and as you can see there are several thousand this afternoon that have gathered here lots of bands from all over the country not only the Southwest but lots from the southeast together here for the checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway we'll be right back [Music] with now 109 laps to go in this 312 lap 500 kilometer race at Phoenix International Raceway will present our field summary and show you the cars that are on the racetrack the leader of the event is Ricky Rudd in the Quaker State Buick car number 26 now these cars are in no particular order these this certainly isn't a 1st and 2nd and 3rd situation but just showing you the cars that are on the track also out there is the number 19 car that's driven by Chad little and he is several laps off of the pace as a matter of fact 2 off the pace in 21st position dale earnhardt is in car number 3 he's in 13th spot and one lap down to the field behind him is the second place car of Rusty Wallace who was one of our five leaders that we're proud rather eight leaders that we have had so far in this race Rusty Wallace in second in third position as the number 11 junior Johnson Tim brewer prepared car driven by Terry Labonte and Jerry punch has a comment on Terry from the pit area [Music] they spot they're pretty impressed to be up there in the top three or four right now currently being shown in third on this car the Tyrian driving here is the car they used the wind so Winston where controller back in May the same car they used to finish third with the Rockingham it's probably the best car they have to the mouth bass tracks and they will run the same car in Atlanta in two weeks all right Labonte is in third but look at the challenge that he's getting by the number seven car of Alan Kulwicki he's in fourth position it's been a uphill struggle for Alan who got off pit sequence but is running a very strong race in fourth position in car number seven and looks like that Alan may challenge Terry here although Alan has been running behind Terry for the last few laps and has not been able to pass for that position so far it looks like they're gonna fall back into a single file formation now Alan closes in a little bit going into turn number three but Labonte is successful in the holding off Alan Kulwicki and maintaining that third position so we'll continue now with our field summary and the next car I believe is one that we have already talked about namely a Chan little in car number 19 so we'll go to the one behind him that's the number 69 car that's being driven by Trevor boys from Calgary Alberta Canada of course he used to be a semi-regular on the Winston Cup Series but has not been competing as regularly in the past year or so the number 24 car is driven by Gary Collins who has a lot of track time here in the late-model competition and he was involved in one of our early crashes but is still in the race and then there's Geoff Bodine in the number five Levi Garrett Chevrolet who is in fifth position and the next car that will pick up would be the number nine car driven by Bill Elliott he is in seventh at the moment the current Winston Cup points leader hoping to nail down his first championship if he is not able to do so today then he'll take the battle to Atlanta and that is where the Winston Cup title will undoubtedly be decided now we go back here and check on this race for a position involving the number 33 car driven by Harry Gant the skull bandit Chevrolet and the Piedmont Airlines pata Oldsmobile rather that's driven by Sterling Marlin and this is seventh and eighth and Gant goes into seventh position and coming up on them is car number eight of Bobby Hillin who has run a very good race here this afternoon Gillan is currently in 9th position as Gant Marlin and the number 8 car of Bobby Hillin jr. are all battling for position Sterling Marlin as we told you will have Sunoco sponsorship on this car next year now Hillen moving to the inside of marlin and Bobby Hillin jr. takes over a position Marlin I don't think is real happy with the way that car has been handling he's had his hands full practically all afternoon although he has been able to stay in the top 10 here's Kyle Petty in car number 21 he's shown in 15th position a lap down to the field and the next car and the running order would be Kenny Schrader in the Folger Chevrolet he too is is one lap down as we see him past Dale Jarrett who has just come back into the race after spending about 10 or 12 laps in the garage area and racing with Ken Schrader is the car number 68 the pure later Ford of derrike cope cope is currently running in the 16th position that is for position they're running for Schrader is in 15th to cope in 16th so they're battling for position each other one lap down good side-by-side battle in the dogleg here comes dari cope side by side with Schrader and he passes him rather easily on the inside we'll see what or they bump there his Schrader let him know that he wasn't particularly happy with losing that position but don't Coke does indeed hold on to the 15th spot and right behind those cars comes the car number 55 I believe of Phil Parsons and behind him is the car number 28 of Davey Allison and those cars should be racing for position as well they're running for tempt and 11th Phil Parsons running tamponade the Allison running in 11th still in the lead level so we're finding several battles for position and here is another one second third and fourth here look at Alan Kulwicki showing his muscle battling alongside Rusty Wallace and I believe that Allen is going to go in the second spot and this is not good news for Rusty Wallace every position that he loses and he's lost what two here just in a matter of feet every position he loses means fewer valuable Winston Cup points Lilly just lost ten points right then however you know that depends on what happens at the end of the race that doesn't mean that those points are taken away from him but two positions when they're running in the top five is ten points we have a car that's smoking badly in turn number three after having apparently expired an engine that's the 89 car driven by Jim Sauter from the seat of Wisconsin the Evinrude Pontiac now Jim of course was a very good qualifier starting the race from fifth position but it looks like that his afternoon his offer over as he pulls behind the wall and Jim Sauter will drop out of competition back to the leader meanwhile it is Ricky Rudd in car number 26 so we've completed 216 laps and we're now less than 100 from the end of this inaugural checker 500 at Phoenix back at Phoenix where Geoff Bodine and car number five is being challenged for fifth position by the number 9 car of Bill Elliott here comes Elliott on the