Motor Racing Roundup : Schrader Uses Open Lane, Wins Talladega 500

Ken Schrader charged from fourth to first on the final lap Sunday to earn his first Winston Cup victory and become the 18th different winner in 20 Talladega 500 NASCAR stock car races.

Schrader, whose best career finish was second last weekend at Long Pond, Pa., started his final trip around the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway oval trailing Dale Earnhardt, Geoff Bodine and Sterling Marlin.

As the leaders surged out of the fourth turn on the last lap, Marlin moved to the outside, got past Bodine and pulled alongside Earnhardt, the two-time defending Winston Cup champion.

The cars of Earnhardt and Marlin bumped together, both bobbled momentarily and Schrader’s Chevrolet found an open lane and zoomed by on the high side of the track.

Schrader crossed the finish line about one car length ahead of second-place Bodine, a teammate on the Hendrick Motorsports team. Earnhardt held on for third, followed by Rick Wilson, series point leader Rusty Wallace and Marlin.

Schrader, who averaged 154.491 m.p.h., became the second driver this season to win his first Winston Cup race at Talladega. Phil Parsons won the Winston 500 in May.

Winston Top Fuel point leader Joe Amato and Funny Car leader Mark Oswald won their respective categories Sunday at the National Hot Rod Assn. California Nationals at Sears Point International Raceway. Pro Stock driver Harry Scribner won his first Winston Series victory at the inaugural $575,650 event.

Amato barely beat Winston champion Dick LaHaie, covering the quarter-mile in an elapsed time of 5.17 seconds at 274.30 m.p.h. to LaHaie’s time of 5.18 seconds at 272.13 m.p.h. Oswald, driving a Ford, drove to a winning elapsed time of 5.517 seconds at 263.23 m.p.h. to defeat Don Prudhomme, who drove his Pontiac to a time of 5.523 seconds at 264.16 mph.

Scribner drove his Chevrolet Camaro to a time of 7.498 at 184.50 m.p.h. to defeat Don Beverly.

Geoff Brabham won a record seventh consecutive International Motor Sports Assn. Camel GT sports car race, capturing the 300-kilometer G.I. Joe’s Gran Prix by more than 19 seconds at Portland International Raceway.

Brabham averaged a record 109.868 m.p.h. in his Nissan GTP prototype to beat teammate John Morton of El Segundo at Portland International Raceway. Brabham led all 97 laps around the 1.915-mile road course.

Earlier, Pete Halsmer of Anaheim, who averaged a record 101.477 m.p.h., beat teammate Scott Pruett to win the IMSA GTO-GTU sports car race.

Halsmer passed Pruett, of Roseville, on the 71st lap, defeating his Roush Racing teammate by 1.630 seconds in the 90-minute race.

Max Jones of Long Beach earned Camel GTU division honors and claimed his first career victory, completing 75 laps and finishing sixth overall.