The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 31

Monday, June 10, 1991 C-3 SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER Wine ixfermieiated PrydHtoimsiie win is not Funny mm at the starting line and limped home with a time of 7.91 at 98.57. Prudhomme failed to qualify for the 16-car fields in six of the 19 events last year. But his fortunes have improved since hiring crew chief John Medlen for 1991. "We struggled all last year," said Prudhomme, who had been 0-3 in final rounds this year. "We needed a win and we finally got it I couldn't be any happier." It was the second consecutive victory for Dunn, who won the Mid-South Nationals in Memphis.

Dunn has won three times in 11 races since forming a new team late last year. He was a car-length ahead at the finish line with a time of 5.34 at 275.06 to White's 5.39 at 263.77. Alderman had won the first three events of the season, but was winless in his previous three outings. He edged ahead at half-track and won with a time of 7.33 at 188.36 to Johnson's 7.33 at 188.91. It was the fifth time the two had met in the finals this year, with Alderman winning three times.

APCHAD SURMCK after Sunday's controversial finish. fourth and Rudd fifth. When Wallace hit the throttle an errant rocker arm finally broke and he found himself passed by Martin, Allison and Rudd. As Martin and Kendall entered tum seven, Martin got the better drive out of the corner and was alongside when Kendall tapped Martin, who spun in front of him. Allison took home $61,950 for the 7 New crew chief helps him earn first Top Fuel title in 2 1 years ASSOCIATED PRESS KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio Don Prudhomme, who built his drag-racing career in the Funny Car ranks, earned his first Top Fuel victory in 21 years Sunday by defeating Joe Amato in the finals of the NHRA Spring-nationals.

Mike Dunn defeated Jim White in the Funny Car finals, and Dar-rell Alderman Don Prudhomme topped Warren Johnson in Pro Stock. It was Prudhomme's 41st career victory, including six in Top Fuel. He switched to the Funny Car class in 1971 and moved back to Top Fuel in 1990. He was winless last year after accumulating four Winston Series Funny Car titles. Prudhomme drove past Amato in the finals with a time of 5.08 seconds at 281.86 mph on the quarter-mile track.

Amato lost traction Dennis wearing a Grant Powers Bionic Hairpiece TOl Powers, 782 Park San Jose, CA 95126. mall me a bmchura, then call me with cost Into. STATE -ZIP Grant Powers has developed a Bionic Hairpiece for bald men, that even your barber cannot detect from one's own hair. For cost information or an appointment call today. If you can find a more natural hairline than your Grant Powers Hairpiece can give you, from any other hairpiece company, wo will buy It from thorn for you and give it to you free.

SAN FRANCISCO 1255 Post St. 486 (415) 673-7700 SAN JOSE 782 Park Ave. (800) 344-HAIR (4247) MAIL I Grant I Please NAME. ADDRESS r.nv PHONE 7' A Davey Allison extends arm in triumph The pair were the focus until the 60th lap, when the whole look of the race changed as Morgan Shepherd spun his car and the ensuing caution allowed the field to pit. Wallace emerged from the pits second behind Kendall, who did not stop during the yellow.

As the race restarted on the 68th lap, Kendall led, with Wallace second, Martin third, Allison GRANT POWERS World-Renowned Hairpiece Expert Featured on ABC, CBS and NBC News Talk Shows f- a I ft I ij i we 'f i at I Jr. Your prices black ADison takes race at Sears Point after Rudd is ticketed for 'unnecessary contact' ByTonySakkii SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER SONOMA When the dust had settled, and when all the cars had stopped spinning, bumping and sliding, the driver who strode onto the victory podium of the Banquet 300 Winston Cup race at Sears Point International Raceway Sunday was neither the pre-race favorite nor the guy who crossed the finish line first Davey Allison won the third annual NASCAR race at the twisty 2.5-mile road circuit in what appeared to be the second-place car. Ricky Rudd, who held the fastest qualifying time, the fastest race lap and the lead when the checkered flag fell on the 74th and final lap, drove the cool-down lap waving to the crowd the winner, he thought. At the same time, Davey Allison's Ford Thunderbird was being pushed into the winner's circle. The confusion started on the second-to-last lap when Rudd and Allison were jockeying for the lead and, ultimately, the victory.

Allison held the top spot, with Rudd challenging. In the turn 11 hairpin Rudd made his move albeit a bit later in the corner than would be considered usual As he did so, he tapped Allison, who spun harmlessly into the infield, out of contention. Rudd finished the final lap uncontested, and came to the line only to receive both a black flag which called him into the pits for "unnecessary contact" with Allison and a checkered flag for the win, which was nullified by the black banner. Initially, the victory was awarded to Allison, who was hesitant to celebrate and defensive about the outcome. "I don't know if it was intentional or not," Allison said regarding the tap.

