MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Rahal Stretches Fuel, Beats Andretti

Bobby Rahal played down the gamble, not the importance of the victory it brought.

“I don’t think it was as big a gamble as it appeared,” Rahal said Sunday after stretching his final tank of methanol for 85 laps and beating Michael Andretti to the finish line in the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth, Pa.

“On the other hand, this win makes a tremendous amount of difference going into the last race,” he added. “I can’t overemphasize how important it is to this team.”

The victory boosted Rahal, who had lost the top spot by failing to finish the last two races, back into the IndyCar PPG Cup point lead with only the Oct. 18 race at Monterey, Calif., remaining on the 16-race schedule.

His fourth victory of the season--third on a one-mile oval--and 24th of his career, gave Rahal a 182-170 lead over Andretti. Al Unser Jr. finished 11th and slipped to third overall, 17 points behind Rahal.

Rahal has to finish fourth or better at Monterey to clinch the title, no matter what Andretti does.

Rahal pitted for the second and last time during the 200-lap race on lap 115 during one of four caution periods. He took the lead on lap 155 during the last of those cautions when Andretti, who had led most of the way after starting from the pole, made a pit stop--his third of the race--to top off his fuel tank.

At the end, Andretti’s Lola-Ford Cosworth couldn’t catch Rahal’s Lola-Chevrolet in the heavy traffic on the tight oval. But the big question was whether Rahal could go 85 miles on one tank of fuel--about 15 miles farther than expected.

He could, but only barely, beating Andretti by 0.788 seconds, averaging 128.848 m.p.h.

Robbie Buhl clinched the Firestone Indy Lights series championship, leading leading all of the way at Pennsylvania International Raceway in Nazareth to win the 75-lap event by 0.437 seconds ahead of Franck Freon.

Buhl averaged 118.832 m.p.h. for Sunday’s victory, earning $20,000.

Ed McCulloch of Hemet was the top-fuel winner, driving 4.35 seconds at 294.69 m.p.h. to beat Joe Amato in the finals of the National Hot Rod Assn. Sears Craftsman Nationals at Topeka, Kan.

In the funny-car division, Cruz Pedregon of Moorpark drove his Oldsmobile Cutlass to a 5.203-second clocking at 273.72 m.p.h. to beat John Force’s Cutlass in the championship round.

Warren Johnson of Duluth, Ga., was the pro-stock champion, driving his Cutlass 7.203 seconds at 192.38 m.p.h. to beat Scott Geoffrion’s Dodge Daytona.

Doc Bundy never trailed in winning the $93,250 IMSA Bridgestone Supercar at Phoenix International Raceway.

Bundy earned $8,000 for the victory and lengthened his lead in the season points race going into next week’s season finale at Del Mar.

Bundy averaged 77.201 m.p.h. for the 26 laps of the half-hour timed event on the 1 1/2-mile road course.

Bundy now has 148 points, 10 more than runner-up Shawn Hendricks, who finished 4.213 seconds behind Bundy.

Hurley Haywood barely stayed alive in the points chase after finishing sixth. He was seven points behind Bundy going into the race, but now trails by 13 points.