Darrell Waltrip

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sterling Marlin was golden in Pepsi 400 qualifying yesterday at Daytona International Speedway despite having to drive through a "sandstorm," and rolled to his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series pole with a lap of 190.331 mph.The Pepsi 400, midpoint race of the 29-event season, is scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m. (ESPN).Marlin was the only driver topping 190, and finishing second through fifth were Ford's Davey Allison, winner of three of the past five races; Harry Gant, Olds; Geoff Bodine, Marlin's teammate, in a Ford; and rookie Bobby Hamilton, Olds.

Auto racingDarwal Inc.: Named Jeff Hammond manager for driver Darrell Waltrip's Winston Cup team.BaseballAstros: Optioned P Jim Dougherty and P Donne Wall to Triple-A Tucson. Sent IF Mike Brumley and P Jerry to minor-league camp. Waived IF Ray Holbert.Blue Jays: Assigned P Frank Viola to Double-A Knoxville.Expos: Optioned P Derek Aucoin, OF Cliff Floyd and OF Ray McDavid to Triple-A Ottawa. Assigned P Ben Rivera, C Gilberto Reyes and IF Francisco Matos to Ottawa. Traded C Chris Howard to Mets for player to be named.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Driver Jimmy Means suffered a fractured left shoulder blade in an eight-car crash during the final practice session yesterday for today's Daytona 500 qualifying races.No other drivers were hurt.Among the six cars that had to be towed in were those of Jimmy Spencer, Darrell Waltrip and his brother Michael. Rookie Bobby Labonte's car, while smashed on the left side, was driven back to the garage.Eddie Bierschwale, Ken Ragan and Jim Sauter were involved but won't need to go to backup cars.

HAMPTON, Ga. -- As Fords continued to dominate qualifying in NASCAR's Winston Cup series, Mark Martin and Dick Trickle stole the spotlight yesterday while sweeping the front row for tomorrow's Motorcraft 500.Trickle, Rookie of the Year two years ago as a 48-year-old, was a major surprise when he turned a lap of 179.664 mph to break the Atlanta Motor Speedway qualifying record of 179.499 set by Rusty Wallace in November 1988.But Martin, known for his prowess in qualifying, put his Roush Racing Thunderbird on the pole minutes later with a lap of 179.923 on the 1.522-mile oval.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - -Chad Knaus walked into his interview at Hendrick Motorsports in 1993 with his career carefully thought out. He wanted to be a crew chief by the time he was 30. He wanted to win a race. He wanted to win a championship. Knaus didn't tell Ray Evernham all that when Evernham, then Jeff Gordon's crew chief, interviewed Knaus. Evernham asked about his long-term goals. "I want your job," Knaus told him. That was exactly what Evernham wanted to hear. So he hired Knaus and began what would become one of the greatest careers any NASCAR crew chief ever had. Today at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Knaus and his driver Jimmie Johnson will attempt to win a record fourth consecutive championship.

HAMPTON, Ga. -- It used to be that Bill Elliott worried when things at the racetrack didn't go just the way he'd hoped.For instance, if he was considered the man to beat for the pole -- as he was for today's Motorcraft 500 -- and wound up fourth -- as he did in qualifying -- it would have gnawed at Elliott."

RICHMOND, Va. -- Perhaps the biggest question is whether NASCAR will allow this rout to continue. After yesterday's performance in the Pontiac Excitement 400, there is no more doubt that the Fords are in control and that Bill Elliott's Ford is in control of all the others.It was the seventh consecutive victory by a Ford on the Winston Cup circuit dating to last season. It was also the Budweiser Ford's second victory in three races this season.Elliott dominated for 380 of the 400 laps on the three-quarter-mile oval Richmond International Raceway.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hundreds of baskets of flowers lined the entry hall and the altar of Calvary Church yesterday, as nearly 4,000 mourners gathered for an invitation-only memorial service for seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt, 49, a legendary driver, was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500 Sunday. He was buried Wednesday after a private service in his hometown of Kannapolis, N.C. President Bush called the family to offer condolences. But yesterday, on a bitterly cold and rainy day, NASCAR competitors, his friends and family gathered again to bid farewell in a heartbreaking service.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When crew chief Jeff Hammond goes to purchase racing parts for the new team owned by three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, he never fails to think about the Persian Gulf and the war that may break out there."

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Recent history apparently will be on the side of drivers in General Motors cars as they try to break Ford's 10-race NASCAR Winston Cup Series winning streak Sunday in the First Union 400.Only once since the Holly Farms 400 in the fall of 1980 has a Ford been driven into Victory Lane at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where the seventh of the season's big-time stock car races is scheduled at 1 p.m. (ESPN). Mark Martin achieved that victory in a Thunderbird in the autumn race of 1990 on the five-eighths-mile track.