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CLEVELAND -- Paul Tracy slipped past Nigel Mansell on the 15th lap and led the rest of the way, out-running Penske teammate Emerson Fittipaldi and Mansell for his second career IndyCar victory.Tracy had won the pole but lost the advantage to Mansell immediately, while several cars farther back in the field collided on the hairpin turn at the start. The collision ended the day for local favorite Bobby Rahal and Roberto Guerrero, but no serious injuries were reported.After a five-lap caution flag was lifted, Tracy soon regained the lead from Mansell on that same hairpin turn and led for the rest LTC of the 85-lap race.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Dale Jarrett, driving for the first-year team of Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, led second-day qualifiers in the final time trials for today's Hanes 500 NASCAR stock car race at Martinsville Speedway.Jarrett turned a fast lap of 92.326 mph on the flat half-mile oval, improving considerably from the 89.069 in the opening round of qualifying on Friday. His second-round lap a day earlier would have been good for seventh place, rather than 21st."There's some guys who qualified 17th and 18th who have good race cars, but they're going to be just like us and have their work cut out for them by pitting on the backstretch."

DENVER -- Michael Andretti and Bobby Rahal played showdown and Andretti pulled an ace to win the pole for today's Texaco-Havoline Grand Prix a little more than one minute before the end of yesterday's qualifying session.Andretti set a track qualifying record with his lap of 79.631 mph, breaking the mark of 78.964 set by Teo Fabi last year in the inaugural event in the streets of downtown Denver.Rahal went into the second of two days of time trials holding the provisional pole by virtue of a 78.747 mph lap he threw at thefield Friday.

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Alan Kulwicki overcame a flat tire early in the race to earn his first Winston Cup victory this year, capturing the Bud 500 at Bristol International Speedway last night by a half-lap.Kulwicki, who started fifth in his Ford Thunderbird, earned his third career Winston Cup victory and first on a short track, finishing 9.4 seconds ahead of Sterling Marlin on the .533-mile, high-banked oval. Marlin, who started 14th in a Ford Thunderbird, finished second. Ken Schrader was third in a Chevrolet Lumina.

Area racers found the weekend to be one of the most successful thus far this season at both the national and local levels. The weather allowed the racing to go unhindered for the first time at many area tracks, and all racers took advantage of the good fortune.pTC J. R. Gonyea of Mount Airy won the Top Dragster Class at the International Hot Rod Association Alabama Nitrous Nationals at Huntsville, Ala., last weekend to score one of the biggest wins ever by a Carroll driver.Gonyea took home $5,400 for his efforts.

After a week of off performances and two weeks of rainy weather, county drag racers got back on track last weekend.One Carroll driverwon his class at 75-80 Dragway in Monrovia, Frederick County, Sundaywhile several others had strong showings.Joe Cook of Westminster won in Class II in his Thunderbird, whileRoger Jorss of Sykesville advanced to the semifinals and Tim McGee of Sykesville reached quarterfinals.In Class I, five of the eight quarterfinalists were from Carroll -- Russell Barefoot and J. R. Gonyea of Mount Airy, David Nail of Sykesville, Allan Palmer of Hampsteadand Buddy Wilson of Westminster.

RICHMOND, Va. -- They came in winter coats, earmuffs and gloves. They carried blankets, thermos bottles of hot coffee and hot chocolate and umbrellas for the rain, which splattered them for two hours before race time.They sat on metal seats, as cold as blocks of ice. But none of the 51,000 race fans here at Richmond International Raceway moved to leave until Dale Earnhardt had edged Ricky Rudd by three-quarters of a car length for victory in the Pontiac 400 yesterday."If I had had another lap," Rudd said, "I might have got him."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In an effort to inject more excitement into The Winston, promoters yesterday unveiled a new format featuring three segments, a record purse and a chance for fans to influence the outcome.And assuming the kinks can be worked out, stock car racing's all-star event will be run at night -- under a $1.5 million lighting system that's still being developed."People are telling us it absolutely can't be done," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, site of the event.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt looked as if he could have run all night, and for a while yesterday it looked as if he would have to.Darkness was closing in on the rain-delayed Twin 125-mile races here by the time Earnhardt's black-as-night Chevy Lumina crossed the finish line just in front of Ernie Irvan to capture the second race.Pole-sitter Davey Allison proved he was more than a one-lap wonder by winning from flag to flag in the first race. But it was Richard Petty, the people's choice, who once again had the crowd on its feet when he nosed out Hut Stricklin for second place in the opener.

Indian summer has come to the area, and local drivers have used the good weather to their advantage.Finksburg's Al Shawver collected $1,000 for his second consecutive win of the 100-lap open competition in the street stock feature at Hagerstown Speedway last Sunday.Shawver grabbed first place on lap 19 and won by seven seconds after starting in 11th place. Shawver also won his heat race.Don Zechman of Westminster had the lead in the early going, but suffered a flat midway through to battle back to fourth.