LEHIGH VALLEY FLASHBACK

A look back at Lehigh Valley sports stories over the years from July 29.

2001: Bobby Labonte overcomes a 2.3-second deficit to Dale Earnhardt Jr. over the final 20 laps and wins the Pennsylvania 500 before 135,000 fans at Pocono International Raceway.

1981: Gary Laub knocks in four runs with a pair of singles and Hellertown earns its first Northampton County Legion championship with a 6-0 win over Wind Gap. Shawn Spieth twirls the shutout to complete the sweep of the championship series.

1997: 47-year-old Larry Holmes of Easton improves his pro record to 66-6 when he earns a split decision over 22-year-old Maurice Harris (9-9-2) in a non-title fight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

1982: In the first playoff meeting between the two leagues, Salisbury of the Lehigh Valley League completes a two-game sweep of North Parkland of the Balliet League with a 5-3 victory, securing an American Legion Region II playoff berth. Dave Ernst strikes out Randy Reiss with the bases loaded to preserve the win for Salisbury. The Balliet League was formed the previous winter by several teams that broke away from the LVL over dissatisfaction over the size of the league and lack of games against traditional rivals, but state Legion officials rule the two leagues must compete against the other for a regional berth.

1972: Postponed by a month by Tropical Storm Agnes, the second-annual Schaeffer 500 draws a crowd of 70,000 to Pocono International Raceway, and after 165 laps the crowd is expecting a victory by Nazareth native Mario Andretti. But the race leader is knocked out with 35 laps to go by a gear problem, opening the door for a wild finish in which the race has no official winner for an hour after its conclusion. Finally, the victory is awarded to Joe Leonard after officials penalize Al Unser for passing on a yellow caution.