The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 19

Rookie helps Flyers to victory Page C2 THE MORNING CALL COMICS MONEY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1979 SECTION Petty wins 6th Oaytona 500 Leaders Donnie Allison, Yarborough knock each other put on final lap y. Richard Petty gets the checkered flag just a car's length in front of Darrell Waltrip. wmmmmmsmmmmsmmmti 3 -v. 5S mmm the race would be more educational' than enriching for him. "I thought Foyt had the faster car.

But seemed he was fast down the straightaways and couldn't run through the corners. Darrell seemed like he could run through the corners but not very good on the straightaways." Until Allison and Yarborough finished each other's afternoon in a hail of sheet metal and debris, it didn't really matter what Petty's balky Oldsmobile could do. Petty was not even in sight of the frontrun-ning twosome on the final lap when their controversial crash occurred. Allison had a narrow lead over Yarborough heading down the backstretch on the last of 200 laps when Yarborough tried to make a move on the inside for the lead. Allison moved over to block him.

and Yarborough veered into the infield grass. Yarborough's car came back onto the track and bumped Allison repeatedly, both heading straight toward the retaining wall. Their cars smoked to a stop in the infield, and a speedway official said, "Yarborough jumped out of his car and punched Donnie through the window of his car. Bobby Allison stopped his car and pulled Yarborough off and clobbered him. Yarborough then hit Bobby with his helmet." Donnie said he tried to get at Yarborough but was stopped by his brother.

"That's the worst thing I ever saw on a race track," Yarborough told Donnie. "There are no if ands or buts about it. I had the race By JERRY GARRETT Associated Press Sports Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. AP) Richard Petty, relegated to a distant third place until Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed each other out of it on the final lap, roared around to take an unprecedented sixth victory in the prestigious Daytona 500 yesterday, beating Darrell Waltrip by less than a car length. Petty said he told himself, "Boy, look how smart you are, as he passed the wrecked cars of Allison and Yarborough en route to the checkered flag.

"I never back off until everybody is through running. I was glad I stuck with that plan." said Petty after taking victory No. 186 in his two decades of racing. "I thought the race was over when I saw the white flag (one lap to go). I told the crew on the radio, 'We'll -try it one more time.

After he passed the crash site. Petty said, "All I was worrying about after that was that No. 88 Waltrip) in my rear view mirror. I figured I could beat Darrell 'cause he was having trouble, and not running any better than I was." The 41 -year-old Petty, who broke a 45-race winless skein, the longest of his career with the improbable victory, was in a dogfight with Waltrip and A.J. Foyt the final 100 miles.

"All things being equal, I should have run third or a little worse. If I had been this lucky the last year and a half, I would have won two-thirds of the races." said Petty, who thought won and you knew it." Donnie replied, "Buddy just look at it on the films." A television replay of the wreck showed Yarborough coming back on the track after being blocked off by Allison and ramming his car into the sid of Allison's racer, Allison still clung tocontrol until Yarborough moved his car back alongside and turned right, taking both machines into the wall at over 190 m.p.h. Petty, Waltrip and Foyt were oblivious the isliap until they roared past the two crumpled cars. Waltrip then turned on a charge that just fell short. Foyt came in third, another two car lengths behind.

Petty collected a record $73,500 from the $600,000 purse. He averaged 143,977 m.p.h., well below a record. V. Allison, who never has won a Grand National stock car race here, was credited with fourthwhile Yarborough, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, got fifth. Pen Argy l's Tighe Scott wound up sixth.

Early in the race, Donnie and Bobby Allison and Yarborough were running 1-2-3 when they all spun off the track in a chain reaction accident. Donnie Allison lost one lap to the new leaders, his brother two, and Yarborough three. Donnie and Yarborough had clawed their way back into the lead lap during the four-race race by using repeated caution periods to their advantage. The race started ominously under low Associated Press mmmrnmxmm IliSiiliiwiliii hanging gray clouds, after a morning of heavy rain that turned the grassy areas around the edges of the track into a swamp. The first 40 miles were run under the control of the pace car at speeds under 100 m.p.h.

to dry the damp track. Once the green glag finally fell, it was immediately obvious that pacesetter Buddy Baker, who won two races and the pole position in the week preceding, had a problem. He dropped steadily out of the top 20, and finally retired from competition having run the race for the 11th time in the last 12 years without winning. "I can't begin to tell you," he said in a voice cracking with emotion, "what a disappointment this is." Meanwhile, a dandy battle for the lead was developing between defending champion Bobby Allison, his younger brother Donnie and Yarborough. In almost a carbon copy of the Petty-David Pearson-Waltrip crash early in last year's the AlliSort brothers got together on the 31st lap and spun out, taking Yarborough off the course with them.

All three got a soaking mud bath as they bounced through the infield soup. Damage to their cars was slight, but they each lost at least one lap to the leaders while repairs were made. Waltrip. one of the pre-race favorites, then grabbed the lead, but he only had it two laps before his car started making unpleasant noises. He fell behind and was a frequent visitor to pit road.

