Victory Falls in Andretti’s Lap : Auto racing: He beats Mears in Challenge and hopes it is an omen for a championship in today’s final race of the season.

As far as Michael Andretti is concerned, he hopes Saturday’s Marlboro Challenge was a dry run for today’s Champion 300, the 17th and final race of the Indy car season.

Andretti won the 100-mile Marlboro race with an unlikely pass of Rick Mears on the final turn of the final lap at Laguna Seca Raceway. A repeat of the scenario today--or anything approximating it--would give Andretti his first PPG Cup driving championship and a $500,000 bonus.

He won $275,000 in the non-points all-star race Saturday.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw Rick stalled in the turn,” Andretti said. “To tell the truth, I had mixed emotions. Rick deserved the race. He had dominated all the way and did a great job, but I’ll take it.”

Mears’ problem, which turned out to be a fuel pickup in his Penske-Chevrolet, was costly for the Indianapolis 500 winner. His second-place check was $105,000 less than if he had won, and he also lost a possible $150,000 bonus from Marlboro for winning two of their designated Triple Crown races.

Mears slowed so abruptly in making the sharp right-hand turn heading toward the finish line that Andretti was barely able to avoid him.

“I might have been better off if he’d bumped me. It might have got me going,” Mears said. “As soon as we got out of the corner, and the fuel got back in balance, we drove around the track with no problems. We had a couple of gallons (of fuel) left; it just didn’t pick up at the critical moment.”

Bobby Rahal, Andretti’s only challenger for the championship, finished seventh after being penalized for running over teammate Al Unser Jr.’s fuel hose during his pit stop.

Andretti, who goes into today’s 300-kilometer race with a 13-point lead over Rahal, needs to finish sixth or better in his Newman-Haas Lola to win the championship that his father, Mario, has won four times. If Andretti fails to finish--or finishes out of the points--Rahal still must finish third to win his third championship.

For Rahal, it’s an uphill drive. “It’s going to be a challenge any way it works out,” he said, “but stranger things have happened.”

Both of Rahal’s points victories, in 1986 and 1987, came at Michael Andretti’s expense. In ’86 they went to the final race in Miami before Rahal won by eight points. The following year, Rahal clinched it with his fourth consecutive victory at Laguna Seca after Andretti dropped out with engine problems.

“What goes around in racing comes around, and now it’s payback time, sort of like it was in today’s race,” Andretti said. “It’s my turn to beat Bobby after those two he beat me. And today it was my turn to beat Rick (Mears) after what he did to me at Indy.”

Andretti, after dominating the Indy 500 by leading for 107 laps, was passed by Mears 12 laps from the finish.

Mears, who charged off the starting line Saturday to take the lead from pole-sitter Andretti, led every lap but the last, except when he made a mandatory pit stop, which took only 11.6 seconds. Once all 10 starters had pitted, Mears was comfortably in front to stay--until the fateful final corner.

Mears also had the day’s fastest lap of 107.820 m.p.h. on Lap 40 of the 45-lap race. Andretti averaged 105.455 to finish 0.77 seconds ahead of Mears.

Close behind Mears in the second turn, Andretti and Rahal brushed, making Rahal’s car a little skittish as they headed for the third turn, enabling Andretti to hold second.

“Things will be different if that sort of situation arises Sunday,” Andretti said. “Today, we knew whichever guy got the advantage there, he would be one up. I got him, but if we were together like that tomorrow, I don’t think you’ll see anything like it happening. I’ll be a lot more careful.”

Andretti is aware how important it is to finish today’s race. He knows from experience that finishing can be more significant than winning.

“I’ve won seven races and Rahal has won only one, but here we are, only 13 points apart, with the championship on the line,” Andretti said. “I don’t think that’s right. I think the reward for winning a race should be greater.

“We got in such a hole at the start of the season that it looked for a while as if we might never catch Bobby, even though he wasn’t winning either.”

Rahal was finishing, though, and usually second. He was second in the season’s first three races and six times in 16 races. Indicative of his consistency is 12 of 16 finishes in the top five.

“I guarantee you Rahal will be in the top three Sunday,” Andretti said. “He just keeps putting the pressure on without making mistakes.”

Andretti trailed by 34 points at one stage of the season and was still 24 behind when the series reached Denver for race No. 12.

“Indy gave us a lift, even though we didn’t win it,” he said. “And the following weekend in Milwaukee (where the Andrettis were 1-2-3, with cousin John second and Mario third) really turned us around, but then we turned sour again.”

The season was a roller-coaster until Rahal dropped out of the race at Denver and Andretti finished third.

That cut the deficit to nine points and triggered Andretti’s surge to consecutive victories at Vancouver, Mid-Ohio and Road America. The Mid-Ohio victory put him in front for the first time.

“Everything has been running beautifully ever since Denver,” Andretti said. “All we can hope for is the same Sunday.”