inside and there's Harry Gant right behind Elliott this is a three car battle for position and Bill Elliott is going to go into fifth position that's Geoff Bodine in the number 5 car high on the racetrack Harry Gant sneaking below him on the inside as the cars move out of turn number two down the backstretch Bill Elliott is certainly coming on strong yes he is he's now back up into the top five once again Gant now trying it on the high side didn't make the pass on the low side but looks like he's going to be able to make it on the outside of Jeff bodean you can see there's some left rear quarter-panel damage to Jeff Bodines car maybe Dan saw that and said hey I don't want to get too close to him I might cut a tire so he decided to pass him on the outside where the sheet metal is a little smoother very strong race for Harry Gant so far this afternoon his year has not been all that impressive dropping out of several races however he did finish the most recent Winston Cup race at Rockingham where he finished seventh but has been the victim of several mechanical problems and accidents and here's Rusty Wallace coming into the pits Rusty Wallace who had dropped back to fourth and this should be his last pit since pits dust pit stop right-side tires is this on schedule do you think that not I think this is sown schedule let's go to dick Berggren well he's in here he's taking right-side tires down his guys were just walking up and down pit road with a lot of other teams looking for tires the tires shortage has materialized here is rusty in 11.6 seconds he's back out there was not a scheduled stop he had a flat right front the right front was cut and that was the problem it looked like that tire was plant when he came after there so what's on schedule I thought that it was just a little bit early maybe about 10 or so laps earlier than what would be a normal pit stop but now the question is can he go the rest of the way we are at lap 223 and certainly within the the window are we not yeah he should be able to go the rest of the way as far as fuel is concerned you're running pretty close but he's getting almost four miles to gallon by 3 & 9 10 seconds and football then let's go Jerry punch well then you talking about rusty making it the rest of the way off you I just talked to Harold Eliot a minute ago rusty uh 39 vinyl stop go about 80 or 81 laughs because they're real concerned about this car picking up all the fuel in the fuel sale this is the same car that he ran at Michigan in finished second but he finished second because he ran a fuel fly something with the same car Whitney they don't want to risk it we may have to make one more stop all right well we'll watch and see what happens right now he is a lap down but has been able to pass the number 11 car of Terry Labonte so with those new tires on that car he is moving well yeah but he's about probably four or five seconds behind the car of Ricky Rudd will timing rut goes across the start/finish line as rusty comes off a turn four so that's the car that he has to catch and pass before he can get back in the lead laughs and here's rusty crossing a start/finish line eight seconds so he's got a lot of making up to do before he can get back in the lead lap of course red has one more pit stop to make no question about that now when it'll come well probably in the next 10 12 15 laps rusty by virtue of that pit stop does go a lap down and in 13th spot so here's rut coming off of corner number four once again moving to the inside to pass Chad little going into turn number one also there is the lifebuoy car driven by Dave Marcus now Bob in the last three races Rusty Wallace of course won them in each case he was two laps down rallied to make up those lamps came back and won the race but he had the fastest car and both of those races I don't think today that he has the fastest car he has a very fast race car but I think Ricky Rudd has to pass this car he's proven that he's led more laps than anyone else so it might be a little bit tougher even if he gets some cautions might be a little tough for him to make up even to one level for those of you just joining us it is just about 6 o'clock on the East Coast it's 4 o'clock here in Phoenix we are live at Phoenix International Raceway for the inaugural checker 500 Winston Cup race and we are 228 laps into this 312 lap event and here are the top five ricky rudd the leader Alan Kulwicki is second Terry Labonte is third Bill Elliott fourth and hare Gant is in fifth position six through ten Bobby Hillin jr. Jeff bodean Davey Allison Sterling Marlin and Phil Parsons you'll notice that Rusty Wallace is not in the top ten again he just pitted a few laps ago his apparently final pit stop of the afternoon although there is some discussion about that nevertheless he is a lap down in 13th position but should be able to get that lap back when everybody else comes in for their stop should we remain under green well we're watching Ricky Rudd his car seems to be handling very well here right now we do have a report that Alan quick has says the tires are beginning to go away a little bit on his car Allen running in the second position right now but still running very well on the racetrack let's go to Jerry punch once again well well the strategy here in the Quaker State pit is this gentleman he is planning on pitting on left 234 that is exactly four laps that would give them a 78 laps to go to the completion of the race shouldn't go green and they could make it dress it away they are hoping it will go green get a good quick pit stop Larry McReynolds had too big to understand for quick today because we want a good stop with no mistakes and we will get this race in the book and our way well Jerry while you were talking Kenny Schrader's passed him the fan saw that on the screen that doesn't mean that ricky rudd had slowed down ken schrader had just made a pit stop and had new tires on the outside and that enabled him to move around the leader ricky rudd and so we'll watch for Rudd to come in in the next couple of laps so indeed it does show that the new tires can give you some faster speeds but it also shows that Rudd is on the older tires and therefore needs some new ones if he's going to stay up we'll be right back Ricky rod leads the checker 500 here at Phoenix International Raceway he is well actually he's gone over now the prescribed lap that he was going to come in on he was posting min on lap number 34 according to his crew he has completed lap 235 and coming down this time he will complete lap 236 if he does or is he going to make the pit stop nope he's staying out there again this is he's riding pretty comfortable I guess and hates to give up that lead and he knows that when he and rusty or