Opening Laps
Outside polesitter Earnhardt led the opening lap for the first time in his Daytona 500 career. Lap 3 saw Sterling Marlin put car #4 into the lead. The first yellow flag came out on Lap 10 when Joe Nemechek (in his first race for his own team) crashed and collected the #11 of Brett Bodine. 2 Laps after the restart, IMSA and IndyCar veteran Davy Jones touched with fellow rookie Randy LaJoie exiting Turn 4, clipping the wall and spinning the 77 car into the pits. Before 30 laps were put on the board, sprint car king Steve Kinser crashed with Phil Parsons. Jeff Gordon took the lead from Sterling Marlin during the yellow flag pit stops. After the restart, Mark Martin & 1985 and 1987 winner Bill Elliott stopped for flat tires. On Lap 43 John Andretti and 1990 winner Derrike Cope collided exiting Turn 2. Both continued with minimal damage, but as Cope came through the tri-oval to catch up to the field, both rear tires suddenly blew out, sending him into a harmless spin but rendering his car disabled as he could get no traction with both rear tires flat. On Lap 58 Mike Wallace got loose in Turn 2 and tagged Jeff Purvis, sending both cars into the wall and the 1994 and 1993 ARCA 200 winners respectively were finished for the day. Caution flag pit stops resulted in Dave Marcis staying out to lead one lap (a regular practice for Dave), and Mark Martin's Roush Racing crew put the Valvoline car in front. On Lap 68, Gordon retook the lead.
Read more about this topic: 1995 Daytona 500
Famous quotes containing the words opening and/or laps:
“Fellow citizens, I have been called upon to conduct this opening meeting of the Osage First Methodist-Episcopalian-Presbyterian-Congregational-Baptist-Catholic-Unitarian-Hebrew Church.”
—Howard Estabrook (1884–1978)
“They’ll take suggestion as a cat laps milk;
They’ll tell the clock to any business that
We say befits the hour.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)