MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Geoff Makes It Back-to-Back for Bodine Family

There was nothing controversial about Geoff Bodine’s victory in the Hanes 500 Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Unlike younger brother Brett’s victory a week earlier at North Wilkesboro, which was clouded by a scoring mixup, Geoff Bodine not only won going away, he predicted victory after winning the pole on Friday.

“I just felt like it was our week all along,” the elder Bodine said. “The car has been great, the crew is the best and this place has been good to me.”

This was Bodine’s second Winston Cup victory on the 0.526-mile oval, but it was his 11th overall, including seven in modifieds and two in Grand National cars.

“I’ve been telling everybody our pit crew was the best,” Bodine said. “They got me out ahead of Rusty (Wallace) on that last stop, and that meant I didn’t have to pass him. My car got better and better late in the race. It just felt great.”

Bodine held off challenges from Wallace and Alan Kulwicki and pulled away from second-place Wallace late in the race for the victory. He led the final 146 laps of the 500-lap race.

Bodine, from Julian, N.C., gained his first Winston Cup victory here in 1984. In this victory, Bodine’s Ford Thunderbird was 4.21 seconds ahead of Wallace’s Pontiac Grand Prix. The winner averaged 77.423 m.p.h.

It was the first time in 12 years that brothers won back-to-back Winston Cup events. Donnie and Bobby Allison were the last, winning at Atlanta and Ontario, respectively.

Bodine matched Kyle Petty’s feat earlier this season at Rockingham, N.C., winning from the pole and earning $95,950, which included the $38,000 Unocal 76 Challenge bonus.

Morgan Shepherd, who made up a lost lap late in the race, passed Darrell Waltrip 24 laps from the end and held on for third. Waltrip, who had won the last three Winston Cup events here, was fourth.

Dale Earnhardt, the Winston Cup points leader, finished fifth, a lap off the pace, followed by Ken Schrader and Mark Martin.

Formula One veteran Eddie Cheever had the fastest lap during the three-day Indianapolis 500 rookie orientation, the U.S. Auto Club announced Sunday.

Cheever, 32, completed the first four phases of the orientation Friday. Cheever, who finished eighth at Phoenix earlier his month, had a fast lap at 213.017 m.p.h. and completed 173 laps, USAC said.

Five other drivers also completed four phases of USAC’s program and will be eligible to attempt to qualify for the May 27 Indy 500 after a panel of veteran drivers reviews their driving after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for official practice Saturday.

Jeff Andretti, Scott Goodyear, Dean Hall, Buddy Lazier and Hiro Matsushita of Japan were the other drivers completing four phases of the program. Hall, who finished 15th in his Indy-car debut at Phoenix earlier this month, had a fast lap of 199.733 and completed 213 laps.

Scott Gray came out of semi-retirement to win the first round of the WERA Formula USA National Championship at Willow Springs Raceway.

Gray, riding a factory Yoshimura Suzuki GSXR 1100 Superbike, dominated the 46-bike field. After opening up a seven-second lead in the middle stages of the race, Gray cruised home to victory by four seconds over David Sadowski.

Gray averaged 102.171 m.p.h. during the final, shattering the old mark of 100.839 set by Barry Burke last year.

Sadowski riding a Vance & Hines Yamaha OW01 Superbike, nipped teammate Thomas Stevens at the finish line. The Vance & Hines riders swapped second place the entire race, but on the final lap Stevens lost the front end of his Yamaha on Willow’s 140-m.p.h. turn eight. The near crash by Stevens allowed Sadowski to get in the draft of Stevens on the front straight, Sadowski drove around Stevens to finish ahead by a half a wheel.

Marlboro Yamaha rider Rich Oliver was expected to run up front, but his Yamaha TZR 250 GP machine didn’t have quite enough horsepower to stay with the big Superbikes on the 2.5-mile course. Oliver finished seventh.

Defending Formula USA Champion Kurt Hall ran a conservative race on his Team Suzuki GSXR 1100 Superbike. Hall said that Willow Springs was not one of his favorite tracks, so he wanted just to finish in the points and do better at the tracks in the East later this season.