Alan Kulwicki stops in that'll put Rusty Wallace back in the lead lap well he is expected in at any moment just trying to get as many laps out of those tires and out of the fuel as he possibly can Rudd has led the majority of laps here this afternoon and looked very strong all race long in that Quaker State Buick okay here he comes he's coming down pit road this time which should be his last pit stop of the afternoon and Larry McReynolds and the crew ready for him and they want to make this equipment charity lunches there well Ricky running radio to the true exactly what you said fellas he said let's stay out a couple more laughs maybe we'll get a yellow flag we shoot some of these guys a lap down but it didn't happen so they are now in some 75 laps from the conclusion of the checker 500 and two right-side tires two would be any word that is a very good pit stop and that should give them enough fuel to go the rest of the way Dale Earnhardt had just made a pit stop as well which should be his last pit stop Earnhardt of course running a lap down as a result of a spin earlier in the race so with the Rudd to relinquishing the lead now it goes to the number 7 car driven by Alan Kulwicki and look who's right behind him that's Rusty Wallace who is again a lap down at this point because of his early pit stop but he has newer tires than does Alan Kulwicki in car number seven so he'd like to move in front of him in case the caution should come out of corsica wick you will have a pit stop coming up before too long but Rusty Wallace driving his heart out once again as they go around the Piedmont Airlines car of Sterling Marlin car number 44 that car still kicking up a little bit in the turns moving high which allows a wiki and now the car number 27 for St Wallace to move behind Bill Elliott is coming into the pits and we understand that Alan Kulwicki will be coming in in about four laps there is Bill Elliott who has stopped the Coors motor craft Ford in his stall and the Elliott crew going to work on it Jerry punch can explain what's going on well Ernie and Dad Elliott the rest of the motor these guys are doing an excellent job in the pit they lay it down in a way moving out on the acceleration lane and rejoining the racetrack out in corner number 2 the number 8 car driven by Bobby Hillin jr. is also in for a pit stop and Hillen is running in the top 10 as a matter of fact he's in the top 5 relinquishing that fifth position when he came in for what should be his final pit stop of the day and he'd like everyone else is taking on right side tires those are the ones that give up first because they get most of the strain when they go into the turn good pit stop for him Benny Parsons with just in we saw sterling Marling coming into the pits Kyle Petty is in as well so everybody making these last pit stops as we see Bobby Hill and go back out of the racetrack he'll enter the racetrack coming off turn 2 and the number 7 crew the kooky crew begins to ready itself for a possible stop by the leader of the race in a few more laps remember allen is off sequence with everybody else because of a unscheduled stop very early in the race but the 0x team is looking for him within the next few laps there he is on the racetrack leading the checker 500 Alan Kulwicki well quick had a bad qualifying lap on Friday the first day of qualifying here but came back and was the fastest second round on the second day of qualifying and here is it coming into the pits now at this time staying out they told him to pit we understand but he stayed out there there's the battered car of Rick Wilson the number 4 machine that was one of those involved in this massive six car accident at the end of the straightaway that caused a yellow flag of about 15 laps nobody injured in that crash but it certainly was a very scary looking accident as we had some fire and some very badly damaged race cars as a result of it till Wiki still stays out there on the track and does not come in for a stop well I think his crew is expecting him whether they have radio communication I don't know or balance as well it's let me run here as long as I can for sometimes it doesn't pay to run too long and run out of gas because you there's a lot of things can happen if you run out of gas you can burn a piston you can have to coast back into the path and have trouble getting it fired just a lot of different things that can go wrong but Alan apparently feeling pretty comfortable with it he stays out there one more time no banking on the turns here so you can't really use the banking to get to coast back into the pit area so cookie is staying out there and stretching it just as far as he possibly can we understand however he should be coming in this lap we'll wait and see he's in the dogleg now setting the car into turn number three he'll be getting on the brakes right here if he is coming in diving to the inside and nope he's fooled us again there's Jeff Bodine who has come in and Bodine one of those also running in the top five comes in for what should be his final pit stop of the afternoon and Davey Allison is in the pits a little father up pit road for what should be his last pit stop he's getting right-side tires as well as Bodine goes out Jimmy means goes out after making a pit stop and the you reach the vacuum cleaner car a little bit of body damage there on the left rear of the number five Levi Garrett Chevrolet yeah he just is not really paying attention to the crew if they are indeed calling him in but I would imagine that Alan is pretty much calling the shots here well he owns his own car and certain his in position to call the shots and he when Rusty Wallace came up on him there a little bit ago Bob that looked like rescue might get back in the lead lap but Alan was able to pull away from him and so he hasn't been threatened with that here recently so he figures well heck I'm running some pretty good lap time so I don't just stay out here and run for a little while but yeah staying out thought it was coming in that time a bit down to the inside of the racetrack but still staying out there circling around that completes lap number 248 for Alan it's a 312 lap race you can see the shadows now over the first and second turns as the Sun begins to lower itself in the western sky so while we wait for the Alan Kulwicki pitstop which apparently is not going to come in the next couple of laps we'll take another break and be right back at the checker 500 while we were away Alan Kulwicki did finally make his pit stop it was a routine one but it did give up the lead to Ricky Rudd in car number 26 actually Bobby it gave up the lead playing Terry Labonte car number 11 but he only ran a couple of laps and then he came in for his pit stop so