Rahal Qualifies at Record 215.202 M.P.H.

Bobby Rahal survived a morning crash Friday before time trials for the Michigan 500 Indy car race, then came back later in the day in a backup car to record the fastest qualifying lap in the history of auto racing.

Rahal, of Dublin, Ohio, drove around the two-mile, high-banked track near Cambridge Junction, Mich., at 215.202 m.p.h., breaking the previous mark of 215.189 m.p.h. set by Johnny Rutherford last September.

In the accident, Rahal spun into the concrete retaining wall on Turn 2, damaging the car’s right side suspension and rear wing.

Joining Rahal in the front row for Sunday’s race will be Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan and Rick Mears.

In other backup car news: Finland’s Keke Rosberg, forced to switch to a backup car he’d never driven, drove the fastest lap in Formula One history Friday, 159.668 m.p.h., in practice for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.

With only 15 minutes of practice time left, the clutch on Rosberg’s first car failed. He switched, then drove his record lap on the 2.9-mile course at Silverstone in the final minutes of a record-breaking session. Thirteen of the 26 drivers broke the unofficial Silverstone lap record.

A spectator at Thursday night’s baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals nearly fell from the upper deck while trying to catch a foul ball in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.

Al Joyner, 34, flipped over the upper deck railing while reaching for the ball, but he managed to grab the railing and hold on while other spectators pulled him back into the stands.

Treated at a nearby hospital, Joyner needed three stitches to close a cut lip.

Names in the News

The Dallas Mavericks signed center Uwe Blab of Indiana University, one of their three first-round draft choices. The 7-foot-2, 250-pound native of West Germany averaged 16 points and 6.3 rebounds a game last season.