Crowd Favorite Earnhardt Wins Ripken Race

Inspired by a capacity crowd of flag-waving fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Cal Ripken Jr. 400 as NASCAR raced for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“To see that reaction is really overwhelming. It’s good to be reminded sometimes of what to be thankful for,” he said Sunday after one of the most popular victories in the history of the sport.

Adding another special touch to the dramatic day at Dover, Del., Earnhardt’s car is No. 8, the same number Ripken has worn throughout his record-setting career with the Baltimore Orioles.

The $3.3 million race was renamed in honor of Ripken, who waved the green flag to start the event. Earnhardt got to be the final flag bearer, driving around with the stars and stripes on display.

“I was so excited,” he said. “It was great carrying the flag around the track at the end of the race.”

A crowd of 140,000 cheered ecstatically as Earnhardt, the son of one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, won for the second time this season. He has become an icon in the sport since the death of his father in the season-opening Daytona 500.

“It was so exciting to see the emotion of the fans,” Earnhardt said. “It’s amazing how everybody has come together after what has happened the last two weeks.”

Earnhardt’s car, carrying a large flag decal on its rear decklid, dominated much of the race usually known as the MBNA.com 400.

He led 193 of 400 laps, and by donating $100 per lap gave $40,000 to aid a relief fund for victims of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

He also had several pit stops under 14 seconds, which through another commitment raised his total donation to about $80,000.

It was the second emotional victory this season for Earnhardt. He also won the Pepsi 400 in July on the return of the Winston Cup cars to the track where his father, a seven-time series champion, died Feb. 18.

Earnhardt dominated the first half of the race, but lost seven positions with a very slow pit stop on lap 269. But he got a break when leader Ricky Rudd was hit by Rusty Wallace and spun on lap 345.

Golf

Robert Allenby finally took the easy route by never letting anyone close to his lead and closing with a four-under 68 to win the Pennsylvania Classic at Ligonier, Pa.

It was his fourth career victory on the PGA Tour, but the first that didn’t require a playoff. The 30-year-old Australian is 7-0 in playoffs worldwide, but that was never an issue on a still, sunny afternoon at Laurel Valley Golf Club.

Allenby finished at 19-under 269 for a three-stroke victory over Larry Mize and hometown favorite Rocco Mediate.

“I don’t think I could have hit it any better,” Allenby said.

Allenby became the seventh two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, and joined Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only players with at least two victories in each of the last two years. The $594,000 first-place check pushed him over $2 million for the year.

Tina Fischer shot a two-under-par 70 to hold off a charge by Annika Sorenstam and win the Asahi Ryokuken International Championship at North Augusta, S.C., becoming the LPGA’s fourth straight first-time winner.

Fischer began the final round two strokes behind second-round leader Kris Tschetter. She took the lead with birdies on Nos. 3 and 6.

Fischer had only one more birdie the rest of the way, but that was enough on a day when no one could make a winning move. She finished three rounds at 10-under 206, one shot ahead of Emilee Klein (70) and Tracy Hanson (71). Sorenstam and Lori Kane shot 68s and were another stroke back.

Bruce Lietzke did pretty well on a golf course he couldn’t get comfortable on.

The Senior PGA Tour rookie won for the second time in three months, carding a final-round six-under-par 66 to win the SAS Championship at Cary, N.C., by three shots over Gary McCord and Allen Doyle.

The $240,000 top prize moved Lietzke’s season earnings in seven events to more than $813,000. His best season in 27 years on the PGA Tour was in 1992 when he made $703,805.

Lietzke, 50, had to hold off a host of golfers who made final-round charges.

Tennis

Ranier Schuettler of Germany held serve the entire match and beat Michel Kratochvil of Switzerland, 6-3, 6-4, to win the $400,000 Shanghai Open.

Schuettler, seeded second, faced only three break points. Kratochvil, seeded third, was hurt by an inconsistent serve.

Meghann Shaughnessy won her first title of the year, defeating Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-1, 6-3, to win the Bell Challenge at Quebec.

The top-seeded American had 15 aces and overpowered an opponent who had trouble with her serve.

Miscellany

Just Ruler, a winner at Del Mar last month in $50,000 claiming company, closed through the stretch to score an upset win in the $100,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap at Fairplex Park. He was ridden by Felipe Martinez for trainer Doug O’Neill.

At least one Utah landlord is evicting local tenants in hopes of attracting visitors during the 2002 Winter Games.

The owner of the Aspenwood Apartments in West Valley City said he plans to rent the vacated two-bedroom apartments to Secret Service agents during the Games.

Audie Leventhal said he doesn’t have a contract with the Secret Service, but has a verbal agreement.

France upset Brazil, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the FIFA under-17 World Soccer Championship at Bacolet, Tobago, as the defending champions were undone by failed opportunities and striker Florent Sinama Pongolle, who scored a goal and assisted on the other.