He was out of the hunt until late in the race. Young drivers Neil Bonnett and Dale Earnhardt then waged battle with the wily Foyt for the front spot. But there was nothing decisive about their lead behind them an incredible 30-car draft developed, all of them packed into a couple hundred yards of track running over 190 m.p.h. Another multi-car crash took out former winner Pearson and four other cars on the 55th lap when rookie Gary Ba Hough spun out in front of a pack of cars. There were no injuries.

Bonnett's race came to a screeching halt just before the 200-mile mark when he got a little sideways and was dropkicked in the rear end by Terry Labonte. Labonte continued, but Bobby Allison was rear-ended by Harry Gant, trying to avoid the altercation in front of them. Gant spun wildly off the track and smashed into a guardrail, then careened back across the track. Twocars narrowly missed. That gave Donnie Allison achancetounlap himself.

As he worked his way back into the top five, another of his earlier "crash mates," Yarborough hooked up with Benny Parsons to move away from the rest of the field. At the halfway point. Parsons had a four-second lead over Donnie Allison, with the help of Yarborough's draft. Three laps later, Yarborough collected the debt for that favor and unlapped when John TJtsman's Car dumped its crankcase of oil along the front straightaway, bringing out another caution period. Yarborough got another one back about 50 miles later, winning a dash back to the line with leader Donnie Allison after Blackie Wangerin's oil loss in turn three caused another caution period.

Dave Marcis spun out in the oil and bumped th, wall, finishing the race for him. Yarborough's uncanny luck continued when on the 138th lap he managed to get around Allison again as Paul Fess's car exploded an engine at the start-finish line for yet another yellow flag. That finally put Yarborough back on the lead lap. Parsons, who was worried before the race that a CBS television camera he had in his car might hamper his chances, fell victim to overheating. He began to drop back after the 350-mile mark.

Bobby Allison holds the foot of kicking Cale Yarborough as Donnie (left) uses his helmet as a club in their effort to down, the Tim-monsville, S.C., driver after Yarborough and leader Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap, leading to the hard feelings. Associated Press Beat Bucks 110-107 Resurrection for 76ers Cars, words, fists fly on last lap to a stop and he seemed to yell something at Cale because Cale ran over to Bobby's car. All of a sudden, Bobby was out of his car and all over Cale. "Bobby and Cale were slugging and kicking and there were a couple of helmets swung." Feld said. "Cale ended up on the ground.

Donnie was out of his car and was trying to keep Bobby off Cale." Cale claimed Bobby, who was running three laps behind the leaders, slowed his car and tried to help Donnie win. "Bobby waited on us so he could block me off," Yarborough said. "The films will show it. I had him Donnie) beat and he knew it. They double-teamed me.

It was the worst thing I ever saw. My left wheels were over in the dirt and Donnie knocked me on over in the dirt further. He carried me on into the grass. I started spinning and Donnie started spinning. Bobby pulled up over there and Tasked him why he did it.

He bowed up and I swung at him. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in racing." "Naw, I didn't block them," Bobby responded. "I wasn't even close." "I don't think Bobby slowed down and Bobby didn't move anywhere," Donnie said. "Cale made up his mind he would pass me low and I had made up my mind he was gonna have to pass me high. When he tried to pass me low, he went off the track.

He spun and hit me. I feel like I had to keep from getting knocked out and I didn't do that. "When Bobby came up to find out if we. were all right. Cale went over and punched Bobby through the screen.

Then he came at me and started calling me names. They broke it up but I'll tell you one thing, it would have been a good one. Mix providing the defense. But even more instrumental was the unbelievable job turned in on the backboards by the Sixers, and in particular Caldwell Jones. The 7-1 center, who contributed 19 points, hauled down a career-high 27 rebounds "the most I've had since I got 43 in my last home game in college" )and club record 22 on the defensive board.

He and Dawkins, who tied his career scoring high with 27 points and added 16 rebounds, had five more caroms than the entire Milwaukee team. The domination of Philadelphia on the boards was never more evident than the fourth quarter and overtime period when it had an overwhelming 31-6 advantage. In all. the Sixers had a 63-38 advantage off the backboards. The game started out very even with there being seven lead changes before Milwaukee, shooting 63.6 percent from the floor, grabbed a 30-27 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

The lead grew to 14 when Junior Bridgeman, who had 12 of his 21 points in the first half, hit a jumper to make it 51-37 and the Bucks led by 11 at the break. Winters, one of the deadliest shooters in the game, turned in a strong all-around performance with 18 points and 10 assists while George Johnson contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. By MARC MARKOWITZ Call Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA A resurrection took place yesterday prior to the final period and because of it the Philadelphia 76ers were able to pull off their second straight Miracle of the Sabbath. Trailing by as many as 13 points midway through the final quarter, the Sixers came alive just about the same time Steve Mix was awakening and came from behind to whip the Milwaukee Bucks 110-107 in overtime before 13.752 fans at the Spectrum. Coming on the heels of three successive losses since last Sunday's remarkable win over the Bullets, and with a 2 1 2-week road swing next, this came about as close to a "must win" situation psychologically as Philadelphia has faced all season.

