Gordon’s Problems Allow Labonte Within One Point

It was almost a worst-case scenario for Jeff Gordon as Terry Labonte took advantage of the defending Winston Cup champion’s misfortune Sunday to move within one point of the series lead by winning the UAW-GM Quality 500.

Labonte posted only his second victory of the season and his first in 37 career starts on the 1 1/2-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. The victory, combined with Gordon’s 31st-place finish, brought the 1984 Winston Cup champion nearly all the way back from the 111 points he trailed his Hendrick Motorsports teammate coming into the race.

Gordon led several times early in the race. But on lap 176, while running third, he suddenly slowed and drove onto pit row for an unscheduled stop.

His crew raised the hood and poured water into the overheating engine. But the stop cost Gordon three laps.

Gordon lost more ground later, grazing the fourth-turn wall on lap 227, then being held for a one-lap penalty after passing several cars on the way in for a caution-period pit stop on lap 235.

Labonte took the lead on lap 308 of the 334-lap event and pulled steadily away from second-place finisher Mark Martin, who wound up 3.84-seconds--about a half straightaway--behind.

Labonte, who won $133,950, averaged 143.143 mph in winning for the first time since April at North Wilkesboro.

*

David Green was released from a hospital Sunday, one day after being knocked unconscious in a wreck during the All Pro Bumper To Bumper 300 NASCAR Busch Grand National race.

*

Doug Chandler won the second AMA Superbike championship of his career by winning the season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

*

Michael Doohan of Australia passed Spain’s Alex Criville on the final lap to win the Brazilian Grand Prix 500cc motorcycle race by less than a half-second at Rio De Janeiro.

*

Charlie Fegan was the Top Fuel Hydro winner and Jim Bartoli earned Top Alcohol Hydro honors at drag boat racing’s 1996 Fallnationals on Puddingstone Lake in San Dimas.

Tennis

Qualifier Jonathan Stark, ranked 101st in the world, broke Michael Chang’s serve twice and won his second career title with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph in the Singapore Open.

“My mission is not to go and win every tournament,” Chang said, but added that he would like to win in every major city in Asia, where he is a crowd favorite. Singapore is the only missing link in his quest.

Unseeded Marc Goellner of Germany defeated fourth-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2), to win the $300,000 Marbella Open.

Anke Huber of Germany successfully defended her title at the $450,000 Leipzig Open, beating Croatia’s Iva Majoli, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov struggled early, then rallied for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Frenchman Arnaud Boetsch to win the $750,000 Lyon Grand Prix.

Soccer

Rudy Ramirez scored for Guatemala in the 24th minute but Jerry Nixon tied the score 15 minutes later as Trinidad and Tobago salvaged a 1-1 tie in a World Cup ’98 qualifying game at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Angry fans hurled bottles at Guatemala’s bench before police calmed the crowd.

In Panama City, El Salvador tied Panama, 1-1. Juan Cubillas scored for Panama in the 46th minute, but Washington D.C. United’s Raul Diaz Arce tied the score six minutes into the second half.

At Toftir in the Faeroe Islands, Yugoslavia routed the host nation, 8-1. Switzerland beat Finland, 3-2, at Helsinki.

Running

Olga Appell broke the course record by 12 seconds in winning the women’s division of the Twin Cities Marathon at St. Paul, Minn. Appell, a native of Mexico now living in Albuquerque, N.M., was timed in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 59 seconds.

Kenyan Joel Onwon’ga, now of Philadelphia, won the men’s division in 2:13:13.

Miscellany

In Japanese baseball, Shane Mack’s three-run home run, his 22nd homer of the season, in the third inning helped the Yomiuri Giants beat the Chunichi Dragons, 5-2, and clinch the Central League pennant.

Billie Winsett-Fletcher was named NCAA Woman of the Year for the combination of academic excellence, community service and fine play as an outside hitter for the 1995 Nebraska women’s champion volleyball team.

Colin Montgomerie won his fourth consecutive European money-winning title, overshadowing Darren Clarke’s one-stroke victory at the German Masters golf tournament.