Martin Wins Third in a Row at Watkins Glen

Mark Martin ran down former teammate Wally Dallenbach six laps from the finish for his third consecutive victory from the pole in the Budweiser at the Glen NASCAR Winston Cup road race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

He beat Dallenbach across the finish line by 1.01 seconds, averaging 100.266 m.p.h.

Martin is the first Winston Cup stock-car racer to win three years in a row from the pole since Darrell Waltrip dominated North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1981-83.

Martin’s second victory of the season boosted him into third in the driver standings ahead of Dale Earnhardt, who finished in 23rd with gear troubles. Eleven races remain in the 31-race series.

His previous victory this year was in the Winston Select 500 at Talladega, Ala.

Damon Hill started from the pole and led all the way to win the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest at an average sped of 107.047 m.p.h. Reigning champion and current Formula One points leader Michael Schumacher’s hot pursuit ended with mechanical failure three laps from the finish.

It was Hill’s third victory of the season and left him with 45 points, only 11 behind Schumacher, who has won five races this season.

Hill’s Williams Renault teammate, David Coulthard, finished second, 33.398 seconds behind. Third was the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger, one lap behind Hill.

Golf

Beth Daniel, a four-time winner in 1994 who had finished second in four tournaments this year, shot a 3-under-par 69 to earn a three-stroke victory in the LPGA PING-Welch’s Championship at Canton, Mass.

Her 17-under-par total of 271 on the Blue Hill Country Club course broke the tournament record.

Colleen Walker, who began the round tied with Daniel, shot a 72 to drop into a tie with Meg Mallon for second. Walker made an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 14, but Daniel countered with an 11-footer to retain the lead.

“The turning point was a stretch of 12, 13 and 14,” Daniel said. “She birdied 12 and I bogeyed it, we parred 13 and then me being able to make a birdie on top of Colleen’s on 14.”

Daniel earned $67,500 to move into fourth place on the money list at $411,215. She is within $100,000 of $5 million in 17 years on the tour.

Diving

Patrick Jeffrey, out four months this year with a back injury, won the 10-meter platform in the Phillips 66 National Diving Championship at Bartlesville, Okla., when Chuck Wade balked on his last dive.

It was the fifth national championship for Jeffrey and more disappointment for Wade, who has yet to win a national title and has never been closer than he was this time.

Needing only 6.5s on his last dive, Wade bent his knees to leap into a reversed 3 1/2 somersault tuck--and then stopped.

The balk is an automatic two-point deduction. Instead of backing off to regain his composure, Wade kept his position and came up well short on his dive, scoring 2.5s and dropping from first to fourth.

Eileen Richetelli continued to assert herself as one of America’s top female divers by winning the 3-meter springboard. She won the silver on Saturday on the platform.

In synchronized diving, Jenny Keim and Ryne Borup won the women’s 3-meter springboard. Wade and David Pichler scored 8s and 8.5s on their last dive to win the men’s platform.

Miscellany

Matt White of Waynesboro, Pa., pitched a no-hitter as the USA Baseball junior team defeated Italy, 10-0, in the International Baseball Assn. junior championships in Orleans, Mass. White struck out 12 and walked two. Eric Valent of Anaheim Hills had three hits.