Gordon Is at the Center of Crash as Teammate Labonte Prevails

This was definitely not the kind of attention Jeff Gordon wanted.

The series points leader, hoping to close in on his second Winston Cup title, was instead the catalyst for a wild 21-car accident that allowed pursuers Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett to close in and helped teammate Terry Labonte win his first race in more than a year.

Labonte passed leader Kenny Schrader and second-place John Andretti two laps from the end and went on to beat younger brother Bobby Labonte by less than two car-lengths in Sunday’s DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

The defending Winston Cup champion, who had fallen to sixth in season points with a second-half slump, earned his 19th career victory and his first since Oct. 6, 1996, at Charlotte.

“At a track like this, you just have to be patient,� Labonte said.

It did, when Gordon’s left rear tire shredded on lap 140 of the 188-lap race.

“I felt the left rear go just before [the car] turned sideways,� Gordon said. “I started going sideways. I tried to straighten up, then I bounced off the 98 [Andretti]. When I tried to straighten up again, I just went spinning.�

Martin and Jarrett gained valuable ground on Gordon.

Martin gained 15 points and now trails by 110, while Jarrett closed within 155 points after trailing by 197 going into Sunday’s 500-mile race on the 2.66-mile, high-banked oval.

Jarrett finished 21st, Martin 30th and Gordon 35th in the 42-car field.

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Michael Schumacher got an assist from Ferrari teammate Eddie Irvine and won the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, leaving the season’s Formula One title to be decided in the year’s final race.

That is, if Jacques Villeneuve is permitted to compete.

Villeneuve, the leader by one point over Schumacher, 79-78, has to await a ruling by Formula One officials over a yellow-flag violation in Saturday’s practice.

If he loses his two points from Sunday’s fifth-place finish and is barred from racing in the season finale at Jerez, Spain, on Oct. 26, Schumacher would be the champion for the third time.

Midway through the race, Irvine let Schumacher pass him to take the lead, which he retained.

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Randy Tolsma passed Mike Wallace with four laps remaining and held off Stacy Compton and Mike Bliss on the final lap to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Dodge Truck 300 in Bakersfield.

Series leader Jack Sprague finished 10th. With three events remaining, he has a 3,484-3,456 lead over Rich Bickle.

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Mark Tate captured a fourth Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Assn. title with a victory in the JN Automotive Hydrofest at Honolulu. Only Bill Muncey, Dean Chenoweth and Chip Hanauer have won as many titles.