Martin Slips Past Earnhardt for Win

Mark Martin won the biggest race of his career, passing Dale Earnhardt with two laps to go Sunday and holding off Jeff Gordon to win the Winston Select 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala.

Earnhardt, who took the lead when Rusty Wallace had to pit for gas with four laps left in the 188-lap, 500-mile race, couldn’t hold off Martin, who passed him on the main straightaway and brought Gordon with him.

Martin beat Gordon to the finish by 0.18-seconds, about two car lengths. Martin collected $98,565.

The victory was the 15th for Martin, but his first in NASCAR’s Big Four--the Daytona 500, the Winston Select 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500.

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Damon Hill spoiled the day for the Ferraris by winning the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, then dedicated the victory to his late teammate Ayrton Senna.

“What happened last year was a sad thing, and I think Ayrton would have liked the fact that we had a good day today,” Hill said after driving his Williams-Renault to victory in the race in which Senna was killed last May 1. “We had a dreadful time last year, but it’s good to have come back.

It was Hill’s second victory in three races and second in a row.

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Two drivers were seriously injured during the Grand Prix of Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., when one car slammed into another, cutting it in half.

Jeremy Dale’s Porsche crashed into Fabrizio Barbazza’s Ferrari, which had spun out and was resting sideways on the track.

Barbazza, of Milan, Italy, was unconscious at the scene, and Dale, of Toronto, was trapped in his car but conscious. Dale suffered injuries to his lower body. Both drivers were hospitalized.

Boxing

Rick Parker, 39, a boxing promoter being investigated by the FBI for allegedly fixing fights, was shot to death in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and former boxer Tim “Doc” Anderson was charged with the slaying.

Police said Anderson, who was outside the hotel room where Parker was found dead, handed a .38-caliber handgun to authorities and admitted to the shooting.

Anderson had accused Parker of poisoning him so he would lose a bout with Mark Gastineau in December 1992.

Former two-time world champion James Toney won the U.S. Boxing Assn. light heavyweight title, dethroning Anthony Hembrick, who failed to answer the bell for the sixth round in Las Vegas.

Tennis

Thomas Muster remained unbeaten on clay this year by defeating Boris Becker, 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0, in the Monte Carlo Open final.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario scored a a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Iva Majoli of Croatia in the $430,000 Ford Open final in Barcelona.

Sabine Appelmans of Belgium defeated Germany’s Silke Meier, 6-4, 6-3, in the Croatia Open final in Zagreb.

Monica Seles will eventually make a tennis comeback despite facing serious psychological difficulties since she was stabbed in the back during a tournament in Hamburg, Germany, two years ago, said her father, Karolj Seles.

“When someone loves playing tennis like Monica did, one day she will be happy again on the tennis circuit. I am quite sure of that,” he told German television.

Miscellany

Wide receiver Gary Clark, eighth on the NFL’s all-time reception list, signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals two years ago, and last season had 50 catches for 771 yards and one touchdown.

Lance Armstrong of Austin, Tex., took a commanding lead in the Tour DuPont, easily winning the rainy 141-mile fourth stage of the cycling race. Armstrong covered the distance from Lynchburg to Blacksburg, Va., in 6 hours 13 minutes 17 seconds.

The U.S. hockey team clinched first place in pool B of the World Hockey Championships by tying Finland, 4-4, at Stockholm.

Richard Sandler, the late Newsday sports editor who encouraged his writers to take a closer look at the games they covered, won the Red Smith Award for his contributions to journalism.

An investigation into alleged gambling by University of Maryland athletes reportedly has expanded beyond the school’s football team to possible gambling by basketball players and former football players.

Linda Hanley and Angela Rock defeated Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno, 15-12, for their first Women’s Pro Beach Volleyball Tour victory, in Carolina, Puerto Rico.