Motor Racing Roundup : Rahal Goes an Extra Lap to Beat Sullivan at Toronto

Despite a one-lap penalty for infractions under the yellow flag, Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal won the first $600,000 Molson Indy race Sunday at Toronto.

Following the penalty, Rahal powered his March 86C Cosworth through the pack to take the lead with 12 laps remaining and finished 2.25 seconds ahead of Danny Sullivan. Mario Andretti was third.

In winning his second race of the season and 10th of his career, Rahal drove the 1.78-mile course at an average speed of 87.414 m.p.h, covering the 103 laps (187 miles) in 2 hours 5 minutes 50.51 seconds.

Rahal, who will meet President Reagan at the White House today in a reception honoring his Indy 500 victory, earned $73,546 and 21 points in the CART series standings.

Michael Andretti, who leads the standings with 86 points, did not finish the race. Rahal is sixth with 63 points.

Rahal encountered problems after Mike Nish crashed his March 85C Cosworth on turn one of the 31st lap, bringing out the yellow for 22 laps while rescue teams cut him from the wreckage.

Nish, 26, of Salt Lake City, Utah, fractured his ankle and was to be transferred to Indianapolis Methodist Hospital, where he may have surgery.

Rahal and Emerson Fittipaldi pitted during the caution and exited before the pace car came around to gain a lap on the field. They were each penalized a lap, dropping Rahal from first to ninth and Fittipaldi into 10th.

Fittipaldi couldn’t make up the time. Rahal did.

Tim Richmond survived a photo finish at Long Pond, Pa., to win the NASCAR Pocono 500, which started 95 minutes late and was halted 50 laps short because of fog.

Richmond, who has won three of the last four races on the Winston Cup circuit, finished inches in front of Ricky Rudd with Geoff Bodine close behind in the tightest three-car finish of the season.

Richmond averaged 124.229 m.p.h. for the race which lasted 3 hours and 1 minute.

Officials of the NASCAR announced a sprint race at the 141-lap mark after determining that darkness and fog were making conditions dangerous.

As the field took the white flag indicating one lap to go, Bodine’s Chevrolet was a nose in front of Richmond’s Chevy. Richmond beat Bodine into the first turn, then went too hard into the second turn and allowed Bodine to sneak underneath and back into the lead.

The two were side by side coming off the final turn and heading for home when Rudd steered to the inside and almost overtook both Bodine and Richmond.

Eddie Lawson of Ontario won the French motorcycle Grand Prix at Le Castellet, France, to extend his lead in the 500cc world championship standings. Lawson, 26, finished the 21 laps around the 3.6-mile Paul Ricard track in 42 minutes 57.01 seconds, more than 12 seconds ahead of Randy Mamola of San Jose.