MOTOR RACING : He Would Rather Win Than Fight

Michael Andretti ignored an angry invitation from 1993 IndyCar champion Nigel Mansell to “put the boxing gloves on” Sunday and won the Australian IndyCar Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise.

Andretti averaged 80.994 m.p.h. and led from the start of the race, which was delayed 2 hours 20 minutes because of rain and accidents in the warm-up laps. The race was ended after 55 laps, 10 fewer than scheduled, because of darkness.

Andretti, driving for the Chip Ganassi team and using the new Reynard chassis, finished 1.33 seconds ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi.

Mario Andretti, driving in his final IndyCar season, was third over the 2.795-mile Paradise street course.

Mansell, who spun out on lap 25 and needed a push to restart, finished ninth, a lap behind the leaders.

The near altercation between pole-sitter Mansell and second-place qualifier Andretti occurred after Mansell claimed Andretti had cut him off on a pace lap before an aborted start.

Freelance photographer Richard Campion witnessed the incident.

“Mansell went over to Andretti and pushed him on the shoulder, sort of pointing the finger at him,” Campion said. “Mansell said, ‘Let’s settle this right now, Michael, let’s put the boxing gloves on.’ ”

Campion said Andretti replied: “It wasn’t me, Nigel.”

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Connie Kalitta scored his first National Hot Rod Assn. Winston Drag Racing Series victory since 1986 when he beat his son Scott in the top-fuel finals at the 25th Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.

In the first father-son finals in top fuel in NHRA history, Connie, 56, covered the quarter-mile in 4.794 seconds at 290.79 m.p.h.

Warren Johnson, a winner Sunday in pro stock, defeated his son Kurt four times in six races last year.

John Force was Sunday’s other winner, in the funny-car event, beating K.C. Spurlock in 5.347 seconds at 263.00 m.p.h. when Spurlock left the line too soon and drew a red light.

Johnson, of Sugar Hill, Ga., also had an easy time winning as his opponent, Darrell Alderman, had a red light.

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Terry Labonte edged David Green by one-quarter of a second to win the Miller Genuine Draft 500 for his second NASCAR Busch Grand National victory of the season.

Labonte averaged 71.502 m.p.h. in his Chevrolet and led for more than 200 of the 300 laps on the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway track in Virginia.