Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 50

Basketball Boston's Larry Bird is back and he makes a charity game his own. Page 2F. Monday, June 26, 1989 Section Sports World, Page 2 Boxing, Page 5 Scoreboard, Page 9 Scores: 1-976-1313, Sports: 222-6660 Detroit Sfctt Stress mm MIS the rolaue to be for Elliott ft -i i. III 'niliilll rH -C" ry ts rr r-J if 4 3 Motorcrgfl ZJf WAUIt MRU MB3'" 4 -Jf JOHN COLUERDetrott Free Press Bill Elliott (No. 9) shoot8 his Ford Thunderbird past pole-winner Ken Schroder's Chevrolet Lumina in Sunday's Miller High Life 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Elliott was growing weary of non-checkered past in He outduels Wallace in Miller 400 with a little luck for first win I Richard Petty goes out in flames, Page 8F I Complete Miller 400 results, Page 8F. ROOKLYN, Mich. The hotel beds were getting lumpier, the days were getting hotter, the miles of road were getting longer. Charue VIHCEWT Mir BY STEVE CROWE Free Press Sports Writer BROOKLYN, Mich. There have been hotter days at Michigan International Speedway.

But when Sunday's Miller High Life 400 was over, Bill Elliott's face was nearly as red as his No. 9 Ford Thunderbird, and Rusty Wallace was cooling his right foot in a bucket of ice water. "Boy, I'll tell you what, y'all got it made in here as cool as it is," a smiling Elliott said as he bounded into his post-race press conference. Elliott's 19-race drought ended, literally and figuratively. His win Sunday by 1.99 seconds over Wallace, who led 131 of the 200 laps was his first since September, when the defending Winston Cup champion won at Dover, Del.

And it should surprise few that the 30th career victory for Awesome Bill from Dawsonville came at MIS, where he has won seven times. Four of those victories were in the Miller 400. After a two-hour, 52-minute, 38-second race that included 13 lead changes among six drivers, Elliott attributed his return to the victory circle to "just luck and being in the right place at the through the paddock traffic his garage. A lot of men drive a lifetime of NASCAR races and never win even once. Ronnie Thomas has run 199 times without finishing within sight of the checkered flag.

Jimmy Means has raced 355 times without a victory. And J.D. McDuffie, the king of futility and perseverance, has run 639 times without a win. Bill Elliott couldn't live like that. Bill Elliott is used to winning he won six times last summer, six the summer before that, 11 times in 28 starts in 1985.

He has won more than $8 million driving race cars and he has done it by finishing ahead of the pack more than his share of times. But he came to Michigan International Speedway for Sunday's Miller High Life 400 with a lot of also- See CHARLIE VINCENT, Page 8F right time." Elliott seized his last of four leads near the end of Lap 193, passing Darrell Waltrip, who had taken a seemingly comfortable advantage by not pitting when most everyone else did under a yellow flag with 13 laps left. Waltrip broke away from the field on the restart with 11 laps left. But gaining about .2 seconds on each of the next two laps, Elliott disposed of his final challenger. The final pit stops for Elliott and Wallace i under a caution prompted by Jimmy Means' Pontiac Grand Prix spinning into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 186 proved crucial.

Elliott's car was in and out in about 23 seconds. But Wallace's crew, which got its jack hung up under his Pontiac Grand Prix, took 28.4 seconds to get it back on the track. On Lap 199, And Bill Elliott, plain and simple, was getting tired of being beaten. He was getting tired of the Sundays that ended with someone else taking the checkered flag and the big check. With someone else kissing the pretty girls and posing for the ROGER HARTAP Bill Elliott tries on the Miller High Life 400 trophy for size.

photographers while Elliott took the slow drive See MIS, Page 8F Rangers' Ryan gets win, loses no-hitter in eighth -rjLV I Mr Collision costly; Tigers lose, 5-3 by John Lowe Free Press Sports Writer SEATTLE The Kingdome has never been a comfort-; able place for the Tigers. Remember 1984, when they came in here 35-5 17-0 on the road and were swept in a three-game series by the Mariners? The Tigers and Twins are the only clubs with an overall losing record here during Seattle's 13 seasons. So it's only proper that the Tigers have thudded to two of their most significant 1989 lows here. On their first visit in early May, they were swept in a three-game series and fell nine games below .500 for the first time in 12 years. Sunday, they lost 5-3 to Seattle, dropping their record to 2745.

It's the first time they've been 18 games below .500 since 1975, the season in which they lost 19 straight and had the worst record in the majors (57-102). The Tigers haven't been routed as often as some last-place teams. Many of their defeats have been close and frustrating. Sunday's was typical. They fell behind 4-0 in the second.

Three of the four runs in the inning off David Palmer (0-3) were unearned because runner Scott Bradley alertly ran into first baseman Dave Bergman in a rundown between third and home. The play See TIGERS, Page 4F Free Press Wire Reports ARLINGTON, Texas Nolan Ryan, who has made his share of history during an illustrious 22-year career, flirted with some more Sunday night. Against the Cleveland Indians, Ryan was within four outs of recording his sixth career no-hitter. In the end, Ryan needed relief help from Jeff Russell to preserve a 4-2 Texas victory. Ryan (9-3) gave up three hits in 8Vi innings, striking out seven and walking one.

He retired the first 15 batters before walking the leadoff man in the sixth, and took a no-hitter into the eighth for the third time this season. With two out in the eighth, Ryan threw, three straight balls to Brook Jacoby, then came back to work the count full. Jacoby lined the 3-2 pitch "The last six outs are always the toughest ones. That's why I really don't get excited thinking about the no-hitter until the ninth inning. "It was just one of those balls hit where nobody was.

I thought the ball was in the gap as soon as it left the bat and I knew it would take a sensational play." Rangers manager Bobby Valentine said: "I wouldn't be surprised if there is another no-hitter or two left in there somewhere." Ryan, baseball's all-time strikeout leader, also reached the 4,900 strikeout plateau when he fanned Joe Carter in the fourth inning. In the ninth, Ryan, 42, allowed a leadoff single to Felix Fermin and a home run to center by Dave Clark, before Russell came in. "At first," Cleveland manager Doc Edwards said, "I didn't think he (Ryan) was that overpowering. But he had control of all of his pitches and after a while it was obvious we were in into ine ngnrcenienieia gap. Rightfielder Ruben Sierra made a diving attempt to preserve the no-hitter, but it fell in for a double.

"It's disappointing to get this close and miss," Ryan said, "but I'm just glad ROBERT KAISERAP Harold Reynolds comes down almost on top of the Tigers' Scott Lusader after forcing him out in the fourth inning. jj 4 4 wp wnn rno cramp.