Auto Racing Roundup : Richmond Wins Richmond Event

Tim Richmond continued his assault on the Winston Cup points championship Sunday, taking the lead with 50 laps left and coasting to victory in the Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400 NASCAR race at Richmond, Va.

The victory, Richmond’s sixth of the season, moved him into second place in the season point standings behind Dale Earnhardt, who finished in second place.

Darrell Waltrip, second in the Winston Cup chase before the race, retired with engine trouble after 61 laps and was last in the 29-car field.

With seven races remaining on the Winston Cup schedule, Earnhardt has 3,393 points, compared to 3,275 for Richmond. Waltrip has 3,185.

Richmond averaged 70.161 m.p.h. on the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway’s .542-mile oval. He won $35,005 from the $315,635 purse.

The victory was Richmond’s sixth in 12 races. He has finished second four times during that span.

Brazilian Nelson Piquet won the Italian Formula One Grand Prix and Williams-Honda teammate Nigel Mansell of Britain finished second at Monza, Italy.

Piquet, 34, earned nine points and moved into second place in the overall world championship standings with 56 points after 13 of 16 events. Mansell held first place with 61 points.

Mansell, 32, seeking his first world title, led early in the race, but was overtaken by Piquet on the 38th of 51 laps at the Monza autodrome. Mansell finished 9.82 seconds back.

Mark Oswald posted a 256.41 m.p.h. run to edge Raymond Beadle in the funny car division and win his fourth event in the International Hot Rod Assn.-Winston Nationals at Rockingham, N.C.

Rickie Smith of King, N.C., defeated Roy Hill of Sophia, N.C., in the pro stock final, and Bunny Burkett of Sterling, Va., defeated Bogie Kell of Atalla, Ala., to become the first three-time winner in pro alcohol funny car competition.