GM owners demand rule changes

Monday, March 2, 1998 | 5:42 a.m.

The parade of Fords across the Las Vegas 400 finish line was matched only by the parade of General Motors car owners to the NASCAR trailer within minutes of the conclusion of the inaugural Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After Fords swept the top seven spots and 13 of the top 14, GM owners were calling for an end to what they view as rules favoring the new Taurus.

Leading the cries of "foul" was Richard Childress, owner of Dale Earnhardt's and Mike Skinner's Chevy Monte Carlos.

"It's just a bad deal when you put out everything you do and you're trying and everybody is working their hearts out and the rules are just this unbalanced," Childress said. "It isn't even close to being an even deal."

Earnhardt, who finished eighth, had the only non-Ford on the lead lap. The Daytona 500 winner and seven-time series champion was a little more succinct when asked about the new rules, which effect rear spoiler height and front air dam clearance.

"It's a (expletive) shame ... a (bleeping) shame," Earnhardt said.

Many of the GM owners demanded the rules be altered to level what they view is an uneven playing field before next weekend's race in Atlanta -- the track for which the new rules were instituted.

Owner Jack Roush, who fielded five Fords in Sunday's race and placed all in the top 10, took exception to the GM team owners' complaints.

"I'd be really disappointed in NASCAR if they made a change after the Taurus won its first race," Roush said. "If NASCAR didn't react, as they do sometimes, to critics and complaints they have with them, there wouldn't be as much complaining.

"The Taurus certainly wasn't competitive at Daytona ... and the 24 car (Jeff Gordon's Chevy) won the race at Rockingham. I think we have a little bit of a head start -- not because of the Taurus, but because we tested so well with Mark (Martin, Sunday's race winner) and Chad (Little) out here."

Roush also took exception that the GM owners took their case to the NASCAR officials immediately after the race.

"Jack Roush has never, never, never gone to the NASCAR trailer after a race without a summons," Roush said. "I'll collect my thoughts and if I think I've got a point, I'll make a phone call or I'll write a letter on Tuesday.

"We've worked real hard on our cars and we're not ashamed to win this race."

Martin originally declined comment on the controversy, then offered this: "You do ultimately have to do the work, just like the 24 team did at Rockingham -- they did what it took and they put their stuff out front.

"You can't expect the sanctioning body to fix all your problems."

* THUMBS UP: Although no official announcement will be made until late summer -- at the earliest -- on whether Las Vegas Motor Speedway will have its Winston Cup date renewed for 1999, NASCAR president Bill France said he was pleased with Sunday's inaugural event. "We at NASCAR are overjoyed with the city's and fans' enthusiasm for NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing," France said in a written statement. "The track did a great job in hosting our drivers and teams. Ralph Englestad and Bill Bennett (LVMS owners) are to be saluted for their efforts in seeing dreams of hosting NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing in Las Vegas become a reality." While Winston Cup dates are renewed on a year-to-year basis, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that Las Vegas will be on the 1999 schedule.

* THUNDER TO GO RACING: According to a source close to the negotiations, the parent company of the Las Vegas Stars and Thunder is close to announcing a Winston Cup/Indy Racing League sponsorship deal for the remainder of the 1998 season. The deal would have Mandalay Sports backing the Winston Cup car driven by Todd Bodine and the IRL machines of Jeff Ward and Jim Guthrie. According to the source, Mandalay will use the racing sponsorships as a vehicle to promote its new motion picture releases, such as "Godzilla."

* DREAM COME TRUE: Las Vegas 400 champion Mark Martin made the dream of E.J. Rojas, a 4-year-old boy from Southern California, come true at LVMS this weekend. Rojas, who is suffering from leukemia, his father, Jose, and mother, Madeline, visited with Martin, who is E.J. Rojas' idol. "He has wanted to meet Mark, because he's been watching him while he's been in the hospital," the boy's father said. "E.J. even dressed up like Mark for Halloween." E.J. Rojas, who was pushed through the pits in a stroller, gave Martin a thumbs-up sign when the two met. "The doctors pulled him off the chemotherapy," Madeline Rojas said. "We're just trying to make him as comfortable as possible now." E.J. Rojas also met drivers Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon and TV commentators Dr. Jerry Punch and Bill Weber. Dr. Ronald Galippo arranged for the Rojas family to travel to Las Vegas while Caesars Palace provided accommodations.