Motor Racing Roundup : Michael Andretti Defeats Sneva to Take Series Lead

Michael Andretti, after breaking his father’s speed record at State Fair Park and winning the pole position, drove to victory Sunday in the Miller American 200-mile Indy car race at Milwaukee.

His father, Mario Andretti, led 196-of-200 laps while winning last year’s race.

Michael, 23, went ahead at the halfway point and finished just over a lap ahead of Tom Sneva.

Before an estimated crowd of 43,000, Andretti averaged 116.788 m.p.h. in his March-Cosworth, earning a winner’s check of $55,846.

The victory gave him the lead in the CART-PPG Indy Car World Series standings, with 52 points to Sneva’s 44 after four races.

“I go could anywhere I wanted on the track, the car handled so well,” Andretti said after winning his second race this season. He won at Long Beach in April.

“I just had a great advantage. When I was running in clean air, it was no big advantage. But in traffic, I could handle any of them.”

After battling Sneva, Rutherford and Rick Mears for the lead during the first half of the 200-lap race, Andretti took the lead for good on the third turn of lap 91.

Mears finished third in his March. Rutherford was fourth and Mario Andretti was fifth.

Tim Richmond ended a two-year victory drought by winning the rain-delayed Miller High Life 500 NASCAR stock car race at Long Pond, Pa.

Richmond, who last won at North Wilkesboro, N.C., in April 1984--a span of 64 races--was at or near the front all day and was in the lead with four laps remaining when a three-car wreck brought out the ninth and final caution flag of the six-hour marathon at Pocono International Raceway.

It was the fifth career victory for the 31-year-old Richmond, and his second at Pocono.

Dale Earnhardt, who had been gaining on Richmond, was second as the race finished under the yellow flag.

Buddy Arrington, Harry Gant and Morgan Shepherd all were involved in the accident on lap 196 of the 200-lap event. All three were taken to the infield hospital for examination. There was no immediate word on injuries.

Cale Yarborough wound up third, followed by Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace.

The race was interrupted for 1 hour 51 minutes because of rain just before the halfway point.

The team of Al Holbert of Warrington, Pa., and Derek Bell of England led from start to finish in winning the International Motor Sports Assn. 500-kilometer race for GT Prototypes at Lexington, Ohio, for the third straight year.

The winning team’s Porsche 962 averaged a record 98.855 m.p.h. over the 2.4-mile, 15-turn course and held a 76.5-second edge over runners-up Bob Tullius and Chip Robinson in a Jaguar XJR-7.