Victory for LaJoie: It’s the Pits

Defending NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie used excellent pit strategy and patient driving in winning the Sears Auto Center 250 at the Milwaukee Mile at West Allis, Wis.

“I’m glad it was only a 250-lapper,” LaJoie said. “We didn’t have the best race car today, but we did have the best pit crew.”

LaJoie, driving a Chevrolet, took the lead for the first time on the 232nd lap and led the rest of the way while winning under caution. Elliott Sadler finished second in a Chevrolet.

A crash with two laps remaining ruined any hopes of repeating last year’s photo finish. Dick Trickle, Kevin Lepage, Todd Bodine and Chris Diamond were involved in accidents on Lap 248, which brought out the yellow.

Trickle and Lepage collided in Turn Three, while Bodine, who was headed toward the start-finish line, tangled with Diamond, a rookie, in Turn Four.

It was the fourth victory of the year and ninth of his career for LaJoie, who started 10th. He earned $41,050.

LaJoie regained the lead in the points standings after having lost it last week at Watkins Glen. He leads Bodine by 32 points after 18 races on the 30-race schedule.

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Tom Kendall won his sixth consecutive Sprint PCS SCCA Trans-Am race, edging Dorsey Schroeder by 1.779 seconds at Minneapolis.

Kendall of Santa Monica averaged 64.751 mph in his Ford Mustang Cobra in the 63-lap, 100.8-mile street competition.

Jon Gooding finished third, followed by Paul Gentilozzi and Greg Pickett.

Pro Hockey

Former Boston Bruin forward Wayne Cashman has been offered his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Cashman, 51, will replace Terry Murray, who was fired June 13, a week after the Flyers were swept in the Stanley Cup finals by the Detroit Red Wings.

General Manager Bob Clarke chose Cashman over current Flyer assistant Keith Acton, the other serious contender, and former Flyer coach Mike Keenan, who openly lobbied for the job.

“This is a great organization, with great leadership and a great commitment to winning,” Cashman said of the Flyers, acknowledging that whoever ended up coaching the team would be under a lot of pressure. “Every job’s a challenge.”

Soccer

Marcelo Gallardo and Juan Veron scored first-half goals and Argentina defeated first-place Paraguay, 2-1, to move within a point of the South American leader in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.

Gallardo opened the scoring on a free kick in the 30th minute, and Veron made it 2-0 in the 42nd. Roberto Acuna scored on a penalty shot in the 58th minute for Paraguay before a home crowd at Asuncion.

Paraguay (7-2-2) has 23 points, and Argentina (6-4-2) is second with 22. The top four teams will join defending champion Brazil as South America’s representatives in the 1998 tournament in France.

In other South American games, Peru beat Bolivia 2-1, and Ecuador tied Venezuela 1-1. In Oceania play, Australia beat New Zealand 2-0.

Pro Beach Volleyball

Playing their first tournament together, Mark Kerins and Henry Russell upset 1996 Olympic silver medalists Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh, 15-5, to win the $135,000 Miller Lite/AVP Championship of New England. They earned $27,000 for the victory.

Third-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak won their second FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour title in Pescara, Italy, by defeating top-seeded Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil, 12-10, 12-4, in the championship match.

Miscellany

Francisco Santiesteban, a 21-year-old catcher, is the latest baseball player to defect from Cuba. Santiesteban defected while on a week-long road-trip for a series of exhibition games in Colombia. He plays for the Industriales, a club team that won Cuba’s national championship last year. . . . Dejan Bodiroga scored 14 points as Yugoslavia defeated Italy, 61-49, to win its second consecutive European Basketball Championship and fourth in the last five. Russia won the third-place game, 97-77, over Greece. Mikhail Mikhailov scored 35 points to lead Russia.