Justin Labonte Secures First Busch Series Win

Justin Labonte extended his family’s winning tradition to another generation Saturday at Joliet, Ill., earning his first NASCAR Busch Series victory in the Tropicana Twister 300 as his father looked on.

“To me, personally, it was bigger than any win I’ve ever had,” said Terry Labonte, a two-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion. “I couldn’t even talk after the race. It’s pretty special, it really is. I don’t know what else to say.”

Running on Mike Wallace’s bumper for the last three laps, Labonte said he didn’t think he could catch Wallace. But Wallace’s Ford ran out of gas after they took the white flag for the final lap, and Labonte flew by him and cruised to the victory in his Dodge.

He beat Jason Keller, driving a Ford, by 0.419 of a second. Jeff Burton, also in a Ford, was third.

Justin was in victory lane when he got a phone call from his uncle, Bobby Labonte, who won the NASCAR championship in 2000.

“I don’t know where he’s at, but he said he was watching on TV,” Justin said. “I hate he missed it because he was a big part of this.”

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Bobby Hamilton became the first three-time winner on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, rallying to win the rain-delayed Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky.

Hamilton needed a dramatic rally on a restart after a caution with two laps to go. Hamilton dipped his Dodge inside Jack Sprague’s Chevrolet and held off Sprague by 0.179 seconds.

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Kimi Raikkonen claimed his first pole of the season, and six-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher turned in the fourth-fastest time in qualifying for today’s British Grand Prix.

Raikkonen, of McLaren-Mercedes, turned a fast lap of 1 minute 18.233 seconds on the 3.195-mile Silverstone circuit. Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate, Rubens Barrichello, the defending champion, was second in 1:18.305.

Jenson Button of BAR-Honda qualified third in 1:18.580. He is the best of the non-Ferrari drivers, third in the overall standings with 48 points, 42 behind Schumacher and 20 behind Barrichello. Schumacher, trying for his 10th victory in 11 races, had a fast lap of 1:18.710.

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Sebastien Bourdais turned a fast lap of 58.558 seconds (107.093 mph) in his Ford-Cosworth to jump from second place on Friday and earn his third Champ Car World Series pole of the season for today’s Molson Grand Prix in Toronto.

Bruno Junqueira was next at 58.842, but Paul Tracy’s Friday lap of 59.407 guaranteed him a front-row start. Tracy’s fast lap Saturday was 59.026.

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Greg Pursley passed Tony Bruncati on the final lap to win the 75-lap Lucas Oil Super Late Model series feature at Irwindale Speedway.

Tennis

Chanda Rubin wasted three match points before rallying to defeat Barbara Schwartz, and the United States split the opening singles matches with Austria in a Fed Cup quarterfinal at Innsbruck, Austria.

Rubin beat Schwartz, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, in the first match between the teams since Austria upset the 17-time Fed Cup champions in Charlotte, N.C., in 2002. Barbara Schett then tied the match, beating Lisa Raymond, 6-2, 6-4.

Roger Federer overcame fatigue and rain delays to beat Potito Starace, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and advance to finals of the Swiss Open in Gstaad.

Federer, who played two matches on Friday because of rain delays throughout the week, beat Starace in 1 hour 30 minutes in a match that was interrupted for 30 minutes overall by rain. He will play Igor Andreev, who beat Rainer Schuettler, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6).

Alexander Popp reached the final of an ATP event for the first time, defeating Cyril Saulnier, 6-4, 7-6 (5), at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, R.I. He will play Greg Rusedski, who defeated Antony Dupuis, 7-5, 7-6 (10).

Miscellany

Miami Dolphin middle linebacker Zach Thomas may sit out the first two exhibition games after having arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.

Top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil defeated second-seeded Suzanne Lahme and Danja Musch of Germany, 21-17, 21-12, to win a FIVB World Tour beach volleyball event in Mallorca, Spain.

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T.J. Simers has the day off.