that does put Ricky Rudd back in the lead and second now on the serial scoring is Phil Parsons third is Alan Kulwicki fourth is Terry Labonte fifth is Rusty Wallace in sixth is Bill Elliott seventh is Bobby Hillin jr. and in 8th position is Harry Gant so we're set up now for the end of the race as everybody should have enough fuel to go the distance these cars are here for the very first time after a few laps we asked Rudd does this track remind you of any other that you have ever run on well I'm trying to think you know turns one and two compared maybe a little bit to the state Pocono turns three and four to me compared more to turn nine at Riverside more than than any track that we run so it's the corners are so much different than anything we run on a typical standard oval track that it's altogether different driving style it takes to get around here more like you would use for getting around a road course so Rudd compares it with several tracks and even compares it to a road course and certainly he is a fan of road courses because his only win in the 1988 season has come on the road course at Watkins Glen now the second place car driven via Phil arsons has not made his final pit stop so he will undoubtedly drop out of that second position when he does come in now quickly went 98 miles before he came into this as we look at Phil Parsons passing the 19 car of Chad little Parsons in car number 55 and Terry Labonte went a hundred miles all to take the fuel that was a little more than most of them expected to get on this racetrack now on the higher bank tracks where they turned the track in about 25 seconds then they can get sometimes 100 miles on a tank of fuel here's their a Waltrip in for what should be his final pit stop and he's gotten some good gas mileage too he's perhaps went over 100 miles tied Chevrolet driven by Darrell Waltrip and you can see that they're putting some tape at the top of the windshield there on the driver's side and that's simply because they're staring right into that Sun as they come down the straightaway yeah it gets blinding when you go into turn one here late in the evening and NASCAR competition director dick Beatty told him in the drivers meeting this morning that they would be permitted late in the race to put it on the outside of the windshield normally they have to put it on the inside but they told them here today you will be able to put it on the outside and they just did on Darrell Waltrip scarf and they certainly need it because the Sun is lowering in the western sky and they're looking right into it as they go down the straightaway just as they do at Rockingham the lead held by Ricky Rudd there is the top five with 255 laps completed top five in the checker 500 Ricky Rudd the leader in second position was Phil Parsons was coming into the pits for what should be his last pit stop he had relinquished second position to Alan Kulwicki but now with Parsons in the pits he's going to fill out of the lead lap Phil Parsons in for his final pit stop as they go to work on the right side of that car the fuel going in the left rear tires are on cars full of fuel there goes Phil Parsons out Neil Bonnett had positioned himself just ahead of Phil also making a pit stop and as we see Phil going back out onto the racetrack Neil Bonnett also gets that car rolling although it's very slowly down pit lane and he too will go back into the race Phil a little bit slow getting up to speed back there but it takes takes a little while now he gets it to go again now Rusty Wallace has moved back into the top five as a result of all of these pit stops we're not sure though if he'll be able to go the rest of the way how about a dick Berggren well they're not sure either net to tell you the truth I asked engine builder Harold Elliott if they could go all the way and I'll put his fingers together like it's going to be very very close then I snuck a peek at the computer computer says uh uh they're gonna come up short by about six laps so will they roll the dice and try it we'll have to stand by and see the National Championship could hang in the balance and rusty runs out of fuel and can't make it back to his pit that could be the end of their hopes if it works it could be a good thing for him Jerry what do you think well they are conserved up here in the Kodiak pits and they are pitting right beside the sea Rex pitch of Alan Kulwicki and they are very very happy here at zero pitch the reason not only is Allen running well but you know all the picks up the head early getting erase all the troubles they have with a cut light front tire and the lug nut problems and they are now running second in the field a panel of experts at every 1/2 cup race will pick a mechanic to the race and out any performance fire crew chief and they have picked Paul Andrews 31 year old crew chief or Alan Kulwicki as the TRW mechanic of the race his first time ever to win that and I tell you it's great because we only have about three or four full-time employees and Alan Kulwicki is going to be awfully proud of this young man and honor well-deserved on the Kulwicki team right now Ricky Rudd is running about eight seconds ahead of Alan Kulwicki who is running in second position and Bob for the last five or so laps that hasn't changed too much now Rusty Wallace is running fourth and Bill Elliott is running fifth so we undoubtedly if they continue to be the way they are right now will not have a decision on who's the Winston Cup champion this year forty five more laps to go in the checker 500 here at Phoenix International Raceway in what's been a tremendous weekend of activity here at the racetrack with thousands of people turning out for this race we had a good crowd on hand yesterday for the Southwest Tour race that will have later this week here on ESPN a race that was won by Jim thurkettle the race here this afternoon being led by Ricky Rudd second is Alan Kulwicki third is Terry Labonte fourth is Bill Elliott and in fifth rather a fourth is Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott is in fifth spot Ricky Rudd looking for his second win of the 1988 season this was his 320 second career start and as far as career wins are concerned he has won nine Winston Cup events moving to the inside and passing the number 52 car driven by Jimmy means and from our mountain cam outside of turn number four we have a panorama overall view of this one mile D shaped doable here at Phoenix AZ rut goes into turn number three he's still maintaining about a seven and nine-tenths second lead over Alan Kulwicki who is running in the second position we'll check him again this time as he goes across the start/finish line and quickly coming off the turn four quickly has been in some traffic