European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday july 26, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 25 Auto racing Elliott trims Points at Pocono Long Pond a. A Bill Elliott sported whiskers sunday and promptly shaved Rusty Wallace s Winston cup Points Lead to three Points. Ill have to keep it the red haired Elliott said of the Beard after winning the $462,000 Lascar sum Mer 500 at Pocono International raceway. It gave me Good Luck said Elliott who had no shaved since getting a mild Burn on his face in a non Winston cup event last week. The Dawsonville ga., Driver ran an average Speed of 122.866 Mph in his second straight Lascar Victory and fourth of the season crossing the finish line by a comfortable 8.2-second margin Over runner up Ken Schrader s Chevrolet. Elliott who won $53,200, took the Lead for Good on Lap 186 after leading much of the last half of the 200 Lap race on Pocono s 2.5-mile Tri Oval. His first 10 laps set a track record at 152.284 Mph. The car handled so Well All Day Long Elliott said of his Ford. It was t that super great in horsepower but the engine was just there at the Davey Allison finished third Geoff Bodine fourth and Darrell Waltrip was just Strong All Day Long said Allison whose father Bobby was seriously injured in a Racin Accident Here june 19 and is recuperating in a nearby Hospital. The Victory gave Elliott 185 Winston cup Points moving him to 2,360 and just Short of Wallace who lost 14 laps with Early transmission trouble and finished 24th. J of that s getting interesting in t it Elliott said of the Points race. Wallace entered the race with 2,272 Points 87 ahead of Dale Earnhardt and 97 ahead of Elliott an moved it to 2,363 sunday through 16 of 29 races. Earnhardt finished Lith Good for 130 Points and a 2,315 total. T Elliott won the last Winston cup event july 2 m the firecracker 500 at Daytona Beach held the Lead four times the last on laps 179 and 180, in his Best Ever Winston cup showing. His previous Best was a fifth place in the Winston 500 , weren t quite As Good As we needed to be All Day said Schrader. We just wound up with a Good i pole Sitter Morgan Shepherd finished sixth losing the Lead on the third Lap and taking it Back for one Lapon 15. Shepherd subbing for Neil Bonnett who under went abdominal surgery july 5, held the Lead again from 119 through 127, then never regained it. Richard Petty the 51-year-old Veteran who has 200 Winston cup wins spent much of the Day among the leaders but his Day ended on Lap 161 with engine trouble. I wonder what it takes for me to win a race said Petty who last won in 1984. No Good Luck on outside right now. All we need to do now is get a break but we got a bad break the race featured an unusual event a red Flag. Officials stopped the race for 16 minutes 27 seconds after a three car Accident involving Lake Speed Derike Cope an Earnhardt. Nobody was Hurt but a retaining Wall had to be repaired and Speed and Cope were put out of the race. It was Only the third time a Lascar race had Bee stopped at Pocono the others being in 1974 and 1986 because of rain. As Furbos exit Detroit s making sure there s a Ford in formula 1 s future by Randy Barnett motor sports editor Michael Kranefuss the director of Ford s special vehicles operations Sowas at Bockenheim last weekend to attend the German grand prix and look after Ford s interests and he handsome interesting things to say about Ford s role in International racing. In the 1960s, Kranefuss a native of Germany raced Ford touring cars and then became racing director for both Ford of Germany and Ford of Europe before his Elevation to Ford s Worl Headquarters in Dearborn Mich. He went to Dearborn seven years ago to take Over the top so Post there. During his career in Germany he directed Ford to several National championships and he was also responsible for lining up such notables As Jackie Stewart Emerson Fittipaldi and Niki Lauda to drive the famous Blue and White Ford Capri cars in european championship touring car events. At Bockenheim the always congenial Mike Kranefuss said he s celebrating his 20th year with Ford in racing and that he s yet to have a Dull Day. He says Ford s Stock car racing pro Gram in the United states g9es Well and he thinks that Ford Driver Bill Elliott has a Good Chance to win this year s Nas car title. Kranefuss could be right As Elliott won the Pocono 500 at Long Pond pa., on sunday and now trails Pontiac s Rusty Wallace by Only 3 Points. In Lascar racing the emphasis is As much on the show business aspects As it is on the cars Kranefuss said but in my opinion it s still the Best and most exciting racing in the regarding the International formula one grand prix racing scene Kranefuss says that Ford is in an extremely Good position for 1989 with a new car and engine in the works. Next year the Turbo engines will no longer be allowed in formula one racing and Only normally aspirated motors will be used. Before the turbos took Over in the Early-1980s, the Ford co Worth v8sruled the Roost in grand prix racing with almost All