DATE: Monday, June 23, 1997                 TAG: 9706230137

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: FONTANA, CALIF.                   LENGTH:   87 lines

GORDON'S GOOD TO THE LAST DROP STRETCHING HIS FUEL, HE WINS THE INITIAL RACE AT CALIFORNIA.

Add uncanny good fortune to the list of Jeff Gordon's strengths in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup season.

He won the inaugural California 500 at California Speedway on Sunday even though he was supposed to run out of gas on the last lap.

But the engine in his No. 24 Chevrolet was still singing when Gordon crossed the finish line 1.074 seconds ahead of Terry Labonte. On the track, the difference was about 15 car lengths.

The victory was Gordon's seventh of the year and the 26th of his career. And it boosted his points lead to 92 over Mark Martin.

``I've never really been a part of a fuel-mileage contest and made it go all the way,'' Gordon said. ``I learned something new today. I learned a lot about how to save and conserve fuel and win a race in a different fashion than the ways we've won other ones.''

Said Labonte, ``I didn't know he was going to be able to go all the way on gas. It surprised me. We were running as hard as we could the whole time because we knew we could go all the way.''

Ricky Rudd, who also stretched the gasoline from his final pit stop to the end of the race, finished third, followed by Ted Musgrave and Jimmy Spencer. Bobby Labonte was sixth, followed by Jeff Green, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Craven and Martin, the last driver on the lead lap.

Although Gordon led the most laps - 113 of 250 - he did not dominate as he has in some of his six other victories this year. And after he pitted with 55 laps to go, it seemed certain, even among those on his own team, that he would not be able to make it all the way.

Labonte pitted on lap 197 - with 53 laps to go - and was never concerned about running out.

The drama began to play itself out on the radios of the two Hendrick Motorsports teams with about 25 laps to go.

At that point, crew chief Ray Evernham's calculations showed that Gordon would run out with a couple of miles to go. He didn't want to tell his driver the bad news, but he did.

``Just try to do whatever you can to conserve,'' Evernham added. ``Let off a little early.''

About five laps later, Gordon asked, ``Are you sure we can't make it?''

``Right now, I think we'll not make it by one lap,'' Evernham said.

``I've been conserving big time,'' Gordon replied.

Gordon's immediate concern was Martin, but he reluctantly let him take the lead with 17 laps to go after Evernham convinced him that Martin had to pit for a splash of extra fuel.

Meanwhile, Labonte's team was urging him on.

``We need to run (Gordon) down and make him race you,'' crew chief Gary DeHart radioed to his driver.

``You've got to go up there and push Jeff and make him use his gas pedal,'' team spotter Eddie Dickerson told Labonte.

With 11 laps to go, Martin pitted for a three-second fuel stop, and Gordon retook the lead.

A few moments later, Evernham told Gordon: ``We're going to go for it!''

Now the duel began in earnest.

Dickerson to Labonte: ``It's you and Jeff, buddy, with nine (laps) to go.''

Evernham to Gordon: ``You've got a 2.3-second lead with nine to go. You can ease up a little bit.''

Dickerson: ``Five to go. Keep diggin', buddy. Now dig hard. Jeff is going to coast back to you so he can make it. Go get him. You can do it.''

Evernham: ``Four to go. Ease her down. Ease her down.''

Evernham: ``Remember, it's going to be hard (for Labonte) to pass. You still got a 1.8-second lead. Ease her up.''

Evernham: ``Two to go. Start watching your fuel pressure.''

Dickerson: ``Stay after him, buddy, He's going to run out of fuel.''

Dickerson: ``He's running out. Go get him. Come back (to the line) for one to go.''

Evernham: ``Keep her going the best you can.''

Suddenly, a driver wailed into his radio: ``Completely out of gas!''

It was not Gordon. It was not Labonte. It was Martin. And while Martin coasted on his final lap, Gordon cruised.

Later, Gordon said, ``As I came off (turn) 4, I gingerly put my foot in the gas. Once I knew I had enough momentum so I could throw it into neutral and coast, that's when I got excited.''

Somewhere along the backstretch on the cool-down lap, Gordon finally ran out of gas. So he coasted around the track and drove across speedway owner Roger Penske's perfectly manicured grass to reach Victory Lane.

The last lap, Gordon said, ``was probably the slowest lap I made all day long.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jeff Gordon, winner of the first NASCAR race at Indianapolis, did it

again Sunday at California.

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