recently he's coming up on Darrell Waltrip now and he's still about seven eight tenths second behind Ricky Rudd Rick Wilson was involved in this crash down on the main straightaway however it did not stop him from competing in this race he took the front end off the car but he's still out there on the racetrack picking up some Winston Cup points dick Bob that wins my vote is the most bashed up car to return to Winston Cup racing in 1988 the whole front end of that thing was torn out from the crash the radiator was way back into the engine fan was gone front-end components were gone these guys have done an incredible job getting this part back onto the racetrack you can see a little piece of pipe on the front that's what used to be the front bumper that's all pushed in almost everything from the firewall forward is crooked twisted but he's out here running it well over a hundred miles an hour it's a tribute to both the crew and Wilson this is the never give up we never quit attitude we've seen in Winston Cup racing in 1988 and it's very very refreshing well Nick there's a group of drivers back there they're battling to stay in the top 20 of the Winston Cup point standings 20th place in New York on December the second will pay $20,000 in point money Rick Wilson Michael Waltrip Dale Jarrett Dave Marcus and Richard Petty are all trying to get in that top 20 they were separated by just a very few points or less than a hundred coming into this race so that's why they put this car back together to get out and make as many laps as he possibly can Dale Jarrett's already out of the race Richard Petty's already out of the race Michael Waltrip has had trouble so there's just trying to gain as many points as he can now certainly he's not running at full speed he's running at a pretty good clip out there though and he's driving it at a pace that I would say certainly is safe as far as he and the other competitors are concerned we got a shot of Michael Waltrip's car a little while ago and his isn't looking real great either but it certainly is in better shape than the Rick Wilson car now we see the number five car that has been lapped so there are eight machines now on the lead lap as the number 5 car of Jeff Bodine was running ninth but now goes a lap down the next car that will go a lap down the one running in 8th position is the 28th car driven by Davey Allison so Ricky Rudd just continues to put the competition away here in the Kenny Bernstein Quaker State Buick had a feeling Bob that he'd run good on this racetrack well I did too he was my second choice as winner before this race started I thought maybe that Rusty Wallace had the strongest car but that has not proved true and my second choice to win this race was Ricky Rudd and we're certainly not over yet but Rudd has led the most laps this afternoon and I think has proven that he has been the strongest throughout most of the first 275 laps excitement speed Phoenix and NASCAR we're here for the checker 500 back at Phoenix where Ricky Rudd continues to set the pace and again we remind you that toward the end of the race in just a few more laps as a matter of fact we'll be announcing the Goodyear Eagle driver of the race and Goodyear will be giving $1000 to the Winston Cup racing wives Association in that drivers name Bill Elliott is in fifth position while Rusty Wallace is in fourth spot so if the race were to end right now the way they stand Rusty Wallace would gain 10 points on Bill Elliott in the battle for the Winston Cup because rusty has picked up five points for leading a lap today whereas Bill Elliott has not led and he would also get five points for finishing one position ahead of Bill Elliott and so rusty would pick up ten points and they would be separated by 69 as they go into the final event of the year at Atlanta in two weeks time well Bill Elliott again has been a model of consistency here today Bob he's running in the top five in fifth position at the moment and we mentioned at the top of the show that he has in the last 15 races has finished in the top 10 in fact I think we go way back into 1987 since he's had a mechanical problem they split him out of a race he did have a crash in the first race at Atlanta back in March of this year but he has not fallen out of a race since a race at Pocono last year with mechanical problems so he's just driven very nicely and smoothly here today kept the car in contention now running in the fifth position Harry Gant running in six not too far behind him you can see Gant coming into the picture back there well Jerry punch is down the pit area to talk with Ernie well Jim you said it was a long time ago in fact it was at pocono last year failure and I'm with her tle attorney again you guys are a model of consistency you've been consistently running well throughout the year here's a good top five right now it's a race to the finish right now he would only lose me boy how's the car running how to feel feel right now hang on Marsten little bit loose all day [Music] partly because of a cut power witness never been able to make rtl in here directory early bit stopping the gun back in the barbecue they almost got lapped they were within two seconds of being left by then leader that one [Music] if they do go to Atlanta separated by 69 points it's going to take a very strong finishing position by rusty and a very poor finishing position by Bill Elliott in order for rusty to win the Winston Cup yeah the statisticians will figure that out but you're right it would it would be a lot of positions that would have to be made up by Rusty Wallace and bill ever it would simply have to have trouble for that to happen so it appears as if we will go to the final race of the year in Atlanta before we will decide who wins the Winston Cup in 1988 well Ricky Rudd continues to lead as we watch Bill Elliott continue to circle the track and we've put the clock on him again here's Alan Kulwicki crossing the finish line and he's gained some the last time we him he was about 2 7 & 8 10 seconds behind now he's only 6 and 16 seconds behind so Alan Kulwicki has picked up about two seconds on Ricky Rudd second position is Kulwicki third Labonte fourth is Wallace and TIFF is Bill Elliott and we are 285 make that 286 laps that have now been completed and the sixth position is Harry dent in the skull bandy car and in seventh is Davey Allison that those are the only seven cars on the lead lap Ricky Rudd is as about a hundred yards behind Davey Allison from putting him a lap down but Allison has been able to maintain that position or that distance between here and Rudd for the last 10 or 15 laps so we see Rudd kwikki Labonte Wallace and Elliott running in the top five and Gant Allison Hiland Bodine and