Motor Racing Roundup : Davey Allison Sets Track Record to Get First NASCAR Win of Year

Davey Allison, who spent much of the race running a strong second, came out of the second caution flag to pull away from Rusty Wallace and win the Champion 400 NASCAR race Sunday at Brooklyn, Mich.

Allison, son of driver Bobby Allison, who is recovering from injuries suffered in a racing accident this year, won by 4.43 seconds with a track record winning speed of 156.86 m.p.h. in the $515,585 stock car race.

Wallace edged Bill Elliott, who won the pole with a track record 174.94 m.p.h., by slightly more than a car length with Morgan Shepherd another car length back in third place.

“I almost broke down in tears in victory lane,” the younger Allison said. “I dedicated this race to my dad. I hope he was watching. They had a TV in the room hooked up, ready to watch. My mom and my grandparents were with him.”

It was the 27-year-old Allison’s first victory of the season in a campaign that has seen him get two seconds and three thirds. He is the 13th different winner on the NASCAR circuit this season, equaling the record set in 1986.

Allison, of Hueytown, Ala., spent the early part of the race trading first and second with Elliott. He drafted behind Wallace after the first caution flag bunched the field slightly more than halfway through the race.

The final caution flag was lifted with 50 miles to go and after three trips around the 2-mile oval, Allison shot around Wallace and steadily built his lead. The outcome was not in doubt after that as Allison padded his margin to more than 4 seconds.

Dale Earnhardt, winner of two races on the NASCAR circuit this year, held the lead between the first and second pit stops but shortly before the third his car began losing power and he was not a factor again.

Bobby Rahal got his first ever victory at the Pocono International Raceway by taking the CART-PPG Quaker State 500 in a Lola by 17.5 seconds over Al Unser Jr.

Both Mario Andretti and his nephew, John Andretti, were injured slightly during the race.

Rahal’s average speed for the afternoon was 133.71 m.p.h. and his best speed overall was 152.07 m.p.h. He collected $92,783 for his first place finish, his best on the CART circuit this season.

Rahal, who had earlier second-place finishes in the Cleveland Grand Prix 200 and Michigan 500, took the lead from Al Unser Sr. when Unser pitted on lap 173. Rahal, who began in third place, held the lead throughout the remainder of the race.

Laps 182 through 190 were run under caution when John Andretti’s car exploded in the pits. Andretti suffered minor injuries but he was released from a local hospital following treatment.

Earlier, on lap 117, his uncle, Mario, was involved in a three-car crash with Danny Sullivan and Dick Simon. Andretti, who was leading the field at the time, and Simon collided on turn three and Sullivan’s car hit both of them and spun into the infield.

Both Simon and Sullivan walked away from the crash while Andretti was treated for injuries to his right thigh and right shoulder at the track.

Joe Amato drove to his third National Hot Rod Assn. victory of the season by barely defeating Darrell Gwynn in the $700,000 Quaker State NorthStar Nationals at Brainerd, Minn.

Funny Car driver John Force won his third event of the season and Tony Christian upset Winston Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden.

Amato, driving a TRW dragster, won with an elapsed time of 5.180 seconds at 267.14 m.p.h. Gwynn, driving a Budweiser dragster, ran a time of 5.179 seconds at 265.95 m.p.h.

The winning margin came from the starting-line reaction time. Amato had a reaction time of .481 seconds to reach the finish line of the quarter-mile track before Gwynn, who had a time of .489.

Force, of Yorba Linda, won his third event of the season by defeating John Martin of San Dimas. Force ran his Oldsmobile Cutlass to a time of 5.506 at 266.82 m.p.h. and Martin finished in 7.115 at 126.05 m.p.h.

Tony Christian, driving a Chevrolet Beretta, defeated Bob Glidden, the winningest driver in NHRA history. Christian ran a time of 7.508 seconds at 183.67 m.p.h. to Glidden’s 7.498 at 185.14.