By Ron
Russell
NTC Communications
STATESVILLE, N.C. – It’ll
take more than a broken brake foot to prevent "Awesome Bill" from
piloting his flame-red No. 9 Dodge with the UAW logo on the side.
PHOTO: Evernham
Motorsports
Elliott plans to race despite a broken foot. |
Wearing a protective device,
veteran NASCAR
Winston Cup driver Bill Elliott plans to compete in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at
nearby Lowe's
Motor Speedway, Evernham
Motorsports announced Tuesday.
"We’re working on making
sure I’m comfortable in the car," said the 47-year-old Elliott, whose Intrepid
is co-sponsored by the UAW-DaimlerChrysler National Training Center. "I’ve
driven with an injury before but with what we’ve worked out, I think everything
will be fine. I think I can deal with this inconvenience this weekend."
PHOTO: Al Benit
Employees from the Newark (Del.) Parts Distribution Center made up the Work and
Watch crew staffing the NTC's traveling race exhibit during The Winston last weekend.
From left, they are Mark S. Eschelweck, Jerry Hand, Anthony Guida and Bob McKinney,
all of UAW Local 404, and DaimlerChrysler's John Germain. |
Elliott broke three bones
in the top of his left foot, which operates the clutch and brake, when he
was swept into an accident last Saturday night in The Winston all-star race
at the Lowe’s track near Charlotte.
Six cars were involved in
the wreck that began when Tony Stewart collided with Terry Labonte on the last
lap of the race’s second segment, but Elliott was the only driver injured.
Team owner Ray Evernham
said his top driver would visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. Terry Trammel in Indianapolis
to be fitted for a carbon fiber foot protector and brace.
"As of last night,"
Evernham said Tuesday, "Bill has told me he’s cleared to drive … He
was with an orthopedic doctor in Georgia (Elliott’s home state) and also we’ve
been back and forth in communication with Dr. Trammel. I guess this is a pretty
common injury in open wheel racing."
|
Mayfield gets vote of confidence
STATESVILLE, N.C. – Jeremy
Mayfield isn’t in team owner Ray Evernham’s doghouse.
 Scotching
rumors to the contrary, Evernham said Tuesday that the driver of the No. 19
Dodge Intrepid won’t lose his ride any time soon. The boss said he stands behind
his No. 2 driver despite his disappointing results so far this NASCAR Winston
Cup season.
"Jeremy Mayfield
is in the 19 – there’s no question about his future," said Evernham.
"We’re working as hard as we can work to get that 19 car back to the front
(and) they’re probably closer than you think.
"It’s not an easy sport
(but) as long as we keep communicating and holding hands and digging hard, that’s
all that we can do."
In his second year with
Evernham Motorsports, Mayfield ranks 30th in the current Winston
Cup driver championship point standings. He has just one top 10 finish in 11
starts, and in 2002 finished 26th at season’s end. His lackluster
performance has triggered recent news media rumors that he might be fired.
Based on a report from
Turner Sports Interactive
|
Crew Chief Mike Ford added
that every precaution would be taken to ensure that Elliott is comfortable for
the Winston Cup Circuit’s longest race of the year. "It wouldn’t be very
much fun for him if he were in pain and had to endure that all day."
Evernham said Elliott
uses the HANS device, designed to protect a driver from severe neck injuries,
and had "a lot of praise" for it and other safety features inside
the No. 9, based on his experience during the Saturday night crash.
"The number we got
on the G meter from NASCAR was 48 Gs, so it was a pretty hard hit. I’m not sure
about the broken foot, whether it was hyper-extended. It was not from hitting
the brake pedal or anything like that."
Evernham confirmed that
Elliott has no other injuries from the crash. "He feels great … he’s looking
forward to (Sunday’s race) and doesn’t feel like there’s going to be any issues
this week."
Just in case Elliott is
unable to compete, Evernham has spoken to Ultra Motorsports Craftsman Truck
Series Dodge driver Ted Musgrave about taking the wheel of the No. 9 for the
Coca-Cola 600.
"We’ll play that by
ear," said Evernham. "Ted has agreed to stand by if needed, but we’ll
make that decision as we go a little further into the week."
Heading into this weekend’s
event, Elliott ranks 19th in the Winston Cup driver championship
point standings.
Resources