Parsons in the second five we are back at Phoenix and in the closing laps of this 300 kilometer race and for those of you who tuned in to see the Barbour stop race from Del Mar California unfortunately we will not be able to present that at this time while we finish up this race and prepare for NFL primetime we understand that there may be an overheating problem developing on the Quaker State Buick car number 26 driven by Rudd who leads this race now that's what we hear and he's only got 21 more laps to for the end so that remains to be seen however we have made our determination and in our opinion the Goodyear Eagle driver of the race is Alan Kulwicki Goodyear we'll be sending a check for $1000 in Alan's name to the grandma rather the Winston Cup racing wives Association from a very good driver to a very good cause Alan is running second in the race and he has come back from a couple of adversities this afternoon to run very strong in the race and that's the reason why we have chosen him as our driver of the race and he is now gaining on Ricky Rudd he has cut what was an eight second lead down to about five and six ten seconds Bob so this race is not over even though Ricky Rudd is sitting out there comfortably ahead but if he does have an overheating problem maybe he's backed off a little bit to sort of conserve that engine let us update the fans we talked about what what well we sees maybe some smoke from this car dick Berggren have you got a handle on what might be happening here I sure do Bob and you are dead right he does have an overheating problem Ricky Rudd is having problems with that engine running hot the faces on the crew here are faces of concern everybody is worried this team has dropped out of 9 races this year with engine failure they are right now getting the equipment ready to spray water on the radiator in case Rudd has to come in definite overheating problem in ruts car the time is running out Kenny hey or is this gonna be Alan Kulwicki first win 19 more laps to go and the smoke becomes more evident from the Ricky rut car on every circuit of the racetrack this completes lap 294 and the races 312 laps so it is not over don't go away stay with us now look at the smoke coming out of that car it's very evident now and the lead has shrunk to four seconds so he's lost half of the lead that he did have he was eight seconds ahead now it's four and now suspected to be less than that the next time around now let's go back and pick up what you were about to talk about Ned and this Winston Cup situation okay if Rusty Wallace should win at Atlanta if they wind up the way they're running here today which is in fourth Wallace is in fourth place and Elliott in fifth place and go to Atlanta with the 69 point lead Bill Elliott would only have to finish 18th or better even if Rusty Wallace wins the race down there our statistician Kim Martin has figured that out for us and it would also mean the elimination of Dale Earnhardt from a possible Winston Cup championship the way things stand here today the way they're running on the racetrack at this point with not too many laps left Dale Earnhardt has banded limit and eliminated this force any chance of winning the championship this year he is running in 12th position at the moment man he certainly received a major setback when he had that incident with Joe Ruttman early in the race in which the two spun off of corner number two and Earnhardt lost a lap at that time and has just been a very disappointing race for him since that time Ricky Rudd is trying to stay on the lead and there is the sentiment of the Alan Kulwicki crew as they are hoping that he and rut is slowing down this is it Rudd is slowing down he's coming into the pits obviously something has gone wrong with that car as we indicated overheating may be the problem in any case here comes Ricky Rudd into the pits with 16 laps to go and let's go to dick Berggren no he's not ready for him they're ready with the water hose to use it he's turned back into the garage his day is over unbelievable situation again for Ricky Rudd who once again comes close but does not win the race and now Alan Kulwicki is set up for his first ever Winston Cup Series win well Alan has run a very very strong race here today starting in the 21st position dropped all the way back at the tail end of the pack early in the race when he had some tire problems cut a couple of tires down then the head of lug nut problem got all of that squared away and has driven his heart out and now leading the race so Alan Kulwicki could be in victory lane for the first time in his Winston Cup career we have had 13 different winners in the Winston Cup competition in 1988 tying the record that was set in 1986 if Alan should take the checkered flag this afternoon we would break that record meaning there have been 14 different winners on the series this year Alan Kulwicki from Greenfield Wisconsin this was his 85th Winston Cup start his best finish has been a second on two different occasions including one this year at Darlington he now has a 14 second lead over Terry Labonte who is running in second position so he has an even bigger lead than Ricky Rudd had angka wicker before red started having his problems and there are 13 more laps to go 299 are complete so he could lose a second to lap and still win the race what a story this is going to be and what a celebration this is going to be for Alan Kulwicki he has just performed so well on so many occasions this year but something has happened to the car or something has gone wrong that has prevented him from tasting the sweet taste of victory but it could happen now in 12 more laps for Alan Kulwicki so as we get set up for the finish and as the Alan Kulwicki crew prays for his victory we'll be back right after this I'm in the garage area with a disappointed Ricky Rudd Ricky what happened to the motor give up finally well I think it wants to crack the seal on a head or something this time it started running hot what about 6070 laps to go and for a longest time I just was nursing it you know I got out front got a big lead and the water temperature started going crazy so I just back off the throttle a must to run another 50 60 laps just running partial throttle and surprise that was able to make it as long as they did it was a good strong run but today Victory Lane will not be for Ricky Rudd Buicks been awful tilt this year you know yeah it's just a point you know it's hard not to be but we're coming back next year we got lute LaRosa coming onboard and we feel like we got a good shot at the championship he sure does you can believe that six more laps to go for Alan Kulwicki and his first Winston Cup win let's go to Jerry punch quickly in the pit area gentlemen