BUSCH: Watkins Glen report

LABONTE SWEATS OUT CHAD LITTLE TO WIN HIS THIRD ROAD COURSE BGN EVENT IN SWELTERING CONDITIONS AT THE LYSOL 200

Terry Labonte survived a race-long duel with Chad Little to win the Lysol 200 NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division race Sunday at Watkins Glen International, the only road course race on the series schedule.

Labonte and Little exchanged the lead four times over the course of the event, but Labonte took the lead for the final time on lap 48 and led the rest of the way in the 82-lap, 200-mile race on the 11-turn, 2.45-mile course.

The win was Labonte's second straight in the event and third in the five times the event has been held. The leading winner on the NASCAR Busch Series with four wins in 1994, Labonte had been shut out this season until winning at The Glen.

"My car was better on long runs, so I didn't like to see those cautions," said Labonte. "Chad's car was better on cold tires, and he was really strong on restarts. But once we got going for a few laps, I could get away."

Little finished 3.88-seconds behind in second, with Ricky Craven third, Mike McLaughlin fourth and Jeff Green fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Steve Grissom, series point leader Johnny Benson, Curtis Markham, Hermie Sadler and Phil Parsons.

Labonte won $20,370 and went the distance in two hours, 23 minutes and 11 seconds. There were seven cautions for 15 laps, and Labonte's winning average speed was 84.186 mph.

The event was the 400th race in NASCAR Busch Series history, and was also the first series race ever to be televised on a broadcast network as CBS covered the event.

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The IMSA Street Stock Endurance Championship event will go into the record books as two women posted in two classes. Kathryn Teasdale, with Doug Goad, won the three hour enduro. They averaged 83.725 mph. Second was the sister car of Andy Pilgrim and Joe Varde, rounding out the top three was the duo of Stu Hayner and John Heinricy. All were driving Pontiac Firebird Formula racers.

Taking Sports class honors were Forrest Granlund and Peter Cunningham at the wheel of a Honda Prelude VTEC.

The husband and wife team of Randy and Linda Pobst entered the record books when they won the Touring class in their Honda Prelude Si.

Topping the new Compact class was the Oldsmobile Achieva S of Ed Magner and Buddy Norton.

Seventy-three cars started the Sunday morning race at the historic upstate New York road course.

Jaki Scheckter, nephew of 1979 World Driving Champion Jody Scheckter, won the 30 minute Barber Dodge Pro Series race. The 18-year-old South African held off polesitter Fredrik Larsson and series points leader Geoff Boss to win his first race in the open-wheel spec car series.

Jeret Schroeder bested the field to win the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 supporting event. Emerging unscathed from a first turn four-car accident Schroeder, in a Swift, beat Chris Fahan and David Pook, son of the Long Beach Grand Prix promoter, Chris Pook, to the checkered flag. It was Schroeder's first pro racing win.

J.J. O'Malley, Director of Communications Watkins Glen International 73771,531@compuserve.com