But. it looked anything but hopeful for the Sixers, who were minus the services of Juliu Erving, Eric Money and Doug Collins, when goals by Junior Bridgeman and Lloyd Walton put the Bucks ahead 93-80 with 8:40 remaining. Bobby Jones hit off a Henry Bibby feed and Bibby followed with a pair of free throws. A Brian Winters jumper left the 76ers trailing by 1 1 with 7 31 left before Mix, who'd scored just one point in 13' minutes of undistinguished play, made his presence felt. In the next seven minutes, the 6-8 forward scored the next 13 Philadelphia points as the 76ers moved within 99-97 with 2:43 remaining.

A Caldwell Jones slam dunk off an Al Skinner feed evened things. Skinner then followed a George Johnson basket with two free throws to make it 101-all with 33 seconds left. Both teams got a chance to win in regulation with Johnson missing his first shot after making seven straight -for Milwaukee and Skinner penetrating but coming up short for Philadelphia. A pair of Winters' jumpers sandwiched around a Bibby bucket gave the Bucks a 105-103 lead. Caldwell Jones, however, hit a free throw and Mix capped a 16-point effort with a pair of foul tosses to give the Sixers the lead for good.

Mix then grabbed a rebound off the defensive boards and Philadelphia got two shots at the basket and offensive rebounds by Mix and Bibby before Darryl Dawkins hit a slam dunk off a feed from Caldwell Jones to wrap it up. "Just a super effort in the second half." offered Billy Cunningham. "The guys executed with poise at the end. This has to be a very positive thing for the team especially with the road trip coming up. And you have to give Steve Mix credit.

We needed a lift and he really gave it to us." "You have to be bigger than any type of situation, "said Mix. describing his feelings after games of seeing only spotty action. "It's tough at times, especially when you know you're not going to be playing. But if you're ever called on, you don't want to go out there and embarrass yourself or the team." Defensively, the Sixers did a great job in the second half, limiting the Bucks to just 42 points in regulation. Marques Johnson, who had 15 points in the first half and the opening goal of the second to give Milwaukee a 61-48 lead, was held to just two points the rest of the way with Bobby Jones and By FT.

MacFEELY Associated Prass Writer DAYTONA BEACh. Fla. AP) -Cars, words and fists flew as stock car driving stars Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison tangled on the last lap of the $588,000 Daytona 500 yesterday and robbed both of victory. Yarborough described it as "the worst thing I've ever seen in racing" and blamed Allison and his brother Bobby, who stopped his car and got into the fist fight, with double-teaming him. Donnie Allison said he only did what he had a right to do in attempting to shut off a challengeron the track and that his only part in the fight was to pull brother Bobby away from Yarborough.

"He (Yarborough) called me all kinds of dirty names," Donnie said. Bobby explained his stop at the accident scene by saying, "I rode up there after the race was over to make sure they were both okay. The dispute started when Donnie Allison and Yarborough headed through the east turn side by side, with the $75,000 winner's purse at stake onlv half a mile ahead. Suddenly they began bumping cars. After both spun out and Richard Petty rode past them to victory, Yarborough and Donnie Allison began screaming at each other, an eyewitness said.

As brother Bobby arrived, Donnie Allison and Yarborough fought with fists and helmets. NASCAR President Bill France Jr. said the ruling body of Grand National racing will investigate. Television replays showed Donnie Allison drove low on the track to shut Yarborough off from a slingshot passing technique. Yarborough, forced off into the grass below the asphalt, edged back onto the track and the cars banged together.

Both retained control but the replay showed that Yarborough turned his car, apparently intentionally, sharply into Allison's. They bumped about three times and both went spinning to the grass, their engines dead. "Cale got out of his car and he and Donnie were yelling at each other," said Ric Feld. an Associated Press photographer stringer who pictured the fighting. "Bobby pulled MILWAUKEE Johnson 7 5-7 19, Restani 2 0- 4, Benson I 0-0 2, Buckner 3 1-2 7, Winters 9 0-0 18, GianeHi I 0-0 2, Walton 4 1-2 9, G.

Johnson 7 2-2 16, Bridgeman 10 1-1 21. Grunfeld 4 1-3 9 Totals 48 11-18 107 PHILADELPHIA Jones 7 2-4 16. Dawkins 1 1-5-8 27, C. Jones 8 3-4 19. Cheeks 1 0-0 2.

Biboy 6 8-11 20. Skinner 3 4 5 la Mix 3 10-12 16. Bryant 0 0-0 0 Totals 39 32-44 110 Milwaukee 30 29 15 6-107 Philadelphia 27 II 27 26 9-110.