Fast times at Channel 13

Friday, Aug. 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

One day, Ron Futrell will tell his grandkids that he was once the water boy -- and he'll say it with pride.

The KTNV Channel 13 sports director is back from Indianapolis and the Brickyard 400, where he served as a crew member on the No. 30 Bahari Racing Pennzoil Pontiac driven by upstart Johnny Benson.

Futrell's job on race day was to strap a bottle of Gatorade to a long pole and feed it to Benson, through the driver's side window, during pit stops. He did the honors just once, when Benson took on liquid refreshment and two tires during his second of five stops.

After that, Benson took the lead -- and suddenly he wasn't thirsty.

"I don't know if that was it, or if once he got the lead they (Benson's crew) said 'Thanks, we'll take it from here,'" Futrell said.

"I think once he got the lead, they wanted to keep me away."

But it was Benson -- not Futrell -- who ultimately made a mistake in the pits that may have cost the rookie driver the win. Benson dominated much of the race and was running a close second to Ernie Irvan when he (Benson) briefly killed his engine during the final stop.

Benson re-entered in a distant 13th place and wound up eighth after mounting a charge in the few remaining laps.

Futrell said had Benson finished last, his day in the pits still would have been memorable. That the Michigan driver challenged for the win in what quickly is becoming NASCAR's marquee event made it even more remarkable.

"I got to experience the excitement of them taking the lead, and also the disappointment when he went ... from first to eighth," said Futrell, who was offered the pit assignment upon winning a charity race earlier in the week.

His primary impression of life in the pits?

"It's dangerous," Futrell said. "It's a war-zone type thing. Everybody's trying to get the thing done as quick as they can and fly out of there as soon as possible."

Futrell said Benson and the entire Pennzoil team were gracious and accommodating. But the newsman's biggest thrill came late in the race, when Benson was dueling for the lead.

"Here come all these ABC cameras and Jack Arute (the ABC pit reporter) was moving out of the way for me -- he thinks I'm a (regular) crew member," Futrell said.

"That was sort of funny."

Backmarkers

* VASSER HANGING ON: Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser is clinging to one-point lead over Al Unser Jr. (112-111) heading into Sunday's IndyCar Miller 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Vasser won four of the first six races of 1996 but has seen his once solid points lead evaporate with four events remaining. ... A pair of drivers with Formula One aspirations will make their IndyCar debuts at the Miller 200. Jan Magnussen, the 23-year-old test driver for Marlboro McLaren Mercedes on the F-1 circuit, will replace the injured Paul Tracy in one of Roger Penske's Marlboro-Penskes while Max Papis steps in for the late Jeff Krosnoff at Aricero-Wells Racing. Papis, 26, drove for the Arrows F-1 team in 1995 and is second in IMSA Exxon World SportsCar points. Once Tracy is fit to drive, Magnussen will move over to the Hogan-Penske formerly driven by Emerson Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi suffered a serious neck injury at the recent Michigan 500 and has indicated he most likely will retire.

* LAS VEGAS SPEEDWAY PARK: Sportsman stock car racing resumes at 7 p.m. Saturday when Memphis Championship Barbecue presents the Snapple Summer Sizzler at the paved oval. Mike Ray, Don Williams and Dick Cobb are locked in a tight battle for the Sportsman division title. The 650 Modified, Hobby and Mini-Stock divisions also will appear, along with the new Legends Cars. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for seniors, military and UNLV students and $2 for children 3-12. Call 643-3333 for LVSP updates. ... Jet car racer Steve Quercio will put on an exhibition during Saturday's stock car program. ... Last week's National Performance Center ET Series drag race winners: Jimmy Lintz (Super Pro), Rudy Long (Pro), Jerry Mock (Sportsman), Hubert Pierce (Street) and Ken Woods (Motorcycle).

* GIVE 'EM CREDIT: There's a war being fought between the Indy Racing League, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief Tony George, and the established team-owner driver CART IndyCar series, although you wouldn't know it from a brochure advertising a new IRL credit card. Race fans can apply for a card featuring the photo of his/her favorite driver -- only 10 of the 13 featured drivers (Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Raul Boesel, Emerson Fittipaldi, Scott Goodyear, Robby Gordon, Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan, Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr.) are affiliated with CART. The three IRL driver/personalities available are A.J. Foyt, Arie Luyendyk and Lyn St. James. ... New Hampshire International Speedway is expected to take a financial bath at next week's IRL True Value 200, as officials are expecting no more than 25,000 spectators. Last year's CART race at New Hampshire drew 48,000, a series season low. New Hampshire's annual Winston Cup race generally fills all 72,000 seats.

* ETC: Spencer Apple of Race Kart City Raceway and Danny Fields of Motorcycle Tire Center will be Mike Henle's guests on The Finish Line, airing at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on KNEWS 970-AM. ... Durango High senior-to-be Amanda Dixon won the Class 9 title, highlighting last weekend's SNORE KC Hilites Midnight Special off-road race. Other winners included Robbie Goerke in Class 10; Mike Tieman in Class 1; Robby Guevera in Class 1-2 1600; Mike Bean in Class 5 1600; John McCormick in Sportsman Buggy; Jerry Stewart in Heavy Metal; Barry Slater in Mini-Metal and Mike Snodgrass in Sportsman Truck. ... Jay Smith and Mark Simo, crew chief and owner, respectively, of Bryan Reffner's NASCAR Craftsman Truck, have been fined $5,000 and suspended for the next five races, after a traction control device was discovered on Reffner's truck following last week's event at Indianapolis Raceway Park. ... NASCAR Winston West returns to the pavement Saturday with the Race Stuff 250 at Madera (Calif.) Speedway. ... Robin Ruud (IMCA Modified), Kurt Busch (Dwarf Cars) and Frank Bridwell (Street Stock) were main event winners at Pahrump Valley Speedway last weekend.

* WEEKEND GLANCE: Winston Cup: Bud at the Glen at Watkins Glen, N.Y. (9:30 a.m. Sunday, ESPN). Defending champion: Mark Martin. IndyCar: Miller 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio (2 p.m. Sunday, ABC). Defending champion: Al Unser Jr. Formula One: Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary (4:45 a.m. Sunday, ESPN2). Defending champion: Damon Hill. NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: Stevens Beil-Genuine Car Parts 200 at Flemington (N.J.) Speedway (1 p.m. Saturday, TNN). Defending champion: Ron Hornaday Jr.

CHANNEL 13 sports director Ron Futrell joined the Pennzoil Racing team at the Brickyard 400.

COURTESY PHOTOS

archive