Auto Racing

Mark Martin outdueled pole-sitter Jeff Gordon before pulling away to win the AC Delco 200 Busch Grand National late model stock car race at Rockingham, N.C.

A post-race inspection found Martin’s carburetor was improperly altered. After 90 minutes of discussion, NASCAR determined that the improperly attached carburetor gasket did not enhance the performance of his car. Martin was fined $5,000, but the final results were left intact.

Martin and Gordon swapped leads several times in the first half of the 197-lap event on North Carolina Motor Speedway’s 1.017-mile oval, but Martin, a star on NASCAR’s Winston Cup circuit and only an occasional Grand National performer, led five times for 144 laps, including the final 57.

He drove his Ford Thunderbird across the finish line 2.69 seconds ahead of Gordon’s T-Bird, with Todd Bodine third, Darrell Waltrip fourth and Harry Gant fifth.