Earnhardt Avoids Wrecks, Wins

Dale Earnhardt eased his Chevrolet past Ricky Rudd’s Ford 17 laps from the finish Saturday and held on to win a wreck-marred, 500-lap NASCAR race at Bristol, Tenn.

Earnhardt averaged 81.79 m.p.h. for the 266 miles. He won $31,525.

The yellow flag came out 15 times, and crashes knocked out such drivers as Harry Gant, Bobby Allison, Neil Bonnett and Darrell Waltrip.

Earnhardt lost power steering after 100 laps, but he stayed near the front of the pack the rest of the way while dodging the numerous accidents.

Terry Labonte was third in a Chevrolet.

Pole-sitter Gant was knocked out of the race on the 36th lap when he became involved in a four-car crash in the fourth turn.

The race was run under sunny skies after having been postponed last week because of rain.

Two members of the Penn State football team were killed in a fiery one-car crash near Bristol, Pa., Friday, authorities said.

The victims were identified as Gene Lyons, 21, of Deptford, N.J., and Billy Chris James, 18, of McKeesport, Pa.

Lyons was a junior reserve defensive end. James was a freshman walk-on last season and did not report to spring practice this year.

Police said Lyons, the driver, lost control of the 1977 sports car while traveling “at an apparent high rate of speed.”

Olympic welterweight boxing champion Mark Breland came on strong in the final round at San Angelo, Tex., to win a six-round decision over Steve Little of Reading, Pa.

It was the third straight professional win for Breland, who was frustrated by the infighting style of Little in the earlier rounds.

Breland weighed 146 1/2 pounds. Little, now 10-3, weighed 148.

Adrian Moorhouse had a world best time of 1:00.58 in the 100-meter breaststroke in Britain’s National Short-Course swimming championships at Manchester, England.

The 20-year-old Olympic swimmer lowered the mark of 1:00.61 set last year by Canada’s Victor Davis.

Tulane University basketball fans marched on the home of university President Eamon Kelly to protest his plan to drop the sport in the wake of a point-shaving scandal and apparent NCAA violations.

“We’re not quitters,” one student shouted, and the crowd of 200 roared its approval. Members of the Tulane Greenbackers, the Green Wave Club and the Tulane Booster Club joined students and townspeople in a march from the campus to Kelly’s home several blocks away.

Kelly was not home, however. The crowd had to be satisfied with presenting their petitions to his wife.

Michele Alboreto of Italy won the pole position with a record qualifying time for today’s Brazilian Grand Prix, the opener of the 1985 racing season, at Rio de Janeiro.

Alboreto, in a Ferrari, had a best lap time of 1 minute 27.768 seconds. The previous record was 1:28.081, set Friday by Italy’s Elio de Angelis.

Jimmy Paul battered Harry Arroyo for 15 rounds, dropping the previously unbeaten champion three times to win the International Boxing Federation lightweight title on a unanimous decision at Atlantic City, N.J.

Paul, of Detroit, improved his record to 22-1 with 19 knockouts. Paul joins stablemates Thomas Hearns, the World Boxing Council’s super-welterweight champion, and WBC welterweight Milton McCrory as world champions from Emanuel Steward’s Kronk Gym.

Arroyo, 26-1 with 20 knockouts, went down from right hands in the third, 10th and 13th rounds. He took a standing eight count in the 13th and stumbled back to his corner along the ropes when the round ended.