Auto Racing Roundup: Gordon rolls in Va. race

Monday, April 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Jeff Gordon had several chances to show he had the car to beat at Martinsville Speedway, and he took every one of them.

Gordon repeatedly ended the suspense at the end of caution periods Sunday, quickly pulling away from the field and racing alone on his way to his fourth victory in eight races this season and second straight at Martinsville, Va.

He led a race-record 432 of 500 laps on the .526-mile oval, survived a 360-degree spinout that cost him the lead with barely a scratch and pulled away easily when the race went to green for the last time with 17 laps left.

Not bad for a guy who claims NASCAR's short tracks are a weakness.

"It takes a lot of patience to win at Martinsville, and that's the hardest thing I've had to learn," said Gordon. "But when you've got a car that drives as good as this thing did today, it's easy to be patient.

"A couple of years ago, we came here and tested and I ran lap after lap after lap. Then I went home and watched hours of tape on guys who ran well here. I learned a lot from that, and days like this are the payoff."

It's a lesson he's obviously learned well.

In his last 12 short track races, he hasn't finished out of the top four, winning half. And in his last 19 races on tracks of a mile or less, he's got 15 top-five finishes.

* NASCAR TRUCKS: At Phoenix, Jack Sprague didn't let a failing transmission keep him from making NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Sprague, who started his Chevrolet from the pole, gave up the lead briefly at the midpoint of the Chevy Trucks Desert Star Classic, then drove away from his pursuers to score a record third consecutive victory at the one-mile superspeedway. The margin of 13.186 seconds over Joe Ruttman's Ford was the widest in series history. He eclipsed Ron Hornaday's 4.3-second win in 1995 at Sears Point Raceway. Sprague's $43,936 share of a $304,394 purse made him the first driver in series history to win more than $100,000 at one track. The Spring Lake, Mich., veteran, who drives for Rick Hendrick Motorsports, has racked up $123,936 in five races at Phoenix International Raceway.

* PRIMM AND PROSPER: Several Las Vegas-area drivers had good days at Saturday's SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300. Brian Collins was fourth overall and won Class 8 in a Chevy 1500 while Brad Mauer captured Class 1-2/1600, Danny Anderson and Rob MacCachren co-drove the winning SCORE Lites entry and Steve Olliges co-drove to the Stock Full win. Ed Herbst and brother Tim Herbst lead the overall race until exiting with engine problems on the second of three laps. Other top local finishers included Troy Herbst, third in Class 1-2/1600, Robbie Goerke, second in SCORE Lite, and Chuck Harris, second in Protruck. Olliges also co-drove the third-place Trophy Truck with John Swift of Oxnard, Calif. Curt LeDuc of Cherry Valley, Calif., captured the overall win in a Jeep Cherokee Trophy Truck.

* LVMS: Kurt Busch, 18, continued his domination of Las Vegas stock car racing when he edged Dick Cobb by less than a foot in the Late Model event Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Busch beat Cobb to the line in a 25-lap main event which culminated with a two-lap dash after a yellow flag on the 23rd lap. He drove the Star Nursery Lumina, a 5-year-old car which was rented for the race from local fellow racer Bobby Pangonis. Finishing behind Busch and Cobb were Dick Attisani, Ray Hooper Jr. and Al Lake. Brian Matzke took the Limited Late Model victory over Steve Burke and Duane Dessaints, while Nick Antrillo beat Tim Richter in the Mini Stocks, Don Darling rushed to the Street Stock win and Dan Holtz of Pacific Palisades, Calif., shot to the victory in the 25-entry Spec Truck Series.

* ELSEWHERE: Connie Kalitta, oner of the two-car American International Airways NHRA Top Fuel drag racing team, is taking a temporarty leave of absence, with his son Scott Kalitta replacing him. Connie Kalitta's crew chief Ed McCullough likwise will take over Scott Kalitta's car starting at this weekend's Pennzoil Nationals at Richmond, Va. Connie Kalitta said he needs to spend more time on his worldwide air cargo business but plans to return to racing later this season. ... Las Vegan Kyle Lewis finsihed 22nd among 31 starters at Saturday's AMA Supercross event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kawasaki rider Jeff Emig was the winner. ... Player's Ltd. says it will cancel its auto racing sponsorship racing immediately if Canada's Tobacco Act becomes law this week without amendment. The move would keep Player's drivers -- including rising star Greg Moore -- from competing at the PPG CART World Series event at Nazareth, Pa., this weekend. ... A state bill has been signed, paving the road for a five-lane bridge to be built near the entrance to Phoenix International Raceway. Construction will begin before the NASCAR Winston Cup Phoenix 500 scheduled for Nov. 2 and should be done in time for the 1998 Winston Cup race at PIR. The bridge also paves the way for a 25,000-seat expansion at PIR.