Auto Racing Roundup : Earnhardt Wins Heated Winston

Dale Earnhardt won The Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday, then had to overcome a crash initiated by Bill Elliott to reach victory lane.

On the cool-down lap, Elliott waited for Earnhardt on the backstretch, then rammed Earnhardt’s car.

Then Elliott pulled in front of Earnhardt on pit row, trying to block him from from victory lane. Earnhardt avoided Elliott by driving onto the grass.

Words were exchanged between the two crews as well. Earnhardt said Elliott should be penalized for his actions.

The incidents that provoked the post-race confrontations occurred during the 10-lap third and final segment.

On the first lap, Geoff Bodine, who was on the outside of the front row, got a jump on Elliott. But as they sped through turns 1 and 2, Elliott and Bodine collided and Bodine went spinning. Earnhardt went low and Elliott drove high, and Earnhardt emerged the leader.

Said Elliott: “Dale turned left on me and I got into Bodine. The next thing I knew, we were all spinning.”

After the restart, Elliott was on Earnhardt’s bumper and, on the third lap, Earnhardt found himself in the grass coming off Turn 4, but he regained control of his car and continued.

Said Earnhardt: “Elliott clipped me and knocked me sideways. I was lucky I came back on the pavement when I did.”

Earnhardt and Elliott got into it again on the fourth lap, with Elliott cutting a tire.

Said Elliott: “He turned left on me. He was going to run me into the grass. I got off the throttle to keep from wrecking both of us.”

Elliott, Earnhardt and Terry Labonte continued to battle until the sixth lap, when Elliott slowed coming off turn 2 because of the cut tire. Elliott finished 14th.

Two-time defending world champion Alain Prost of France tied Jackie Stewart’s record of 27 Formula One victories and regained the lead in the world standings Sunday by winning the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa- Francorchamps, Belgium.

Prost’s teammate, Stefan Johansson of Sweden, finished second, and was the only driver to finish on the same lap.

The race, witnessed by a crowd of about 40,000, got off the a rocky start. On the first lap, an aggressive Ayrton Senna of Brazil and Nigel Mansel of Britain tangled. Both last control and spun off the track. Neither finished the race.