MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Wallace Gains on Earnhardt With Eighth Victory of Year

Rusty Wallace gained a little more ground on Winston Cup points-leader Dale Earnhardt, taking the lead with 100 laps to go and holding on to win the Tyson Holly Farms 400 Sunday at North Wilkesboro, N.C.

Wallace trails Earnhardt, a five-time NASCAR champion, by 72 points--3,877-3,805--with four races left in the season.

In 1989 Wallace came to North Wilkesboro Speedway trailing Earnhardt by 75 points. Wallace overtook Earnhardt and won the championship by 12 points.

The only obstacle between Wallace and his eighth victory this season was slower traffic. At one point, he squeezed his Pontiac between two cars in Turn Two to keep his edge.

Polesitter Ernie Irvan was third in his Ford. Kyle Petty, who set an early pace but faltered in his Pontiac, finished fourth. Ricky Rudd, who in his Chevrolet was on the front row with Irvan, was fifth.

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Scott Kalitta recorded the fastest quarter-mile in National Hot Rod Assn. history to win his first top-fuel victory at the Sears Craftsman Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

Kalitta, of Ypsilanti, Mich., covered the quarter of a mile in 4.806 seconds at 308.64 m.p.h. to defeat Cory McClenathan, who had set the NHRA elapsed time record earlier in the day at 4.762 seconds.

Kalitta’s 308.64 m.p.h. bettered the mark of 303.64 recorded by Pat Austin earlier this year.

Chuck Etchells claimed his second funny-car victory of the season by defeating John Force in 5.083 seconds at 299.50 m.p.h.

Jim Epler of Portland, Ore., had the first 300 m.p.h. run by a funny car, a 300.40 in the first round. Epler won in the second round, but an engine explosion and fire at the finish line ended his day.