THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 19, 1996 TAG: 9608190173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF, WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: ELKHART LAKE, WIS. LENGTH: 92 lines
A blown engine two turns from the end robbed Al Unser Jr. of his first PPG IndyCar win in nearly a year and handed Michael Andretti the victory in Sunday's Texaco-Havoline 200.
Unser took the lead 13 laps from the end during the last of five full-course caution flags in the 50-lap road race at Road America.
Victory seemed assured when Christian Fittipaldi, Unser's closest pursuer, suddenly pulled off course and parked on lap 45, the victim of an engine failure. That left Andretti in second place, 2.57 seconds behind.
Andretti, who now has four wins this season and 34 in his Indy-car career, closed within 1.22 seconds - about 10 car lengths - as Unser took the white flag, signifying one lap to go.
Unser appeared to have about the same margin when he braked his Penske-Mercedes hard, drove off-course into gravel and came back onto the shoulder of the track before parking the car with gray smoke spewing from his engine.
Andretti drove his Ford-powered Lola across the finish line seven car lengths ahead of Bobby Rahal. Pole-sitter Alex Zanardi was third.
SHARP WINS IRL RACE: Scott Sharp won his first Indy-car race and gave A.J. Foyt his first victory as an owner in the IRL True Value 200 at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.
Sharp took advantage of Tony Stewart's late breakdown and finished 20.4 seconds ahead of Buzz Calkins as the IRL opened its second season. Sharp and Calkins were co-champions in the IRL's first season, which ended in May with the Indy 500.
Stewart was leading by two laps and appeared en route to an overwhelming victory until electrical problems sent him to the pits on the 182th lap.
Calkins and Michele Arboreto were the only cars running on the lead lap at the end before a disappointing crowd of 24,000.
FORCE WINS 10TH: John Force claimed his 10th victory of the season at the 15th annual Champion Auto Stores Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.
Force covered the quarter-mile in 5.120 seconds at 303.13 mph in his Castrol GTX Pontiac to defeat Tony Pedregon, 5.260 and 243.17.
Kenny Bernstein picked up his third Top Fuel win of the season. He used a 4.733 at 302.82 to defeat Eddie Hill, who smoked the tires and coasted to a 9.552 at 76.07.
Warren Johnson posted his fifth Pro Stock win of the season, defeating Steve Schmidt. Johnson had a 7.110 at 193.38 to Schmidt's 7.153 at 193.00.
AT LANGLEY: Richmond rains brought an end to a Langley reign Saturday night.
Bugs Hairfield, a Southside Speedway driver racing at the Hampton track after rain canceled the Southside program, won handily to end Greg Edwards' four-race winning streak.
``I'm surprised,'' said Hairfield, who is second in the Late Model standings at Southside but had run only once this year at Langley. ``Normally when we run this track, we lose a tire on lap 80 or something.''
The only thing Hairfield lost Saturday was the field.
He started the race on the outside pole and took the lead on lap 3. On lap 18, it appeared Shawn Balluzzo had nudged past Hairfield on the back straightaway. But a caution flag put Harifield back in the lead, which soon became insurmountable.
Hairfield said not worrying about a points race let him run harder.
``I came in to this race thinking I would run until it (the car) quit,'' he said. ``But it never quit.''
Continuing the theme of outsiders coming in from the rain to do well, Old Dominion Speedway's Mark McFarland finished second. McFarland normally runs on the Manassas track, but its program was rained out as well.
``When you aren't a regular, you go for it more than others,'' who also have to worry about position for their series standings, McFarland said.
Buddy Malish finished third, followed by Balluzzo, Roger Sawyer and Edwards.
AT SOUTHAMPTON: Mike Shearin took the lead during an early-race caution period and led the rest of the way for his fourth victory of the year in the 35-lap Super Late Model feature Saturday night at Southampton Speedway.
The Emporia, Va., driver edged series points leader Greg Hubbard of Cobbs Creek, Va., by a car length. Bert Culpepper III of Chesapeake was third, followed by A.J. Inge of Chesapeake and Glenn Hawkins of Emporia.
In Saturday's other races:
Billy Hubbard took the lead on the first lap and claimed his first victory of the season in the 30-lap Late Model Stock feature, winning by nearly a half-straightaway over Speck Edwards of Capron, who took over the lead in the points race.
Rookie David Rife of Windsor, Va., scored his first victory of the year in the double-points, 50-lap Limited Sportsman feature. Rife took the lead on the final lap when the leaders, David Earl Pope of Newsoms and Irvin Stephens Jr. of Franklin, spun. Keith Vaughan of Courtland finished second.
Franklin's Jay Williams led from pole to checkered flag, beating Jeff Dodson of Courtland by a car length in the 25-lap 4-Cylinder Modified event for his second win of the year.
Keith Rose of Franklin held off Carrsville's Chuck Perry for his sixth victory of the season in the Super Stock 20-lapper.
Jim Holmes was credited with his eighth win of the season when post-race inspections eliminated three of the top five cars, including the apparent winner, Tommy Pittman of Ivor. by CNB