Martin’s NASCAR Victory Is His Second in Row

Mark Martin won his second consecutive NASCAR Winston Cup race Sunday, taking the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Brooklyn, Mich.

“We’re on the fortunate side of luck right now,” said Martin, who had gone through the first 18 races of the 30-race season without winning despite having one of the strongest cars on the circuit.

“Before we won at Watkins Glen last week, I would have given anything to just win one. But as crazy hard as I was running out there today, I guess you just get greedy for more.”

Ricky Rudd was the class of the field during the first half of the 200-lap race on Michigan International Speedway’s two-mile, high-banked oval, leading 86 of the first 104 laps before a cracked engine block ended his day.

Martin’s Ford Thunderbird became the dominant car, leading 81 of the last 96 laps, including the final 34.

*

Damon Hill of Britain won the Hungarian Grand Prix at Mogyorod, Hungary, making him and his father, Graham Hill, the first father-son Formula 1 winners.

Hill, 30, capitalized on bad luck by Williams Renault teammate Alain Prost to a win in 1 hour 47 minutes, 39.098 seconds. Prost, the season leader with 77 points, stalled coming off the pole position. Hill, second on the grid, took the lead and never looked back.

Italy’s Ricardo Patrese moved into second place on the 27th lap of the 77-lap, 189.851-mile race and stayed in that position until the end.

Soccer

Australia defeated Canada, 2-1, at Sydney, Australia, and then won a penalty-kick shootout, 4-1, to advance to its final round of World Cup qualifying.

Canada had won 2-1 on July 31 at Edmonton, Canada, so Australia’s 2-1 victory left the teams tied, 3-3, in total goals. Because they also tied on away goals, penalty kicks decided the series.

It was the first World Cup qualifier decided by penalty kicks since April 21, 1985, when Egypt defeated Madagascar.

Colombia upset Argentina, 2-1, in a Group A game at Baranquilla, Colombia, ending Argentina’s 33-game unbeaten streak.

Argentina, which has a 2-1 record, lost for the first time since a 1-0 defeat to West Germany in the World Cup final on July 8, 1990.

Colombia is 2-0-1.

Daniel Fonseca outjumped Jorginho and scored on a header with 13 minutes remaining to give Uruguay a 1-1 tie with Brazil in a key World Cup qualifier at Montevideo, Uruguay.

Bolivia, which defeated Ecuador, 1-0, leads Group B with a 4-0 record and eight points, followed by Ecuador, Brazil and Uruguay, all with 1-1-2 records and four points. The top two teams advance to the World Cup.

Names in the News

Jim Fox, executive director of Colorado Springs-based USA Boxing since 1981, will become director of broadcast marketing for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Bill Oates, who has spent the last 23 years as a college basketball coach and with Athletes in Action, was named athletic director and men’s basketball coach at The Master’s College in Newhall.

Mike Ross scored the winning goal as the Los Angeles Blades defeated the previously unbeaten Anaheim Bullfrogs, 7-6, in a Roller Hockey International league game at the Forum.