CONCORD, N.C. -- Davey Allison claimed his first victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday by 3.4 seconds and Mark Martin increased his lead over Dale Earnhardt in the battle for NASCAR's Winston Cup championship.
Driving a Ford, Allison inherited the lead from Michael Waltrip with 12 laps remaining in the 334-lap event at the 1.5-mile track when Waltrip pitted his Pontiac for fuel. Allison finished ahead of Morgan Shepherd, with Waltrip still managing a third-place finish, his best this season.
'These guys on the crew deserve this,' Allison said after winning $90,650. 'I want to give this race to them, Raymond Fox Jr., Rob Moroso and the Tammy Williams family. We had a terrible tragedy this week. These things happen in life, but we have to go on.'
On Sept. 30, Moroso, who was in contention for rookie honors on the circuit, and Williams died in a two-car accident near Mooresville when Moroso's car collided with the one driven by Williams. Medical reports showed Moroso was driving drunk with a blood alcohol level of 0.22. That's more than twice the legal level in North Carolina.
Fox was one of Allison's engine builders. He died in July of a heart attack.
Allison, whose second victory this season was the eighth of his NASCAR Winston Cup career, said his Ford was loose at the beginning of the race.
'On the first three pit stops, they kept adjusting and from then on, it was perfect all day,' said Allison, who led twicefor 57 laps, before an estimated record crowd of 158,400.
'This Thunderbird hugged the race track real good today. We have been working on aerodynamics for a long time and I think we have made some progress.
'It's been a long time coming. Today, we might not have had the dominant car but we earned it. We had a fantastic day.'
With his victory, the Allison family became the first to have three members win at CMS. His father, Bobby, won at the track in 1984, '81, '78, '72, and '71. His uncle, Donnie, won at the speedway in 1976, '71, and '69.
Finishing fourth behind Waltrip's Pontiac was Kyle Petty, also in a Pontiac. Alan Kulwicki, driving a Ford, edged Ricky Rudd in a Chevrolet at the checkered flag for fifth.
Allison averaged 137.375 mph in the race slowed by six caution flags for 38 laps. There were 14 lead changes among 10 drivers. Bill Elliott was the top lap leader, setting the pace for three times for 243 laps before tire problems relegated him to 15th.
In the battle for the Winston Cup championship, both Martin and Earnhardt experienced trouble in the race but Earnhardt's was more severe. Entering the race, only 16 points separated the two but when they emerged from the event, Martin possessed a 49-point advantage with three races remaining. Martin finished 14th to earn 121 points and Earnhardt placed 25th to pick up 88, making the season total 3,990 to 3, 941.
Earnhardt's problems began during the second caution flag, which started on lap 101, while he was in his pit. Kulwicki's Ford clipped Ernie Irvan's Chevrolet as the cars exited pit road and sent Irvan spinning into the pit wall and the right rear of Earnhardt's Chevrolet. Repairs were made and Earnhardt returned to the race. But on lap 115, Earnhardt's car hit the fourth-turn wall. He pitted for repairs and when he exited pit road, the left rear wheel flew off and sent him spinning. A short time later, five of his crewmen grabbed two tires and a jack, ran down pit road to the ailing car in the first turn, repaired it and while Earnhardt drove back around the track, the crewmen rode part of the way back to their pit on the flatbed sent to retrieve Earnhardt's car.
Martin never led a lap. He backpeddled from the beginning and on lap 223 it was learned his Ford had dropped a cylinder but it lasted through the race.
