Goody's Headache Powder 500

April 19, 1998
Martinsville, VA

(April 14, 1998) -- Relief drivers will be a major story at Martinsville Speedway with three trying to crack the field for Sunday's Goody's Headache Powder 500. Pressure is the unnerving companion for any substitute driver, but Jeff Green thinks the veteran makeup of the Bahari' Racing team will ease any tension he may feel when he steps into the Gumout Pontiac.

Green is replacing Derrike Cope in owner Chuck Rider's Pontiac at Martinsville while Cope rests two broken ribs he reaggravated in a qualifying crash at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Cope originally broke the ribs in a crash during the March 9 Primestar 500 at Atlanta. Cope expects to get back behind the wheel in the April 26 DieHard 500 at Talladega.

Green is temporarily out of action while Diamond Ridge Motorsports fine-tunes its NASCAR Winston Cup program. Green said he hopes to return to action for that team at Talladega. Green tested with the Bahari' Racing team at Martinsville last Monday and Tuesday, and came away confident that crew chief Doug Hewitt's experience can lessen the burdens he may feel when he straps into the Gumout Pontiac.

"It's definitely a step up from my team right now, because it's a veteran outfit," Green said. "They've been around a long time. Doug has been around long enough to know the ins and outs. You're not guessing on a lot of the calls he makes. That helps me out a lot. It helps our relationship and my confidence in him, too.

"There's a little pressure. I want to do everything right and not make any mistakes on my part for this team because they've put a lot of trust in me. They've hired me to do the job, and I want to work to the best of my ability, and hopefully, have a good run for the team and Jeff Green, too."

Green's goal is to finish in the top 15 at Martinsville.

"If we can just stay on the lead lap, you're going to have an excellent finish," Green said. "I guess that's my main concern first. We want a good enough car so we can stay on the lead lap, and if the breaks fall right for us, we'll have a shot at running in the top-10."

Green has only one Winston Cup start at Martinsville. He finished 30th in last year's Hanes 500 when he wore the brakes out on his car. In only his second year on the circuit, Green hopes to benefit from the needed experience of another start on one of the circuit's toughest short tracks.

"Anytime you sit out a week it's hard to keep up on the new ideas, and just getting seat time is important, too," Green said. "No matter where you're racing at, if you're getting seat time, working with crewmen, you're going to learn stuff. It's definitely a plus for me. It would have been like three weeks for me before I'd raced anything if I hadn't done this deal. It's worked out good for me. It's not good for Derrike, but if we can help his team get better, it's going to help him, too."

Rider is hopeful of a solid run at Martinsville, but his primary focus is getting Cope back healthy for the long haul.

"If I can get him healthy by sitting out Martinsville and coming back at Talladega after three weeks rest, then that should help the entire team," Rider said. "I'd rather him come back healthy for that situation than to put him through pain and a chance to damage his ribs again at Martinsville, which we all know is another crash affair. This is only short-term right now, and I think that's what Derrike and I have looked at. Derrike is going to be our driver for many, many years and I just want him to be healthy when he gets back in the car again."

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 20, 1998) -- Heading into Monday's rain-delayed Goody's Headache Powder 500, Gumout Pontiac substitute driver Jeff Green's goal was a top-15 finish.

Green came close, steadily improving throughout the race to rally home with a 17th-place finish. He finished one lap down to race winner Bobby Hamilton, who barely lapped Green 136 laps into the race, nipping him by inches to a caution flag at the start/finish line. From that point on, Green, in only his second career start at Martinsville, drove masterfully.

"If we could have beaten Bobby to the line that one time and managed to stay on the lead lap, we might have been staring at a top-10," Green said. "We spent the first 200 laps really trying to get dialed in. After that, we were pretty good."

Green was substituting for Derrike Cope, who sat out the race while resting his two broken ribs, sustained in a crash last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Cope is hopeful of a return to the Gumout Pontiac Sunday in the DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Green did an excellent job as Cope's replacement, passing the likes of Jeff Gordon and Ken Schrader late in the race to hold onto his position.

Chuck Rider's Bahari' Racing team now gets ready for Friday's time trials at Talladega.