Auto Racing Roundup : 158,000 See Earnhardt Shake Elliott, Win 600

With a record crowd looking on, Dale Earnhardt, driving a Chevrolet, took the lead when Bill Elliott, driving a Ford, had to make a pit stop for fuel with 15 laps remaining, and Earnhardt held on to win the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Harrisburg, N.C.

The crowd was estimated at 158,000 people, the largest crowd ever for a NASCAR race.

It was the second Winston Cup career win at the 1 1/2-mile track for Earnhardt, who grew up in Kannapolis, N.C., about 20 minutes from the track, and his third win this season.

“I’ve always wanted to win the 600 in my hometown,” the 34-year-old Earnhardt said. “We kept adjusting the car. The race track finally came to us. I finally found my groove and I went to work.

“I was sitting there content with running behind (Elliott). I wasn’t pressuring the car because I wasn’t sure I could outrun him. I knew Bill was going to have to pit, so I was just sort of biding my time and saving my stuff.”

Earnhardt collected $98,150 for the victory. He led twice for a total of 25 laps in the 400-lap event, including the final 15. The former national champion finished 1.59 seconds ahead of Tim Richmond, whose Chevrolet edged Cale Yarborough’s Ford at the finish line. Richmond, who had just enough fuel to hold off Yarborough, didn’t chance making a run at Earnhardt.

Harry Gant placed fourth and Darrell Waltrip finished fifth, both in Chevrolets. Elliott ended up sixth.

Earnhardt averaged 140.406 m.p.h. in the race that was slowed by six caution flags for 32 laps. There were 39 lead changes between 15 drivers, breaking the record of 12 drivers in 1980 and 1982.

Earnhardt started third in the $716,225 event and remained in the top five most of the day. But Earnhardt didn’t seriously challenge until the latter stages. The first time he led was lap 328 when he passed Elliott in turn 2 as the Georgian slowed in preparation for a pit stop.

Elliott regained the lead when Earnhardt pitted on lap 335 and Richmond obtained two leftside tires and gas on lap 337. Elliott and Earnhardt were first and second after the round of pit stops, but again the difference in fuel mileage between the Chevrolets and the Fords proved the difference.

Earnhardt’s crew knew Elliott had to pit again and Earnhardt merely waited for the inevitable fuel stop. That came on lap 385. Elliott took only 4.15 seconds to obtain gas, but when he returned to the track he trailed Earnhardt by about half a lap.

Britain’s Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda, won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Belguim, beating Brazil’s Ayrton Senna, in a Lotus-Renault, by nearly 20 seconds.

Senna’s second-place finish enabled him to take the lead in the 1986 world drivers’ championship. He has 25 points, while world champion Alain Prost of France, who picked up one point by finishing sixth Sunday, is now second with 23.

It was Mansell’s third career victory in 79 starts.

Mansell’s winning time for the 185.631-mile race was 1 hour 27 minutes 57.925 seconds. His average speed was 126.48 m.p.h.

Mansell and Senna both said they virtually were out of fuel as the race ended, and Senna said he had had to back off his chase of Mansell to be sure to finish.

“No one else near me was up high in the championship and I wanted six points (for second), not none,” he said.

Ferraris finished third and fourth, with Swede Stefan Johansson passing teammate, Italian Michele Alboreto, to take over third with six laps left in the 43-lap race through the Belgian forests. It was the Italian factory’s best performance in this championship season.