Rudd Makes Cautious but Victorious Run

Ricky Rudd slipped and slid his way through the final two laps, barely holding off Mark Martin to win a battle of survivors Sunday in the Miller 500 at Dover Downs (Del.) International Speedway.

Rudd won the race by 0.091 seconds, averaging 114.635 mph in a race slowed eight times for 54 laps of caution. He collected $95,255 from a purse totaling $1.6 million.

The shootout between their Fords on the one-mile, high-banked track seemed improbable until those who dominated most of the race succumbed to crashes and mechanical failures. Among them was Jeff Gordon, denied in his bid to become the first driver to win four consecutive races on the treacherous Monster Mile.

The victory extended the 40-year-old Rudd’s streak to winning at least once in each of the last 15 seasons. It was the 18th win of his career and fourth at Dover--one of the most difficult layouts on the circuit.

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Clint Mears, son of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, won his first professional race in the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights-Championship at the Milwaukee Mile at West Allis, Wis.

Mears, who drove a Lola T97-20, finished 4.233 seconds ahead of defending series champion David Empringham of Canada. Mears of Bakersfield averaged 126.378 on the 1.032-mile oval course.

Also at West Allis, Canadian Greg Moore became the youngest winner of a PPG CART World Series race at the Miller 200.

Moore, driving a Reynard Mercedes-Benz, averaged 119.597 mph to defeat defending champion Michael Andretti and his Swift Ford by three car lengths at the Milwaukee Mile.

At 22 years, 1 month and 10 days, Moore is the circuit’s youngest winner, beating Unser, who was 22 years, 1 month, 29 days old when he won at Portland in 1984.

James Hauenstein of Woodlake, Calif, was killed when his hydroplane crashed during a Formula One boat race on the Pamlico River in Chocowinity, S.C. He was 53.

Dave Villwock averaged 129.366 mph in his Miss Budweiser, finishing a half-lap ahead of Appian Jeronimo to repeat as champion in the 1997 APBA Gold Cup hydroplane race on the Detroit River.

Soccer

Eddy Berdusco scored in the 69th minute as Canada upset Costa Rica, 1-0, at Edmonton, Alberta to remain in contention for a berth in the 1998 World Cup.

Enrico Chiesa and Hernan Crespo each scored goals as AC Parma rallied past Verona, 2-1, to take second place in the Italian League and earn its first berth in the European Champions League.

Gustavo Napoles scored four goals to lead Chivas of Guadalajara to a 6-1 victory over Toros Neza in the Mexican League’s championship final before a sellout at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara.

Miscellany

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneer wide receiver Courtney Hawkins to a three-year, $1.45 million contract. Hawkins led the Bucccaneers with 46 receptions for 544 yards last year.

Chris Humbert of Lodi, Calif., scored three goals as United States defeated tournament host Greece, 8-5, and won the FINA World Cup water polo championship at Athens.

The top-ranked team of Kent Steffes and Jose Loiola, along with seven other teams, shared fifth-place as play at the $100,000 AVP Indianapolis Open was stopped by heavy rain.

Diane Shoemaker had eight kills as Team Paul Mitchell completed an undefeated weekend and collected $11,860 with a 15-8 victory over Team Norelco at the Bud Light Pro Beach Volleyball women’s tournament at Manhattan Beach. In the men’s final, Bob Ctvrtlik had 13 kills to lead ABVL to a 12-8 win over Team Outdoor Products and a first-place check of $11,680.

Peter Rasmussen of Denmark defeated Sun Jun of China, 16-17, 18-13, 15-10, to win the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championship at Scotland.