Briefly

Elliott Sadler set a track record in winning the pole Thursday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., for the UAM-GM Quality 500 Nextel Cup stock car race. The qualifying session placed six drivers in the Chase for the championship in the top 10.

Sadler, who is not eligible to race for the Nextel Cup title, posted a lap at 193.216 mph to break the track record of 192.988 mph set by Ryan Newman in May.

“My whole body is shaking right now,” Sadler said. “This is such a fast track. It was very nerve-racking, but very fun.”

Newman, who is second in the Chase standings, also broke his track record in qualifying second. He turned his lap at 193.126.

Jimmie Johnson, fifth in the points, qualified third. But he’ll have to forfeit his spot because the engine in his Chevrolet blew up during the afternoon practice session.

His Hendrick Motorsports team changed it, and he’ll be forced to drop to the rear of the field at the start of Saturday night’s race.

Tony Stewart, who holds a 75-point advantage over Newman in the standings, qualified fourth. Bobby Labonte, Stewart’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, was fifth in his best qualifying attempt since April.

Mark Martin, the winner last week at Kansas, was sixth to lead the Roush Racing contingent of Chase drivers. Teammates Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards qualified seventh and eighth.

Casey Mears and Jeff Gordon, two drivers not involved in the Chase, rounded out the top 10.

Golf

Women eligible for British Open

Female golfers could play at next year’s British Open. The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, the governing body for the sport outside the United States, said it was changing its entry rules to allow women to qualify for the oldest of the four majors.

Any woman finishing in the top five – including ties – in any of the four LPGA majors will be eligible for regional qualifying. In addition, any women meeting the entry requirements for international qualifying, final qualifying and the Open itself can enter at these stages directly.

“When the first round of the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., ended with a bogey for a 2-under-par 70 for Michelle Wie – six shots behind Annika Sorenstam – it was not much different from the previous 93 rounds Wie has played against the pros, except now she was also a pro.

Not much different, either, was the name atop the leaderboard. Watching the Wie Show unfold in the group ahead, Sorenstam went about her business with alarming precision on her way to an 8-under 64, a score that could have been lower except for missing birdie putts inside 5 feet on the final two holes.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 74.

“Briny Baird shot a 10-under 62 on to take the first-round lead in the Michelin Championship in Las Vegas, with the players going low on the tournament’s two desert courses.

Baird played at the TPC at Summerlin, where the par is 72.

The other course being used for the first two rounds, the TPC at The Canyons, is a par 71.

Ryan Palmer shot a 9-under 62 at The Canyons, and Charles Howell III had a 9-under 63 at Summerlin. The players will switch courses today and the final two rounds will be played at Summerlin.

Baseball

Steinbrenner wishes coach well

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner responded to Mel Stottlemyre’s apparent departure as the team’s longtime pitching coach, after Stottlemyre made critical remarks Wednesday about Steinbrenner’s treatment of manager Joe Torre.

Steinbrenner responded in a release issued by the team, saying he wished Stottlemyre “success and happiness in the future.”

“Yankees closer Mariano Rivera won the inaugural Delivery Man of the Year award in fan voting on baseball’s Web site.

“Catcher Ken Huckaby and infielder Frank Menechino chose to become free agents after declining assignments to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse.

Sports people

James expected to stay in hospital

Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James was expected to spend a second night in a Cleveland hospital after undergoing tests for chest pain the team said was from a strained muscle. He underwent a series of tests Thursday, and general manager Danny Ferry said James was likely to be kept overnight because he had a fever. … Top-ranked Roger Federer will likely miss at least two tennis tournaments after tearing a ligament in his right foot during a recent training session. … Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer has a new seven-year contract that will boost his annual salary from $1.4 million to $2 million and runs through 2012 season. … Joseph P. Pons Sr., patriarch of a family thoroughbred farm that featured the likes of Cigar and Carry Back, died at 83 at his home in Bel Air, Md., of a heart attack, his family said.