Gordon Shines In Rain Driver Wins Abbreviated Coca-Cola 600, Bears Down On $1 Million Bonus

Twelve years after Million Dollar Bill, stock car racing’s premier series could get Million Dollar Jeff.

Jeff Gordon put himself in prime position to become the first driver since Bill Elliott in 1985 to collect the Winston Million by winning the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway at Concord, N.C.

Gordon pulled away in the closing stage of a race that was held up by a lengthy rain delay just before the midway point. The event was scheduled for 400 laps on Charlotte’s 1-1/2-mile tri-oval, but was called after 333.

Gordon, who wound up about eight car-lengths ahead of Rusty Wallace, becomes the only remaining driver eligible to win a $1 million bonus for winning three of the four biggest races on the Winston Cup circuit in a single year. Gordon, who captured the seasonopening Daytona 500, can collect the bonus from series sponsor R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. by winning the Mountain Dew Southern 500 on Aug. 31 in Darlington, S.C.

Gordon won that event last year. A repeat would mean he and Elliott would be the only drivers to collect the bonus.

“This is a great day. I am in shock here,” Gordon said in victory lane. “I cannot believe we won this race.”

His series-leading fifth victory of 1997 came after he overcame an early pit-stop miscue that dropped him to 38th in the 42-car field.

“The rain saved it,” Gordon said. “The track came our way. When the rain came, that’s when the car got better. Those guys really had us beat early on when the track got slick.”

The 37th running of NASCAR’s longest race started nearly one-half hour late because of rain, and it was halted for more than 2-1/2 hours on lap 195 by another thunderstorm. Even with the delays, nearly all of the estimated crowd of 160,000 stayed around until the end.

With the second storm looming on the horizon, Bobby Labonte gambled when the leaders pitted under caution on lap 183. While the rest of the leaders took on four tires, Labonte elected to take just two. He was hoping he could get back on the track faster and then hold off his competitors before the rains came.

It worked - sort of. He beat everyone out of the pits and kept his Pontiac up front until the race was red-flagged. But the storm halted the race on lap 195 - five laps short of being official.

Labonte stayed up front for just three laps after the race went back to green, and struggled to keep up with the leaders the rest of the way. He finished sixth.

Mark Martin, winner of the last two Winston Cup events, was third, and Elliott and Jeff Burton rounded out the top five.

“There’s not much to think,” Wallace said about being overtaken by Gordon. “He had a lot less laps on his tires and I was running out of tires and he was driving his guts out.”

Just 265 of the scheduled 400 laps had been completed by 12:20 a.m. EDT, so NASCAR officials announced that at 12:45 they would give the signal that there would be 20 laps remaining.

“The main consideration was for the fans and the law enforcement officials, whose job it is to try to get these fans home at a decent time,” NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said. “We have to take that into consideration.”

All of the leaders came in for green-flag pit stops over the next 40 laps after NASCAR’s announcement.

That put Wallace at the head of the pack on lap 308, and five laps later NASCAR gave the 20-to-go signal with Wallace followed by Gordon, Burton, Martin and Elliott.

Gordon was about 10 car-lengths behind Wallace at the time of the signal, but he quickly charged up to the rear bumper of Wallace’s Ford Thunderbird.

On lap 316, Gordon shot to the outside as the two entered the front stretch and surged his Chevrolet Monte Carlo into the lead as they went into the first turn. Gordon completed the pass as they went onto the back stretch and was never challenged the rest of the way.

“All of a sudden that thing just came on stronger and stronger, and we were able to do it,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who started on the pole for the fourth consecutive year, led 44 laps.

Career victory No. 24 was worth $224,900.

Indy 500 postponed

In the old days, fans basked in the sun, drank beer and watched drivers like Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti battle it out at the Indianapolis 500.

On Sunday, fans huddled under umbrellas and overhangs in a downpour, waiting for Billy Boat, Jack “The Racing Dentist” Miller and the other unknowns to take the track.

They didn’t and the Indy 500 was postponed a day - fitting for a race that’s had problems all month.

“It’s a bummer. I’m used to it, but it’s her first time,” Jeff Conaway said, nodding at his 10-year-old daughter, Ashley, who was crying. “It’s not a good way to start.”

Speedway officials will try to run the race again today, but a delay was the last thing the Indy 500 needed. It’s already lost big-name drivers from Championship Auto Racing Teams. Now, Arie Luyendyk is the most recognizable name at Indy.

The cars aren’t going as fast, either. Speeds are down 20 mph because of new engines, whose reliability is still in question. “Indy Lite” has turned off some fans, and crowds were down even before it rained.

“Every year, it’s gotten worse,” Eli Levi said, looking around at the empty seats in the stands and the vast patches of grass in an infield that’s usually packed.

And the crowd isn’t likely to grow magically overnight. If anything, it’s going to be even smaller today. Many fans come from out of town, making it hard for them to stick around and get home in time for work Tuesday.

Bridgestone/Firestone brought in 500 guests for the race, and only half are staying the extra day, said Trevor Hoskins, a senior vice president.

ABC Sports will broadcast the entire race today, keeping the same schedule it had planned for Sunday. But there will be some stiff competition. At 3:30 p.m. EST Monday, NBC will air Game Four of the Eastern Conference final series between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat.

“You’ve got Tiger (Woods) and golf (Sunday on CBS) or you’ve got Michael and the Bulls, so it’s always tough,” said Bob Goodrich, an ABC producer. “We just hope that all the people that want to watch the race will stick with us.”

Levi could stick with the race, but he won’t.

“I ain’t coming out,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m flat burned out of this place.”

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This sidebar appeared with the story: INDY 500 The Indianapolis 500 has been rescheduled to begin at 8 a.m. today with live coverage on ABC.