Gant Wins; Female Driver Says Foe Was Out to Get Her in Turn

HAMPTON, Ga. — Harry Gant 54, who plans to retire this year, beat Larry Pearson by 2.08 seconds Saturday in the Busch Light 300 Grand National stock car race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Gant, who won his 21st Grand National, had an average speed of 127.649 m.p.h., breaking the race record of 124.412 set in 1992 by Jeff Gordon.

The race also featured a controversy over a first-lap accident involving Shawna Robinson, the first woman to win a Grand National pole. It occurred when Mike Wallace drove under Robinson and fellow front-row starter Joe Nemechek, making it a three-wide battle going into the third turn.

There was some bumping and Robinson wound up banging into Nemechek, and the two slid into the wall as Wallace took the lead.

“There were some things said before (the race) about what was going to happen on the first lap, and I don’t think that showed a lot of class,” Robinson said.

Nemechek said of Wallace: “He was totally wrong in what he did. He should be penalized right there and then and kicked out of the race. He told a lot of people before this race started that he was going to take some air off her spoiler and get her loose.”

Wallace, who denied any wrongdoing, finished 11th. Robinson finished 36th; Nemechek was last.