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NASCAR Winston Cup Series DieHard 500 Report: #40, Greg Sacks

14 October 1997

 #40 Greg Sacks, Coors Light Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
 DieHard 500 Race Report
 Talladega Superspeedway
 October 12, 1997

           SACKS TAKES COORS LIGHT/SABCO TO FRONT AT TALLADEGA
               Late accident spoils otherwise 'perfect' day


 
TALLADEGA, AL - The car setup was perfect. The motor was perfect. The
weather was perfect. The driver focused. Crew chief Mike Hillman put
it best when he exclaimed over the radio that the crowd was
"witnessing a Sack attack" when Coors Light driver Greg Sacks
carefully piloted the No. 40 Coors Light Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the
front of the field to lead Sunday's DieHard 500 at the 2.66-mile
Talladega Superspeedway.

Sacks, a NASCAR Winston Cup Series veteran who has been tabbed to
drive the final events of the season for Team SABCO and Coors Light,
qualified 28th for the 188-lap event. But with the help of teammate
Wally Dallenbach, Sacks wasted little time in drafting to the front of
the field taking just 30 laps to break into the top five. On lap 71,
it was Sacks who rounded turn four nosing the No. 40 Coors Light
Chevrolet into the lead past the No. 6 Ford of Mark Martin.

Sacks, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., was in solid form and his pit crew
responded by giving the driver fast servicing during the first caution
period. The driver traded leads with Sterling Marlin (who will drive
the No. 40 Coors Light stock car next season) and Dale Jarrett for
much of the middle portions of the race. When Sacks was shuffled to
seventh during a lap-77 shift in positioning, the driver keyed his
microphone and was heard uttering "come on ba-bee" as he battled his
way back to the front. No problem. He assumed the point again on lap
86.

It was becoming more clear every minute that the Coors Light team was
poised to capture its first victory of the season if everything were
to hold equal for the remaining laps. Virtually no one had anything
for Sacks and his powerful Team SABCO entry. Only fate could deal the
final card. And it did.

On lap 139, Sacks, who had been temporarily shuffled back to 12th
position, was making another kick toward the front when disaster
struck.

Jeff Gordon blew a left side tire on the back stretch which began a
wild chain-reaction wreck that took out nearly half of the
field. Sacks was consumed in the melee and went airborne over Marlin's
hood, coming to rest with heavy damage. Unhurt, he was taken to the
Talladega infield care center where he was immediately released after
being given a quick once-over by track physicians.

Said Sacks after he shed his driver's suit: "I feel great. It's the
first time I've been up front in a Winston Cup race in a long
time. Felix Sabates, Mike Hillman and the whole Coors Light team gave
me a great car and I really had a blast. I'm disappointed that it
didn't go to the end to really show them what we had. But all in all
we did show the fans, Coors Light and all our sponsors that we had
something for them today."

By Team SABCO Public Relations