Duo finally tastes victory

Monday, June 30, 1997 | 11:06 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The drought is over -- for driver Tony Stewart and, more poignantly, for car owner John Menard.

Stewart, a 26-year-old short-track star, led nine of the 10 previous Indy Racing League events and started in the front row six times, but crashes and mechanical problems kept him from winning. Menard had spent millions trying to win an Indy-car race since 1979.

On Sunday at Fountain, Colo., with Stewart praying and Menard holding his breath over the final laps, they triumphed in the inaugural Samsonite 200 at the new Pikes Peak International Raceway.

In a race featuring a crash that injured pole-sitter Scott Sharp, Stewart beat Stephan Gregoire of France by a margin of .222 seconds -- about five car lengths -- the closest finish in IRL history.

Davey Hamilton of Las Vegas, who leads Stewart by five points in the season standings with three races remaining, finished third, followed by Eddie Cheever, Buzz Calkins, Vincenzo Sospiri and Scott Goodyear, the last driver on the lead lap. Twelve of the 22 starters were running at the end.

"I guess this shows that perseverance pays off," Menard said. "I entered my first Indy car in 1979. I think that was before Tony was born. I hope this is not a once-in-18-year occurrence."

Although Stewart led 193 of the 200 laps, including the last 51, he never felt confident of victory until he saw the checkered flag.

Asked what he did for the last 50 laps, interrupted by three of the race's nine caution flags, Stewart answered: "Pray. I did a lot of that, especially the last 30 laps. I just hoped everything would stay together."

Stewart had trouble on restarts following caution periods.

"Early in the race, my restarts were terrible," Stewart said. "The gearing wasn't quite what I wanted, so I went to first gear for the last few restarts, and that was almost a disaster.

"On the second and third restarts from the end, I got sideways. I guess the third time was the charm because on the last restart, it was just about perfect."

The last restart came on lap 198, and Stewart was able to hold off Gregoire.

The winner averaged 100.128 mph in the race that took just 10 seconds less than two hours to complete because of all the cautions.

* NHRA: Ron Capps won his first Funny Car title, beating Cruz Pedregon with a quarter-mile run of 5.165 seconds with a top speed of 268.81 mph in the NHRA Sears Craftsman Nationals at Madison, Ill. Capps, the Top Fuel winner in the 1995 Northwest Nationals, is the first Funny Car driver to win in a Chevrolet Camaro since August 1985. Pedregon finished in 5.655 seconds at 210.82 mph in a Pontiac Firebird. Joe Amato won his fourth Top Fuel title of the season, beating series points leader Gary Scelzi with a run of 4.739 seconds seconds at 306.43 mph. Scelzi finished in 4.784 seconds at 301.30 mph. Warren Johnson also won for the fourth time this year, taking the Pro Stock competition in the inaugural NHRA event at Gateway International Raceway. Johnson finished in 7.064 seconds at 196.16 mph in a Firebird to edge points leader Jim Yates. Las Vegan George Marnell lost in the Pro Stock quarterfinals to Kurt Johnson.

* BUSCH: Mike "Magic Shoes" McLaughlin lived up to his nickname on the only road course stop in the NASCAR Busch Series, winning the Lysol 200 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. McLauglin, of Waterloo, N.Y., took the lead for the first time on lap 58 of 82, and beat Team 34 teammate Todd Bodine by .431 seconds. McLaughlin, who started sixth in the field, spent much of the day trying to get to the front. But once he took the lead, he stayed there. It was the second win of the year and third of his career for McLaughlin, who earned $56,987.

* FORMULA ONE: In dry weather and wet -- all in one race -- two-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher showed why his name can be mentioned among the greats of auto racing. When he won the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours, France, Sunday to move into a tie for fifth place in career Formula One victories with 25, the German's prowess as an amateur weather forcaster proved perhaps as valuable as his ability to drive a car. With 29 of 72 laps remaining and Schumacher leading by 21 seconds, a sunny sky turned an angry gray and rain began falling. With 11 laps left, the rain intensified. Mindful that a pit stop could cost him the race, Schumacher kept his Ferrari on slicks while other contenders changed to rain tires. He saw something they didn't. "I saw the sky very dark but clearing up further back, so I knew it would be a short shower," Schumacher said after winning for the second straight time and third in four races. "The cars going on intermediates would be faster for a certain number of laps and then very slow after the circuit would be drying."

* LVMS: Bakersfield, Calif., developer and 1997 Western Dirt Late Model charger Scott Pounds scored a tight victory over Chad Reichenbach Saturday night to headline the Desert GMC Duel in the Dirt at the half-mile clay oval of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In drag racing action, Paul Bledsoe powered his '69 Mustang to a time of 12.016 at 121.38 mph to defeat Doug Schneider in the final round of the National Performacne ET Series.