NASCAR: Hamilton Grabs Top Spot as GM Teams Continue Test at Daytona
14 January 1998
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Hamilton was clocked at 47.621 seconds, an average speed of 188.992 mph, in one of two Morgan-McClure Chevrolet Monte Carlos that he drove on the day.
Ricky Craven of Newburgh, Maine, who turned in the ninth fastest time of the day in his Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo, is looking forward to his fourth Daytona 500.
"The car is running good," said Craven. "The encouraging thing is we have two cars that are running good right off the bat. I've been on the flip side, I have come down to Daytona and we've worked hard for three days and not seen any results.
"Last year in the Daytona 500, we started so far back that we gave ourselves too much of a deficit to come back from. We're a young team somewhat unfamiliar with each other, if we accelerate that comfort level within the team, I think we can be a threat to win the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 is my favorite race, its the most exciting race of the year. It's the one race that I single out from the rest. I remember my rookie year running in the top 10 and thinking this is what I've worked all my life for. And to come back last year and finish third and being in a position to challenge to win the Daytona 500, that's a dream come true."
The test continues Wednesday. A section of the Oldfield Grandstand is open daily at no charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with access through DAYTONA USA, "The Ultimate Motorsports Attraction." Guided tours of the Speedway are also available from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a nominal fee.
GENERAL MOTORS TEST SPEEDS -- Jan. 13* NO DRIVER/CAR SPEED NO DRIVER/CAR SPEED 4 Bobby Hamilton/Chevrolet 188.992 41 Steve Grissom/Chevrolet 187.087 33 Ken Schrader/Chevrolet 188.945 8 Hut Stricklin/Chevrolet 187.013 3 Dale Earnhardt/Chevrolet 188.861 22 Ward Burton/Pontiac 186.800 43 John Andretti/Pontiac 188.505 29 Jeff Green/Chevrolet 186.768 30 Derrike Cope/Pontiac 188.482 1 Steve Park/Chevrolet 186.243 36 Ernie Irvan/Pontiac 188.470 46 Wally Dallenbach/Chevrolet185.805 24 Jeff Gordon/Chevrolet 188.419 44 Kyle Petty/Pontiac 185.674 40 Sterling Marlin/Chevrolet 188.186 71 Dave Marcis/Chevrolet 185.151 50 Ricky Craven/Chevrolet 188.068 07 Dan Pardus/Chevrolet 184.957 17 Darrell Waltrip/Chevrolet 187.915 35 Todd Bodine/Pontiac 184.892 42 Joe Nemechek/Chevrolet 187.719 73 Phil Barkdohl/Chevrolet 184.562 96 David Green/Chevrolet 187.555 91 Kevin LePage/Chevrolet 183.910 * Electronic times taken throughout the day's practice sessions.Editors Note: The images displayed in this article (plus many more) can be viewed in The Racing Image Galleries from The Callahan Racing Page.