MOTOR RACING ROUNDUP : Luyendyk Gets First Victory Since Indy

Arie Luyendyk got a monkey off his back Sunday, winning the Valvoline 200 in Phoenix for his first victory since the Indianapolis 500 last May.

“It’s really great to get that off my shoulders,” the Dutchman said after Danny Sullivan’s blown engine allowed him to drive his Chevrolet-powered Lola across the finish line on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval under a combination of checker and yellow flags.

Bobby Rahal finished second, keeping the two-time series champion in the PPG Cup points lead.

Darrell Waltrip broke a 34-race winless streak, keeping his car out of trouble and capturing the First Union 400 NASCAR race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.

Waltrip, who passed Jimmy Spencer with 52 laps remaining on the .625-mile track, became the seventh different driver to win this season in as many events. He also has won 10 of 34 races on the short track in the North Carolina mountains.

But the 44-year-old veteran from Franklin, Tenn., had to avoid one more pileup, the 17th caution flag of the day, to capture his 80th NASCAR victory. Waltrip became the fifth driver to reach that plateau.

Waltrip, a car owner for the first time this season, got off quickly to open up a 10-car lead on Dale Earnhardt and hold off a late charge by the defending Winston Cup champion to win by 1.5 seconds. Waltrip’s last victory had been in September of 1989 at Martinsville, Va.

Del Worsham of Orange became the youngest driver in NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series history to win a funny car title when he drove to victory at the Southern Nationals at Commerce, Ga.

The 21-year-old Worsham beat Mark Oswald for his first title. He covered the quarter-mile in 5.500 seconds at 270.67 m.p.h.

Kenny Bernstein of Dallas defeated Gene Snow of Ft. Worth in the finals of the Top Fuel category.