Wallace Victory Up in Air Pending Compression Test

Rusty Wallace managed to avoid hard-driving Jeff Gordon and finish first in the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond, Va., but he may not have won the race.

Four hours after Wallace crossed the finish line, NASCAR officials announced they had taken the engine from his Ford Thunderbird for “failing to meet compression-ratio specifications.”

NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said the engine had been tested more than once and did not comply with the organization’s 14-to-1 compression standard. The inspection is routine for the winner’s engine and at least two others after each race.

Triplett said there will be more testing on the engine before a ruling is announced, probably today. If Wallace’s victory becomes official, it would be his first of the season and 47th of his career. Geoff Bodine passed Dale Jarrett for second.