EARNHARDT HASN'T LOST ANY HEART.

Byline: Joe Macenka Associated Press 

Dale Earnhardt's slow climb back into the Winston Cup spotlight moves this weekend into the familiar territory of Bristol Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt is coming off his best finish of the season, a sixth last week at the new Texas track, heading into today's Food City 500 on Bristol's .533-mile, high-banked oval.

``I think what you saw last week was the beginning of things to come,'' said Earnhardt, who has moved into 10th place in the season driver standings and is just 107 points out of fifth.

With new crew chief Larry McReynolds on board, Earnhardt's team began the year with a series of struggles. Earnhardt crashed in the season-opening Daytona 500 and did not post a top-10 finish until he came in eighth at Atlanta, the fourth event on the 1997 schedule.

Earnhardt started 15th at Texas but was involved in a 14-car pileup on the first lap that left him in 35th place, one lap down, and with a fire in his carburetor. But Earnhardt eventually got the engine restarted, worked his way back on the lead lap midway through the race and wound up as just one of eight drivers on the same lap as winner Jeff Burton at the end of the event.

``Considering the scoreboard had zero laps on it and we were sitting down in turn one and it wouldn't crank, I hope that shows the strength and determination of this group,'' McReynolds said. ``We keep climbing the ladder. We're happy to finish sixth. Now we just need to get it over to victory lane where it belongs.''

Earnhardt is quite familiar with the location of victory lane at Bristol, where the 36-degree bankings help drivers turn laps in less than 16 seconds, making it difficult to avoid trouble that may unfold.

Earnhardt's first Winston Cup victory came at Bristol, in the 1979 Southeastern 500, and he has eight triumphs overall at the track, second among active drivers only to the 12 of Darrell Waltrip.

``I like the short tracks,'' Earnhardt said. ``Almost every driver out there got his start on a track this size. Five-hundred laps on this track takes its toll on you and your equipment. Keeping your car in one piece isn't always easy because everything happens so fast, you don't have any time to get out of the way.''

The track has undergone a series of substantial expansions and upgrades since Earnhardt began racing at Bristol.

``Each time we come back here, there are more improvements,'' Earnhardt said. ``The fans that have been coming here over the last 10 years can appreciate what they've done. When I first started racing here 19 years ago, the concrete bleachers were all they had to offer. Now there is luxury box and mezzanine levels with concession stands. It's come a long way.''

Earnhardt's most recent victory at Bristol came in the 1994 spring race. Mark Martin has won the pole for the last two Food City 500s, but Jeff Gordon has won both races.

Qualifying was set for Friday to determine the top 25 starting positions for today's 500-lap event. The remainder of the 43-car starting grid is to be filled in a second round of time trials Saturday, followed by the Moore's Snacks 250 Busch Grand National race.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Dale Earnhardt started 15th at Texas but was involved in a 14-car pileup on the first lap.

Associated Press