Brazilian Earns Rio 400 Pole

Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin thrilled a partisan crowd by winning the first pole of his IndyCar career in qualifying for the Rio 400 in Rio de Janeiro.

Gugelmin, driving a Reynard-Mercedes for the PacWest Racing team, had a fast lap of 39.034 seconds, averaging 171.912 mph at the 1.864-mile oval.

At Monroe, Wash., Rich Bickle, who waited more than a year to win his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, captured his second in eight days at Evergreen Speedway. Bickle, who started his Chevrolet from the pole just as he did May 3 at Portland, beat Jack Sprague to the checkered flag in the $312,000, caution-extended NAPACARD 200.

At Monte Carlo, Monaco, Heinz-Harald Frentzen - at the pinnacle of his career after his first Formula One victory - took a gamble and won by adding his initial pole in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Frentzen’s Williams-Renault toured the famed 2.093-mile street circuit in 1 minute, 18.216 seconds, averaging 96.286 mph. Two-time series champion Michael Schumacher turned the second-fastest lap - 1:18.235 in a Ferrari earlier in the session - and will occupy the outside of the front row today.