Rain Curtails Qualifying

The washout of the lone round of qualifying for the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond, Va., proved to be bad news for three drivers.

Mike Wallace, Greg Sacks and Billy Sandridge all were bumped from the field for today’s race when rain forced the cancelation of qualifying. The field of 43 was set using owner’s points from 1996 and time-dated postmarks. While some drivers were burned by missing a chance to qualify, others may have benefited. Chad Little of Spokane made the field at No. 42 based on his entry form postmark.

“We told our secretary to get them in as soon as she could,” Little said. “I guess she’s going to hit us up for a raise now that we’re in.” Earlier, Mark Martin pitted for tires with 19 laps to go then saw leaders Jeff Burton and Jason Keller crash in the final turn, allowing Martin to win the Hardee’s Fried Chicken Challenge 250.

Alex Zanardi set one record and tied another by winning the pole position for the season-opening Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead, Fla., today at Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex.

The pole gave Zanardi his ninth consecutive front-row start, breaking a record he shared with Bobby Unser (1979-1980) and Bobby Rahal (1985).