Bobby Dotter
Sandusky, Ohio (August 30, 1987) - Bobby Dotter and crew chief Mike Randerson had a plan going into Sunday's American Speed Association (ASA) Ford Turbo 300 at Sandusky Speedway; make one pit stop.
That strategy proved successful
as the Wisconsin-based driver executed the plan to a tee, then held off
hard-charging NASCAR defending Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt to capture
his premier ASA stock car victory.
"We pretty much had a game
plan all day to just pit one time," Dotter revealed. "We got stuck
pitting early for a few seconds around lap 30 or 40. The car was overheating.
The temperature was varying and water was coming out of the overflow, so we
stopped and ripped the grill screening out.
"Then, we made our regular stop
and took fuel and two tires on lap 169," Dotter continued. "Since
that was to be our only stop, I had to run conservatively for the next 100
laps. Then at about 250, we finally just started going all out. Luckily, I was
in front at that time.”
Fourteen lead changes among eight
drivers highlighted the first three-quarters of the 300-lap event. Pole-sitter
Earnhardt jumped out to the early lead, and then exchanged the spot with Michigan's
Bob Senneker several times during the first 100 laps to the cheers of the large
crowd.
Pit stops scrambled the field for
the next 100 circuits, placing Dotter, Wisconsin's Dick Trickle, Michigan's
Harold Fair, Missouri’s Kenny Wallace, Cincinnati's Dave Johnson and Canadian
Russ Urlin all in the lead at various times.
Behind the wheel of the Miller
American Ford, Dotter took control of the race for the third time after leader
Fair pitted on lap 248.
After making his final pit stop
for tires on lap 218, Earnhardt steadily made his way back through the field
and moved in behind Dotter on lap 253.
The pair staged an exciting drive
for the final 47 laps, with Earnhardt running his strongest after restarts.
It was after a restart for the
race's final yellow flag on lap 277 that Earnhardt made his final last-ditch
challenge. Exiting turn four, Earnhardt bumped the rear quarter panel of
Dotter's Ford, and then pulled beneath him going down the front straight.
But, Earnhardt's lead was short-lived.
The 35-year-old NASCAR star took his GM Goodwrench Camaro into turns one and
two a bit too hard, allowing Dotter to sneak underneath him and retake the lead
for good. He finished with a .51-second advantage lead over Earnhardt.
"I just went in too hard and
slipped up the track and let him (Dotter) under me," Earnhardt admitted.
"I could catch him on the restarts. It just took a while for his tires to
come in. He was a little slippery and loose for a couple laps and we could race
with him. Then he'd get hooked up and get away."
"The restarts were real
scary," Dotter laughed. "He (Earnhardt) was faster than me two or
three laps after a restart.”
"He just went into the
corner too hard and we got under him," continued Dotter. "I think if
Dale would have gotten around me and gotten away, we would have been real hard
pressed to get around him no matter how fast I was running.
The win was extra special for Dotter.
Aside from being the 27-year-old's
first in six years on the ASA circuit, the victory came at a time then the team
needed a boost.
"We've been
struggling," admitted Dotter, who took over the ride of 1986 ASA point
champ Mark Martin when Martin moved up to the NASCAR Busch Grand National
circuit this year.
"We have been through two
crew chiefs and five crew members this year. Just this week half of our crew
either quit or was fired. This is basically an all-new crew today.”
"Luckily, the guy that built
the car (Mike Randerson of Green Bay, Wis.) came to be crew chief for me. That
made all the difference," Dotter continued. "He dialed me in and
helped me through it by telling me what I should be doing (via radio
communication).”
"I can't say enough about
Mike. Without him, there is no doubt in my mind that we wouldn't have won this
race," assured Dotter.
After overcoming handling
problems early in the race, Kent Stauffer turned in a fine run behind the wheel
of the Liberty Ford/Flex Industries Ford. He finished fourth to tie for his
best finish of his six-year ASA career.
"The car was pushing in the beginning
and we were running a little slow," the 36-year-old driver admitted.
"But we kept coming in and making chassis and tire changes and the car got
better.
"We wanted to make two pit stops
but we ended up making four. But it was a necessity."
Bobby Allison, the other NASCAR Winston
Cup driver in the field, had a short afternoon. A broken valve spring retired
his Miller American Buick to the pits for good on lap 21.
Seventeen of the 26 starters were
still running at the end, with 12 of those on the same lap as the leader at the
drop of the checkered.
Results -
1. Bobby Dotter, Franklin, Wis.
2. Dale Earnhardt, Kannapolis,
N.C.
3. Ted Musgrave, Grand Marsh,
Wis.
4. Kent Stauffer, Elyria, Ohio
5. Dick Trickle, Wisconsin
Rapids, Wis.
6. John Ziegler, Madison, Wis.
7. Russ Urlin, London Ont.,
Canada
8. Harold Fair, Detroit, Mich.
9. Kenny Wallace, St Louis, Mo.
10. Dave Jackson, Cincinnati, Ohio
11. Tom Harrington,
Hendersonville, Tenn.
12. Buddy Schrock, Plain City,
Ohio
13. Peter Gibbons, Stouffville,
Ont., Canada
14. Gary St. Amant, Columbus, Ohio
15. Mike Eddy, Midland, Mich.
16. Chet Kosin, Inkster, Mich.
17. Bob Senneker, Dorr, Mich.
18. Tom Jones, Northbrook, Ill.
19. Glenn Allen, Cincinnati, Ohio
20. Butch Miller, Coopersville,
Mich.
21. John Wilson, Springfield, Ohio
22. Gene Harsch, Sharonville, Ohio
23. Larry Hams, Indianapolis,
Ind.
24. Bret Miles, Muncie, Ind.
25. J. Michael Kurkowski, Perry,
Ohio
26. Bobby Allison, Hueytown, Ala.