teams using Ford s main opponent in the 1970s and Early 80s was Ferrari the italian Marque winning five formula one manufacturer titles from 1970 to 1979, while Ford engines powered contracted teams to an equal five titles. For Ford those were the glory years in formula one grand prix racing and if things go Well starting next season More Are to come. I look on this year strictly As a transitional one Kranefuss said with the turbos on their Way out and the normally aspirated engines moving in and being developed for next season which will be an open one in my opinion. Ford s no. 1 team will be Benetton again and Benetton will have exclusive use of our new engine for one year. Our v8 will be As Small and Light As possible and it will be ready to go right from the Start of the 1989 season. Everything in this engine is All Ford electronics and All. We Hope to have at least three to four teams under the Ford Wing next year Kranefuss said but Benetton will be the Leader As in the past two with a new car and engine being readied for Benetton in 1989, Ford s next step is a new Driver. The belgian Thierry Boutsen is leaving Benetton to join the Williams team so there s an important opening at the moment for a top performer. It s a critical situation because wended a development Driver who can push the team Forward and win races Krane fuss said and Drivers like that Are Hardtop find. Nigel Mansell is one of them but he s going to Ferrari. It s my personal feeling that Boutselis making a mistake by leaving Benetton which is certainly among the top non Turbo outfits this year. But then maybe he s not. I be been wrong before. Behave a helluva Good Driver in Alessan Dro Nannini but he s no team Leader yet and furthermore he really does t have much experience. This is his first year on a competitive would Kranefuss like to hire a Ger Man Driver we will hire whoever is Best for us he said and nationalities have nothing to do with it. To be a really top formula one Driver you have to be fully committed and willing to live in a tent to reach the top and become world Champi on. Guys like m9dena and Gugelm. Stefano Modena is a Young italian who drives for the euro Brun team and Mauricio Gugelman is a brazilian wow drives for the March team. Both Are in their first formula one seasons. Generally speaking germans just is Randy Barnett Ford racing exec Michael Kranefuss. 89 season will be an open one Aren t committed enough and neither Arete americans Kranefuss said. Take Al Unser jr., for instance. He s voiced a interest in formula one but after a race he s Only Happy if he can go Back Home to new Mexico on monday. In formula one you Don t go Home after a race. You go american Scott Pruett says he s interested in formula one Rac ing and i keep telling him to go do it. But so far he just talks about it. He Lack the Pruett the defending trans am Champion drives a Mercury xr4ti this season and also competes inthe american cart series aboard a March Ford co Worth. Kranefuss who retains the sense of humor that made him so popular in european racing circles closed the drive discussion by saying maybe the Best thing to do is have an Industry supported Pool for up and coming Young Drivers. That might work but what if you pick the wrong Guy Unser s move ires Fittipaldi East Rutherford . Not Al Unser or. Cut Emer son Fittipaldi off at the pass on sunday and went on to win the Marlboro grand prix. Fittipaldi who had been in the Lead for All but three of 109 laps was furious at Unser for attempt ing to pass him on a tight turn inthe narrowest part of the track. Unser s car on the inside touched Fittipaldi who then hit the Wall. I could be in the Hospital now the 43-year-old Veteran said. He was unhurt but his car was Unser Fittipaldi Duel was the first set of decisive seconds in the 1-hour-50-minute event an 180-mile race of 150 laps. The second Cameon Lap 138 when Mario Andretti passed Unser whose brakes had Given out and took the on the next to last Lap Andretti slowed and Unser went by Towin the $91,160 first prize. The rear Axle had broken and Andretti with the race almost in his grasp had Nomore Power to his wheels. I had driven the car hard on a Rouh track and it just wore out Andretti said. Andretti saved second place and finished one Lap and 6.6 seconds be Hind. Rick Mears was third Danny Sullivan fourth and Bobby Raha fifth before a crowd of 45,025, the largest for the five year old cars started and 10 were running at the the 25-year-old Unser this was his third Victory in eight race this season on the championship Auto racing teams circuit theother firsts achieved at Long Beach and last sunday at was not at All contrite about his Contact with Fittipaldi and he had an explanation. He claimed that Fittipaldi had made mistake on the Backstretch leading to the chicane a Quick right left turn by leaving his line and thus giving Unser an opening. That s what we Call the Gre area and he was in it Unser said. "1 was Able to set him up. I go alongside him and he decided to go into the Corner with me. There was Only room for one
