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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 1:26:00 GMT -5
1989 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond) Expected to be a wildcard in championship battle, is was that. And a short track doozy. Points leader Katie Sammonds retired from the race with a malfunctioning steering column, and Mark Martin, runner-up in the points, finished second to race winner Terry Labonte. With Richmond, it's always survival of the fittest. After the race, Mark Martin went into the points lead with an 81 point lead over Katie, who seeks redemption at Dover next week. Neither of the PCR drivers expected to do well at Richmond, as short tracks seem to be where they run the worst, though Andy Sammonds was able to win at Bristol earlier this season. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 1:42:24 GMT -5
1989 Peak Performance 500 The dramatic battle for the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship continued at Dover Downs. Mark Martin is determined not to let a rookie defeat him in the battle, and started on the pole. Katie Sammonds, meanwhile, started fifth, and ran well early before the first caution early, when she brushed the wall and the right side was pushed in, ruining her aerodynamics and her day, as she was relegated to the back, off the lead lap. Martin, who was leading at the time, was also involved in the wreck, but he rallied for a 13th place finish, widening his lead to 181 points. As for the winner, it was Dale Jarrett, for the second time in his career. Katie is frustrated, but determined not to give up. But she and Andy Sammonds dread the next stop on the circuit, Martinsville. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 2:04:47 GMT -5
(Though not actually Ron Burgundy's desk...) Mark Martin has broken his leg in a crash at a midget car event at Martinsville. He will be out for the rest of the season, and will be replaced by Joe Ruttman. Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt will be back in the #3 Chevrolet. Martin's absence has given Katie second wind, as she led first practice at Martinsville. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 2:17:49 GMT -5
1989 Goody's 500 After the bombshell of Mark Martin's injury, ruining his chances for a championship, as well as Dale Earnhardt coming back from three-race suspension following sexist comments made at Pocono, the championship battle entered a new chapter. Katie Sammonds felt very, very good about finishing well. Alas, though, a rash of cautions caused by an experimental chassis setup that caused cars to act unpredictably, saw her retire with a bad vibration. Ultimately, Dale Earnhardt proved that his three-race suspension didn't make him rusty, and he won from the pole, netting him the Unocal 76 Challenge. Mark Martin, despite no longer being able to run this season, "maintains" the points lead with a 28-point lead. 1989 just keeps getting more and more interesting... |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 2:42:56 GMT -5
1989 Levi Strauss 400 The 1989 campaign returned to Fontaine, CO, in the shadow of Pikes Peak, America's most famous mountain. The race was once more a heated battle, after a spate of wreckfests and strange happenings. The closing stages was marked by a battle for the lead between Dale Earnhardt, Ken Schrader, and the Sammonds Twins, Andy and Katie. Earnhardt won, but it hardly mattered in the championship standings, as he was way behind. Katie, meanwhile, finished fourth after a late caution saw her passed by Rusty Wallace, and she "passed" the injured Mark Martin in points standings, giving her the points lead once more as she chases history. This race was once again broadcast on ABC, but not with either Paul Page (who was doing a Winston Modified Series race on SETN) or Al Michaels (who was in Chicago broadcasting a National League playoffs game), so they had no choice but to go to their next best option, Howard Cosell. He actually did a great job. Next stop: Charlotte. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 3:10:06 GMT -5
1989 All Pro Auto Parts 500 NASCARs return to Charlotte proved to be a very exciting race. Much of the race was actually Round 2 of "Brother vs Sister", as Andy and Katie Sammonds dueled for the lead for a good portion of the race. However, a dash to the finish between the two never materialized, as Katie's car developed a piston issue that took her out of contention. TBS cameras caught her taking the bad piston out of her engine and smashing it against her car in fury, a moment dubbed "Batter Up", as Katie was wielding the piston like a baseball bat. Andy Sammonds, meanwhile, finished eighth, while Michael Waltrip would win the Fall Charlotte race for the second year in a row, silently moving him into tenth in points standings behind his older brother Darrell. Meanwhile, Andy's strong finish placed him second in points, right behind Katie. Andy, as a result, has become torn. He wants Katie to win the championship, but he also wants to defend his 1988 title. A moral decision that makes the 1989 season that much more interesting. Next stop: North Wilkesboro. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 4:42:44 GMT -5
