Martin Has Star Power Left in Tank

In a throwback paint scheme that honored his glory years, Mark Martin raced as if he was in the prime of his career.

Martin won the Nextel All-Star Challenge and its $1-million paycheck on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C., by piloting a car painted like the one he drove to four consecutive victories in 1993.

This win didn’t convince Martin to call off plans to retire at the end of the season, but it was enough for him to agree to defend his title in 2006.

“This is how I want to do it,” Martin said. “And we did this by racing smart with a great race car. I am excited about what is coming up ahead of us.”

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Defending champion Sebastian Bourdais broke his course record and held off Justin Wilson by half a second to capture the pole position for today’s Monterrey Grand Prix in Mexico.

Bourdais pushed his Ford-powered Lola to 102.875 mph and recorded a top time of 1 minute, 13.627 seconds, nearly three-tenths of a second better than the course record of 1:13.915 he set in 2004.

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Kimi Raikkonen took the lead in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.

Raikkonen drove his McLaren-Mercedes around the 2.076-mile street circuit in 1:13.644. The second qualifying run is four hours before today’s race, with the combined times determining the starting grid.

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Pole-sitter Travis Thirkettle reclaimed the lead from series leader Tim Huddleston on the final lap to win the Auto Club Late Models Series race by 0.045 of a second at Irwindale Speedway. Each drove in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.