Die is cast for Awesome Bill

   FOURTH IN A FIVE-PART SERIES ON FEBRUARY RACING DECADE-TO-DECADE AT DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.

   My pal Steve Waid of NASCAR Scene has been known for years for his quick, witty, stinging one-liners.

   Among his best, most biting ever came on Feb. 15, 1987, as the Daytona 500 neared its conclusion.

   When driver Geoff Bodine and his crew chief, Gary Nelson, called their failed gamble on fuel "a roll of the dice," Waid instantly pounced.

   "Yeah, and they rolled a nine!" Waid cracked in the press box at Daytona International Speedway.

   Nine happened to be the number on the fleet Ford that Bill Elliott drove past the faltering Bodine on the 198th lap of 200 in the classic NASCAR event en route to Victory Lane.

   Told of Waid's line when he came to the press box for the winner's interview, Elliott beamed brightly and flashed Steve a thumb's up.

   "I knew those boys (Bodine's Hendrick Motorsports team) were going to gamble on not stopping after me and the rest of the leaders did pit for fuel late in the race," said Elliott.  "That's typical of them and that car.  They come to win and nothing else is good enough.  You've got to admire them for it."

   Elliott, winning the 500 for the second time in three years, shook his red head.

   "I had no idea if Geoff could make it," he said of his Chevrolet rival.  "I did know that car has a history of getting good gas mileage, but going 45 laps (112.5 miles) on a tank at the speeds we're running would have been tough."

   Earlier, Bodine had made it 42 laps before refueling.

   Elliott averaged a sizzling 176.263 mph as only four caution flags, all for debris on the 2.5-mile track, slowed the pace.

   He continued to comment on the Bodine/Nelson duo's decision on fuel:

   "Ernie (Elliott's brother and crew chief) called me on the radio and said Bodine had run out of gas.  That perked me right up, because I was almost 24 seconds--or about a half a lap--behind him at the time.

   "In the same situation, I definitely would have done what Geoff's team did."

   Said Bodine:

   "It was our plan from the previous round of pit stops to try and outlast them.  If you never take a chance in life, well, it gets kind of dull and boring."

   Added Nelson:

   "If we'd had Geoff come in, maybe we could have finished second.  We came to Florida to win the Daytona 500.  We rolled the dice and came up short.  I'd do it again, although I know everyone is going to come up and say we should have stopped."

   After his fuel cell ran dry, Bodine coasted back around to his pit and got enough gasoline to finish the race.  He fell back and took the checkered flag 14th, a lap down.

   Although Bodine was out of contention, Elliott wasn't exactly home free for the triumph.

   Charging on hard behind him were Benny Parsons, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt.

   Elliott made his final fuel stop on Lap 187.  His top challengers came to the pits over the next six laps.

   "We got in and out good on the last stop and that's what ultimately won us the race," continued Elliott, who was then 31 and in the prime of his colorful career.  "I figure beating Buddy and Dale out was the key, because it looked like to me they had the strongest cars, although Benny's was good, too.

   "The crew deserves a lot of credit, but I guess I deserve some, too.  I have yet to see one of these cars that can win by itself.  There's always got to be somebody in there mashing the gas.  I know I get teased a lot for using the word 'combination,' but that's what works for us."

   Elliott, who had led by 1.27 seconds after the final round of pit stops, finished three car-lengths ahead of Parsons' Chevy with Petty, Baker and Earnhardt following.

   Elliott and Baker dominated at the front of the pack.  Elliott led 105 laps and Baker, the 1980 Daytona 500 winner, led 45, mostly in the first half of the race.

   Finally, as the victors' press box news conference ended,  Ernie Elliott, slowed through much of the 1986 season by mononucleosis,  was asked what he thought the chance of Bodine running out of fuel might be.

   He answered with a one-liner to rival that of Steve Waid:

   "Oh, I'd say about 9.9."