NASCAR Racing at Atlanta : Rudd Picks Up Win as Earnhardt, Elliott Falter

Ricky Rudd knew he was fortunate to reach Victory Circle Sunday in the Motorcraft 500 NASCAR stock car race.

“Earnhardt had an unbelievably strong car and so did Elliott, but they had problems,” Rudd said of defending Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott, who between them dominated the first 280 laps of the 328-lap race.

Rudd took the lead with eight laps left and held off Benny Parsons and Rusty Wallace in the sprint to the finish of the 500-mile race at Atlanta International Raceway.

Parsons, who also led late in the race and finished one car-length behind, said, “Every time we got in a good position, the caution flag would come out and mess us up. Really, my car ran better out front.”

Earnhardt, who led 8 times for 195 laps before slowing and pitting under the green flag on lap 277 with what his crew called a battery cable problem, was totally in charge until that point.

Elliott, who started alongside Earnhardt in the front row, appeared to be the only other driver capable of keeping him in sight until Elliott’s engine blew on lap 259.

Rudd, 30, who took his seventh career victory and broke Earnhardt’s string of two straight triumphs, earned $62,000.

Trying a bit of strategy during the sixth of eight caution periods, Earnhardt made two pit stops--one for gas only--in an effort to make sure he could reach the end of the race without another stop. He fell back to seventh place, but quickly charged back under the green flag to the top, taking the lead on lap 277.

He was steadily pulling away from the field when smoke began pouring from the rear of his Chevrolet. He slowed and drove into the pits.

Two laps later, a tangle involving Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and Geoff Bodine--all running in the lead lap--brought out a caution flag. All three were able to continue, but when the leaders came out of the pits again, it was Wallace on top, just ahead of Parsons, Rudd and Labonte.

Then Wallace was sent to the back of the lead lap by NASCAR officials for driving too fast under the caution. That put Parsons on top.

When the green flag dropped again, Parsons appeared to take control, leading by several car lengths over Rudd. But the final yellow flag waved on lap 315 when Rick Knoop blew a tire and hit the wall in turn one.

All the leaders except Labonte pitted and he was in front when the green flag came out for the final time on lap 321. But Parsons zoomed back into the lead on that lap, only to be passed by Rudd the next time around. That’s the way it finished.

Rudd, driving a Ford Thunderbird, averaged 133.689 m.p.h.