Sorenson captures Busch race

Rookie Reed Sorenson took control with 33 laps to go and pulled away to win the NASCAR Busch Series Wallace Family Tribute 250 on Saturday night in Madison, Ill.

Mike Wallace, one of three racing brothers from the St. Louis area family, finished second at the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway oval. Rusty Wallace, honored during his final year of racing before retiring, led for 17 laps in the middle of the 200-lap race before crashing on lap 137 and finishing 37th, and Kenny Wallace was 24th.

“The car was very quick,” Rusty Wallace said. “I’m disappointed right now because the car was easily a top-five car. It’s just really tough right now because I really wanted to win this race in my hometown.”

The event drew a crowd estimated at 60,000, largest at the raceway.

The 19-year-old Sorenson, of Concord, N.C., won his second career Busch Series race after qualifying second behind Martin Truex Jr. earlier Saturday and starting on the outside pole. He also won the Pepsi 300 on March 26 and is one of five drivers to win two or more races in the series this season, ranking him third in the point standings behind Truex and Clint Bowyer.

Mike Wallace was unable to mount a challenge after a restart before the final three laps, with Sorenson winning by 0.71 seconds. Carl Edwards was third, rallying after starting in the rear of the 43-car field because of an engine change, followed by David Green and Paul Menard.

“We held off a great car on the restart,” Sorenson said. “We had a strong car all night and some breaks went our way, which allowed us to win.”

Formula One

Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher earned his first pole position of the season, clocking the fastest lap during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

“We feel very delighted after a suffering period when things did not work in our favor,” Schumacher said. “I am pretty confident. There was no reason to not believe in Ferrari’s return.”

It was his 64th career pole position, but his first in 14 races. His previous pole came at last October’s Japanese Grand Prix.

It is the first time since 1998 that Schumacher had gone so long without a pole position. His next one will tie him with Ayrton Senna for the Formula One all-time mark

On a hot day in the Hungarian hills, with track temperatures approaching 122 degrees, the Ferrari driver clocked 1 minute, 19.882 seconds on the twisting 2.722-mile Hungaroring circuit.

McLaren’s Juan Pablo Montoya, who has taken first and second in the last two races, was next with 1:20.779 ahead of Toyota driver Jarno Trulli, third with 1:20.839.

IRL

The IndyCar series’ other drivers – the male ones – are discovering benefits from Danica mania.

Why fight the fan frenzy over Danica Patrick, who starts from the eighth position in today’s Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich? Other drivers, realizing they have a chance to win more fans and marketing opportunities for themselves, are beginning to embrace the extra publicity she has brought to the IndyCar series.

“We’ve all benefited from the exposure,” said Bryan Herta, who starts today’s race from the pole. “She’s brought a lot to the party.”

Helio Castroneves said he and other drivers have signed more autographs and drawn a bigger fan base this season, capitalizing on the initial fan interest Patrick generates.

“It’s a good thing…you get more people following us,” Castroneves said.

Champ Car

Winning half the races in a season can make a driver a little greedy.

Sebastien Bourdais did just that in 2004, winning seven of 14 races on the way to beating out teammate Bruno Junqueira for the Champ Car World Series title.

Now, at the halfway point in the 2005 season, Bourdais is having what for most people would be considered a great season. Bourdais, who will start from the pole in today’s inaugural San Jose Grand Prix, has three poles and two victories in seven races and is leading 2003 series champion Paul Tracy by 22 points.

But two measly wins isn’t what the 26-year-old Frenchman had in mind when the season began.

“Yeah, last year was much more trouble-free,” Bourdais said after leading the weekend’s only session of qualifying.