Gant Wins NASCAR Race in Virginia

Harry Gant cruised to victory under the caution flag to win the $279,410 Sovran Bank 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race at Martinsville Speedway Sunday in front of a record crowd of 38,000.

Gant, driving a Chevrolet, had a four-second lead over Ricky Rudd’s Chevrolet with four laps to go when Eddie Bierschwale spun out and hit the wall in the second turn to bring out the tenth caution flag of the hot afternoon.

With the field under caution, Gant crossed the finish line to score his first victory of the 1985 season for a record speedway payoff of $38,525.

Rudd won $22,450.

Rudd, Geoff Bodine, Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett finished in the same lap with Gant.

Gant traveled the 500 laps on the .526-mile track in 3 hours 36 minutes 6 seconds. His average speed of 73.022 m.p.h. was far off the event record of 78.119 m.p.h., set in 1978 by Darrell Waltrip. Fifty-five laps were run under caution.

There were 11 lead changes among six drivers, with Gant leading during 193 laps and taking the lead for good on the 432nd lap.

Bodine’s finish pushed him atop the Grand National standings with 1,213 points, followed by Labonte with 1,204 and Bonnett with 1,189.