1989 Holly Farms 400 Heading to North Wilkesboro, the drama of the 1989 season was captivating America. Television ratings had never been higher, and NASCAR was directing the networks to stop tape-delay coverage. Katie Sammonds qualified on the pole, and led early. She probably would have won or at least finished strong had her ignition not failed. For the second week in a row, a car issue had taken away her chances to win. So angry was she, that she stated in an interview with ESPN that she suspected someone is sabotaging her car to stop her from winning the championship, seeing her as a threat to what they consider a man's sport. Andy Sammonds, meanwhile, was involved in a crash, and kept running, but spent much of his time on pit road trying to correct the issues before finally just dropping out, reasoning that he was just dead weight on the track. Rusty Wallace, meanwhile, won the race. With their poor performances, Andy fell to third, and Katie to second, while Bill Elliott, seeking vengeance for the 1988 championship that was robbed from him by an injury during qualifying at Michigan, took the points lead. Next stop: North Carolina. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 5:09:50 GMT -5
Disaster Relief Race On October 17, 1989, two days after the Holly Farms 400, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area. Pacific Coast Racing's shop was unharmed, but many were killed, others injured, and the Bay Area's transportation infrastructure was badly damaged. The Sammonds twins considered dropping out of the AC Delco 500 this coming Sunday to visit the Bay Area, before NASCAR decided to hold a race for disaster relief efforts at the brand-new San Jose Superspeedway (really Progressive Raceway). 33 cars entered the race, including some of NASCAR's biggest stars, plus a few surprise entries including AJ Foyt, Patty Moise, Mick Gibbs, and Jimmy Bown.  Andy Sammonds ran this special scheme for the race. Contested over 165 laps, no points were on the line. It was just a race to raise money for disaster relief efforts in the Bay Area. Two multi-car wrecks broke out, the first one involving multiple cars and taking Harry Gant and several others out, and another that took out Andy Sammonds, Terry Labonte, and Bill Elliott. Elliott, in particular, slammed his hip during the crash when his seat belt malfunctioned, and he will sit out the AC Delco 500 on recommendation of a physician. Katie Sammonds, the only other Bay Area native in the race, finished second, with Dave Marcis, out of nowhere, winning the race. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 5:24:01 GMT -5
1989 AC Delco 500 After the Disaster Relief race, NASCAR returned to Rockingham. Bill Eliott, the points leader, sat the race out after he slammed his hip in a multi-car wreck at San Jose, and sat out on recommendation of a physician. The race was relatively clean. Andy and Katie Sammonds dueled for the lead early on, before Andy was forced out of the race with a piston issue. Like Katie did at the All Pro Auto Parts 500, Andy took the bad piston and beat his car with it, ESPN cameras overhearing him say "I'm sick and tired of all this SHIT!" Katie finished one lap down, in 16th, while Terry Labonte would get his second win of the season. With his abysmal finish, Andy fell to fourth in standings, while Katie, in Elliott's absence, retook the lead. Our next stop is a highly-anticipated one: Riverside. |
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Post by bnsf1995 on Feb 24, 2017 5:36:53 GMT -5
1989 Budweiser 400 After a year-long refurbishment project known as Project Wildfire (in reality, Riverside was not on the 1988 schedule because Riverside PWF doesn't work with AeroWar 88), NASCAR made its big return to Riverside International Raceway. The track had been threatened with closure, but the city stepped in and bought the facility, refreshing it for a new generation. The new Riverside has been a hit with both drivers and fans. This race was a rarity, in that it ran CAUTION-FREE. The only driver who didn't finish was Dick Trickle, whose clutch developed an issue. To that end, the race was 100% clean. That didn't mean it was exciting, though. As you'd expect from a NASCAR road course event, passing was minimum, and Katie Sammonds couldn't catch Rusty Wallace, who won the event, while Katie finished second. Regardless, Katie maintains the points lead. Bill Elliott will not race the rest of the season after it was found out his hip injury sustained in the disaster relief race at San Jose Superspeedway was much worse than was thought. He will undergo surgery for it in the off-season. Next stop: Phoenix. |
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