in 1977 Alan Kulwicki graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a mechanical engineering degree he told me he couldn't believe that nine years later the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year 1986 and here 11 years later from his graduation he's an accomplished Winston Cup winner a Lukey's crew kenzley waiting to these laps countdown they can't believe it we have a couple of more stories developing on the race track however as we watch Alan Kulwicki headed for victory lane the second position is held by Labonte but here is the battle for fifth place Davey Allison in car number 20 make that the battle for fourth Davey Allison in car number 28 is challenging Bill Elliott in number nine and Davey Allison sneaks in fourth position will watch Elliott battle back though on the outside in turn number three but it looks like the Davey Allison has completed the pass and yes indeed Allison is now in fourth and that'll take five more points away from Bill Elliott so that could reduce it down to 64 after this race if it stays the way it is right now with Rusty Wallace running in the third position and running in ninth position and looking for his best finish of the 1988 season is a guy who qualified rather well and has been very consistent Benny Parsons and here comes Rusty Wallace in for a pit stop this is quite a development here yeah they were concerned about the fuel and Jerry apparently they didn't have enough to go the rest of the way he said the fuel pressure gauge fluctuated he had to come in they were going to try to roll the dice and they came up you had a six second pit stop for a - a few that scrambles the point situation a little bit different that'll probably put Rusty Wallace behind Bill Elliott we'll see what how they stack up on the racetrack as the leader Alan Kulwicki all those bumps into resti Wallace about to put him a lap down so I believe that Wallace there is in sixth position because he is the last car on the lead that there were six cars on the lead lap rusty is still on the lead lap but now in six spots so yes he is one behind Bill Elliott with two laps to go and we wanted to mention about Benny Parsons best finish of the 1988 season he is running in ninth position and there he is a nice performance this afternoon by Benny Parsons but all the eyes here at Phoenix International Raceway are on the leader Alan Kulwicki here he comes off of corner number four and Harold kinder has the white flag in hand there it is displayed to Alan Kulwicki he'll probably take no chances and may just let Rusty Wallace stay right there he'll take no chances of becoming involved in any kind of an incident as he is on his last lap now with about a half mile to go before his first Winston Cup victory ever and it comes at Phoenix International Raceway in the inaugural event here Alan Kulwicki from Greenfield Wisconsin in his 85th start on the Winston Cup Series here he comes out of corner number four Rusty Wallace a little bit loose coming off here they're going to cross the line just about side by side but it is Alan Kulwicki winning the inaugural checker 500 from Phoenix International Raceway and what a drive he has made here this afternoon as they were crossing the start/finish line Harry Gant apparently ran out of gas let's try to contact Alan on the radio Alan you with us congratulations you did it [Music] [Music] Allen will talk to you further in victory lane just wanted to get your early congratulations in here on a very very fine afternoon for you so we'll talk with alikum in victory lane in just a moment he's won the checker 500 here at Phoenix [Music] the checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway has been brought to you by Goodyear Eagle tires Goodyear because there really is a difference by Purolator the first name in filters for pure oil now and pure oil later it's Purolator by quaker state motor oil the big Q stands for quality always has always will Alan Kulwicki got lost on his way to victory lane he isn't there yet he took a lap going the opposite direction on the racetrack but now he's down here in front of us and they'll be pushing his car into Victory Lane in just a few moments quite a sight there is Alan going down the backstretch the wrong off the track Bob I have been involved in the sport of auto racing for about 35 years and that's the first time that I've ever seen the winner's say out on the racetrack and go the wrong way but he wanted all those fans he wanted to wave at him the thousands up on the hills here at the Phoenix International Raceway and everywhere he wanted to see him he took an extra lap while condemned on the radio right and he has been a long time getting to Victory Lane but boy he is really a happy fella just wanted to savor the victory I guess well our winner's circle interview is being brought to you by Goodyear Eagle tires Goodyear because there really is a difference and we see dr. Jerry punch right there Jerry take it away well hot standing Alan Kulwicki in the Z Rex Ford and he rode to victory on those Goodyear Eagles you just mentioned an alland all I can say is Special K congratulations partner oh it was a great day for us and the Goodyear tires did work good for us all day we had a couple of flats but we came back and the crew did a good job and Paul Anderson and Randy Andrews I'm starting all the guys on the crew really deserve a lot of credit that victory lap there is something I he had thought about for a long time and I wanted to do something special and never be another first win and I just wanted him to give him something to remember me by hello we were talking about that the extra lap while you're talking to Bob Jenkins an outstanding effort 85th start for Alan Kulwicki Special K now a three in the Winston next year the all-star racing class celebration 33 years old Special K has a special day at Phoenix gentlemen now it's nice to see Alan in victory lane at last he was one of those who you just thought those going to win a race soon and by golly it finally occurred under a deep blue sky here in the Arizona desert about 25 miles outside of Phoenix Arizona the points now Bill Elliott with 4358 Rusty Wallace with 4279 and Dale Earnhardt with 41:27 Earnhardt is eliminated from the Winston Cup and there were no points game by Rusty Wallace he went into the race 79 and he comes out 79 behind so Elliott needs to finish in the top 18 to clinch the title at Atlanta in two weeks time bye thanks to Jerry punch and dick Berggren on pit road and Ned Jarrett in the booth don't forget Speed Week this thursday night at 7:30 Eastern Time we'll see you two weeks from today for the final event at Atlanta International Raceway till then Bob Jenkins so long everyone [Music]