"All I know is that it could have been avoided. Ricky's an experienced enough road racer that he knows how not to do that. And I didn't do anything malicious to him. I drove my line, and the racer's agreement is that if you get your nose up to the guy's door you SPANDER from C-l NASCAR officials rob Ricky Rudd to a safety wall made of old tires before getting back on the track. The of ficials let that one go.

But when Rudd tries to slip inside Allison's Ford at turn 11, or the final turn just before the finish line, the officials react In time. First Rudd, driving a Chevy that looks like a big box of Tide detergent, since that's his sponsor, is given a white flag, indicating he's on the final lap. Then, when he comes around, "I look up, and instead of getting the checkered flag," Rudd sighs, "I'm getting the black flag." And some of the execs from Procter Gamble, who manufacture Tide, and are sitting up in the hospitality tent on the hill, probably watching a stock car race for th.3 first time in their lives, are getting steamed. "They don't understand what's going on," said Carolyn Rudd Wax, Ricky's sister as well as representative for sponsors. "They see one of the cars they're backing, the Folgers coffee car driven by Martin, knocked off 4 ll.

the track, out tnere no penalty. mi .1 1 .1 men tney see uie ouier car au sponsors, the Tide car, in a similar bumping incident but it gets penalized and gets first place taken away. A ND THE PEOPLE from A Procter Gamble, they're spending $7 million a year for the cars, are wondering if it's worth it, whether they should pull out their sponsorships at the end of the year. It was only beer and. cigarettes and auto-related sponsors until came in.

Their company is so highly thought of, it was like a Good Housekeeping seal. Then Kodak flag have the line; if you're not there you don't have the line." Just two laps before the altercation Tommy Kendall and Mark Martin had had a similar coming together at the far end of the track, with Martin being tapped much harder by Kendall than Allison had been by Rudd. In that instance, no warnings were issued by NASCAR race officials and there was no indication that any wrongdoing had occurred. Things got more complicated when Allison, apparently from orders over the radio, made a U-turn just past the startfinish line and his crew quickly pushed the car into victory circle. Allison climbed out of his car and stepped up onto the rostrum while Rudd was still doing his victory lap.

The entire problem might have been avoided had Dick Beatty, the regular Winston Cup director, been in attendance. But Beatty, who had attended 573 straight races since 1971, left the track Saturday when he learned that his sister-in-law had died suddenly in North Carolina. The decision to black-flag Rudd came from deputy David Hoots. 1 The final decision, handed down two-and-a-half hours later from NASCAR vice president of competition Les Richter, was that Rudd, who had provisionally been dropped from the top five stand ings, had been assessed a five-second penalty, giving him a second-1 place finish. Rudd was visibly upset about the decision.

"I'm totally confused," he said in an impromptu press conference: outside the NASCAR trailer. "I've this in all my life. "I dont think (Allison is) much of a man to accept a win like that. If the situation was reversed I know who I would have said he won the race. Our sport is good, hard fender-to-fender racing.

That's what it's all about" The event started with the pole-sitter, leading the field for the first 12 laps, until Rusty Wallace moved past him on the outside of the tight turn seven. Immediately, Wallace and Rudd distanced themselves from the field by more than a second per lap. After a round of pit stops and two restarts, the race continued with Wallace again the leader and Rudd still second. came in and others. But now what's going to happen?" Probably not very much.

The Winston Circuit moves on to an other stop, Pocono, and there will be more questionable moves. It was Les Richter, the onetime Cal and Los Angeles Rams football star and now head of competition for NASCAR, who made the ultimate decision on Rudd and Allison and the no decision on Kendall and Martin. RUDD WAS penalized five seconds, which meant he lost the race by one second. Why five seconds? "Because that put him in second place," said Richter. "And we didn't penalize 42 (Kendall) because 42 didn't finish." Somebody suggested Richter played too many games without his helmet "As far as I'm concerned, I won," said the 34-year-old Rudd, who took this race in 1989, its in-.

augural year. "There was no in- tent. It was a racing accident. If i the reverse had happened, I would not have driven into victory lane but given the race to Allison. But that's me." And then he climbed into a Lincoln Continental a bit more elegant than his racing machine and muttered, "I'd better get out of here before I say something 111 regret." WHAT ALLISON said was Rudd knows the gentleman's agreement of racing.

"If he gets a fender to your door, then it's OK to bump. But he wasn't to my door. And as far as giving the race back? If he were in my shoes, he'd be in victory lane celebrating." Instead he had been in the garage area complaining. The person who said the race is to the swift probably never heard of NASCAR 1 "I just purchased my fifth cellular phone. staff has consistently provided fair and outstanding service.

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