Two Race Fans Die

Two South Carolinians died, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, early Saturday after trying to heat their tent with a lantern while sleeping on the rainy infield at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

The fans were identified as Archie Vause, 29, and Amy Suggs, 24, both of Columbia, S.C. They were found in a tent at 7 a.m. Saturday.

It rained nearly all Friday night in Talladega and the temperature dipped into the 40s.

Mark Martin is carving out a remarkable Busch Grand National record, especially considering he isn’t even a series regular.

The Winston Cup star took another shot at the BGN series in Talladega and came up with his fifth victory in eight starts this season, winning the Birmingham Auto Dealers EasyCare 500-Kilometer race and tying Jack Ingram’s record of 31 career victories.

Paul Tracy put to good use his superior knowledge of Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway by running the fastest mile in auto racing history for the second consecutive year in qualifying for the CART Bosch Grand Prix.

Driving a Penske-Mercedes at the track controlled by his car owner, Roger Penske, Tracy covered his lap at 191.174 mph. A year ago, he qualified at 190.737.

At Imola, Italy, Jacques Villeneuve, a past Indy-car champion and the newest Formula One wonder, shattered the lap record in qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix to claim his fourth consecutive pole position this season.