Channel: NASCAR

Views: 32,863

Rating: 4.942029 out of 5

Keywords: NASCAR, motorsports, racing, stock car, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, chase elliott, fantasy sports, fantasy fastlane, glass case of emotion, ryan blaney, crash, wreck, pileup, pit road, penalty, race track, super speedway, highlight

Id: 5m7ghoTUW4I

Length: 164min 28sec (9868 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 05 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/UndertakerGuy]

As a very new fan I’ve been enjoying the heck outta these! I got into NASCAR through YouTube and I’m glad to see the official channel adding quality content!

[u/KentuckyHorsepower]

The first NASCAR "polish victory lap" originated by AK happened at the end of this race. Remember watching it live. Popular win.

[u/WorldChampWicker]

Love seeing AK clips! Born and raised in Greenfield, Wi and played little league at Kulwicki Park.

[u/medemey]

Please make sure Joe Gibbs Racing sees this. On their Facebook trivia yesterday, they had a question- True or False no Cup Series driver has ever had their first win at Phoenix.

They said the answer was True, which is completely False!

[u/mungolarry2]

Why did they cut the awesome ESPN intro from the upload? Elliott and Wallace were in a battle for the championship. I remember a western shootout type of intro to the broadcast.

[u/JCTaylor46]

Flat phoenix was best phoenix, and gawd those cars sliding around, cars actually spinning attrition, passing while leaning on each other.. what is this magic.

[u/epzik8]

This was also the inaugural Cup race at Phoenix.

[u/JagEngland]

One just has to adore Kulwicki.

[u/Ant-Borb]

And first Phoenix race