Gordon gets win with last-lap pass

It’s not in Jeff Gordon’s nature to go slow, and asking the four-time series champion to ride aimlessly around in the back of the pack is unheard of.

But with all the unknowns surrounding Sunday’s race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, it seemed to be the safest strategy. Still, he resisted, and even told car owner Rick Hendrick he wouldn’t do it.

He apparently had a change of heart, agreeing to turn parade laps for much of the race before surging past Jimmie Johnson on the final lap and holding off his teammate to become the career victory leader at restrictor-plate tracks.

He parlayed his decision into his 12th career plate win and sixth victory this season, and moved back on top of the points standings. He leads Johnson by nine points with six races remaining in the Chase for the championship.

But it was bizarre way to do it by Gordon’s standards.

Fears over the Car of Tomorrow’s plate debut and former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve’s first Nextel Cup event had the entire field concerned the race would be one big demolition derby.

So Gordon decided he’d avoid the mess by staying in the back, and found himself yawning in his race car for the first time in his career.

A master at working the draft, Gordon eventually marched toward the front and had moved into the top 15 as the race neared its completion. With six laps to go, he was in the middle of a Hendrick Motorsports charge that saw Johnson, Gordon and Casey Mears surge to the front of the pack.

Gordon was stuck behind Johnson, though, and waited until the last lap to make a move toward the front. He finally jumped up high, squeezing in between Johnson and the Penske cars of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

Just as Johnson tried to block him, two-time series champion Tony Stewart slid onto Gordon’s bumper and gave him a huge push into the lead. Gordon led just one lap – the last one.

Dave Blaney was third in the best finish this year for a Toyota driver. This race blew open the Chase for the championship standings, as Gordon and Johnson positioned themselves for a Hendrick battle toward the title. Third-place driver Clint Bowyer finished 11th, but fell 63 points behind the leader.

Formula One

At Shanghai, China, Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari won the Chinese Grand Prix and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton missed his chance to clinch the drivers’ title by running off the track while entering the pits.

Fernando Alonso of McLaren was second with Felipe Massa of Ferrari third.

The championship will now go down to the final race in Brazil on Oct. 21 with three drivers capable of winning the title.

Hamilton has 107 points, Alonso has 103 and Raikkonen 100. A win is worth 10 points. Second through eight at 8-6-5-4-3-2-1.

NHRA

At Dinwiddie, Va., four-time series champion Gary Scelzi earned one of four berths in the two-race championship, beating teammate Ron Capps in the Funny Car final in the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

Scelzi, who jumped from sixth to second place, was joined in the winner’s circle by Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta and Pro Stock’s Dave Connolly, who has won five straight races overall to take the No. 1 seed.