Rudd Victorious In Battle, But Gordon Still On Track To Win Overall Winston War

Ricky Rudd won the race Sunday and Dale Earnhardt barely kept alive his Winston Cup championship battle with Jeff Gordon in the Dura-Lube 500k at Phoenix International Raceway.

While Rudd was earning his 16th career victory and extending his string of seasons with at least one win to 13 in a row, Earnhardt was cutting into Gordon’s point lead for the third straight race, slicing the margin to 147 with only the season finale Nov. 12 at Atlanta remaining.

Gordon would need only to finish anywhere except last at Atlanta to win the title, even if Earnhardt wins the race and gets the five-point bonus for leading the most laps.

“I think we can do that,” Gordon said after the situation was explained to him. “I’m excited, but anything can happen. I really wanted to wrap it up here and we came close.

Gordon said his Hendrick Motorsports team, also looking for its first season championship, will test on Atlanta’s 1.522-mile oval next week.

Gordon, 24, could become the second-youngest champion. Bill Rexford won in 1950 at age 23.

Gordon and Earnhardt were in sight of each other nearly all the way in Sunday’s 500-kilometer (312-mile) race on the one-mile Phoenix oval.

Before a record Phoenix crowd, estimated by track officials at 107,000, Earnhardt was just able to keep Gordon from clinching the title by passing Rusty Wallace for third place following a restart after the eighth and final caution flag six laps from the end.

Ernie Irvan continued his comeback from serious injuries by racing from last in the 44-car field to first and leading for 111 laps. His day was then cut short by an engine problem.