THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 12, 1996 TAG: 9608120131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: RACING REPORT
SOURCE: STAFF, WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: LEXINGTON, OHIO LENGTH: 62 lines
Alex Zanardi won the Miller 200 on Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, capturing his second IndyCar victory of the season.
His Ganassi Racing teammate, Jimmy Vasser, finished second, 1.91 seconds behind. The two combined to lead all 83 laps, with Zanardi leading 79 and Vasser taking over first place on Zanardi's two pit stops.
Michael Andretti was third.
Zanardi, a 29-year-old Italian who lives in Monaco, also won the June 23 race at Portland, Ore., the last time he was the pole-sitter, and had finished second in two of the three races since. His average speed was 104.358 mph over 83 laps of the 13-turn, 2 1/4-mile course in north-central Ohio.
Zanardi pulled away at the drop of the green flag and never was seriously challenged. The race tightened when Robby Gordon went off course with engine problems in the 76th lap, causing a caution flag to come out, but Zanardi took command for the final time when green-flag racing resumed with three laps to go.
Teammates Bryan Herta and Bobby Rahal finished fourth and fifth respectively. Rahal, the only owner-driver in the CART series, bases his team in Hilliard, 55 miles from the track.
Vasser's second-place finish gave him 16 points and 128 for the season, which has three races to go. Al Unser Jr., the two-time defending champion at Mid-Ohio, finished 13th and did not pick up any points, but remained in second with 111. Zanardi got 20 points for winning, and the point he got for leading the most laps moved him into third with 94.
AT SOUTHAMPTON: Greg Hubbard set a track qualifying record at 87.209 mph, then ran away from the field to win by half-straightaway over Glenn Hawkins of Emporia, Va., in the 35-lap Super Late Model feature at Southampton Speedway on Saturday night.
The victory was the eighth of the year for the Cobbs Creek, Va., driver. Bert Culpepper III of Chesapeake was third, followed by C.J. Clark of Conway, N.C., and Kenny Jones of Chesapeake.
In Saturday's other races:
Clyde Glenn of Church Road, Va., made it two in a row, taking the lead from Chesapeake's Dan Peters on lap 13 en route to victory in the 30-lap Late Model Stock feature. Peters was second, a straightaway back. Speck Edwards of Capron, returning from a two-week suspension, was bumped and spun on lap 7 by rival Tony Edwards of Franklin, who was sent to the pits for the night. Speck Edwards finished eighth in the first on-track meeting between the two drivers since they were suspended and placed on probation following a series of incidents July 13.
David Earl Pope of Newsoms came from the back of the pack after an accident on lap 4 to claim his ninth victory of the season in the Limited Sportsman race, which was cut to 15 laps by time restrictions due to several lengthy caution periods. Pope took the lead from Irvin Stephens Jr. of Franklin on lap 14 and held on to win by a car length.
Niel Mitchell of Skippers, Va., won his second straight, leading the 25-lap 4-Cylinder Modified race from flag to flag. Alan Kee of Boykins finished second, six car lengths back.
Chuck Perry of Carrsville, Va., took the lead from pole-sitter Keith Rose of Franklin on the opening lap and beat Rose to the line by three car lengths in the 20-lap Super Stock feature.
Jim Holmes of Smithfield edged Bubba Flexon of Matoaca, Va., by a car length to win his seventh Pure Stock event. by CNB