Poor Track Conditions Plagued NASCAR Race

Slumped over and scowling, Tony Stewart made no effort to mask his disgust after finishing a race in which he feared for his safety.

Kevin Harvick called on NASCAR to halt Saturday night’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway at Concord, N.C., after a rash of exploding tires turned the event into a dangerous debacle.

“This is the biggest joke in racing I’ve ever seen,” said Harvick, who crashed hard after blowing tires.

A smooth, sleek surface at Lowe’s -- the result of track President Humpy Wheeler’s twice using a grinding process on the asphalt as a temporary fix until he could repave it -- created high speeds Saturday night that proved too fast for the tires Goodyear provided.

In all, the race was marred by an event-record 15 cautions, including 12 for accidents, and most were the result of blown tires. Five of the 10 Chase for the championship drivers had tire problems, including Stewart, who crashed hard into the wall after he cut a tire while leading the race.

Stewart ended up finishing 25th and blew all of his 75-point advantage in the standings. He is now tied at the top with Jimmie Johnson, who had his own tire problems but still managed to win.

NASCAR took the unusual step of issuing a mid-race mandate on air pressure requirements for the right front tires.

Fernando Alonso won the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai. Alonso started from the pole in the Formula One finale and held off Kimi Raikkonen for his seventh title this season and eighth overall. Alonso clinched the overall Formula One title three weeks ago.

GOLF

Short Defeats Furyk in Las Vegas Playoff

Wes Short Jr. hit his bunker shot within a foot of the pin, then tapped in for a par on the second hole of a playoff with Jim Furyk to win the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas for his first PGA Tour title.

Third-round leader Ted Purdy shot a 71 that left him in a third-place tie with Harrison Frazar at 19 under.

Mark McNulty won his second Champions Tour title of the year, closing with a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke victory over Gil Morgan in the Administaff Small Business Classic at Spring, Texas.

TENNIS

Blake Stays Hot With Victory in Stockholm

James Blake beat Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-1, 7-6 (6), to win the Stockholm Open for his first European title.

Blake, serving and returning well, has won 20 of his last 23 matches in ATP events.

Igor Andreev beat Nicolas Kiefer, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-2, in the Kremlin Cup final at Moscow.

Mary Pierce won the women’s event for her second Kremlin Cup title, a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Francesca Schiavone.

Ivan Ljubicic won his second straight title, beating Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (5), in the BA-CA Trophy final at Vienna.

Nicole Vaidisova won her third straight title, upsetting top-seeded Nadia Petrova, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-5, at the Thailand Open in Bangkok.

Justin Gimelstob is the top-seeded player in the $50,000 USTA Challenger of Calabasas, which starts today at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Penn State’s Williams Is Out for the Season

Penn State freshman receiver Derrick Williams will sit out the rest of the season because of a broken left arm.

HORSE RACING

Ramser Sr. Handicap Won by Baze, Louvain

Jockey Tyler Baze, who has had a tough year, capitalized on an injury to Pat Valenzuela to ride Louvain to a three-quarter-length win in the $100,000 Harold C. Ramser Sr. Handicap at Santa Anita.

Baze, who took over when Valenzuela took off most of his mounts because of a sore foot, was sidelined earlier in the meet when stewards at Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind., suspended him for seven days after he failed a breathalyzer test before a stakes assignment there. Baze’s agent, Ivan Puhich, said that Baze, 22, has joined an alcohol rehab program.

PRO BASKETBALL

Raptors Are Involved in a Rare Upset

Toronto lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 105-103, in an exhibition at Toronto, the first time an NBA team has been beaten by an international club since 1988.

Toronto’s loss was the second by an NBA team in the 28 games held since the NBA sanctioned international competitions in 1987. The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Soviet national team in 1988.

SOCCER

MetroStars Beat Chivas to Clinch Playoff Spot

The MetroStars clinched the eighth and final place in Major League Soccer’s playoffs with a 2-0 victory over Chivas USA (4-22-6) at the Home Depot Center.

The U.S. women’s team has not given up a goal in 2005, but its seven-game winning streak ended with a 0-0 tie against Australia in a friendly in front of 5,394 at Cal State Fullerton.

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TELEVISION

USC-Notre Dame Rating Is Best in Years

USC’s 34-31 victory over Notre Dame earned a 7.9 national overnight rating with a 17 share of the audience, NBC said.

NBC said the 7.9 was the highest overnight rating for a Notre Dame telecast on NBC since a 1994 game against Michigan got an 8.4 with a 21 share.

In Los Angeles, Saturday’s game drew a 13.4/31. The only higher-rated major market was Indianapolis with a 14.7/24. Chicago got a 10.7/24.

SURFING

U.S. Settles for Bronze Medal in Junior Event

The U.S. earned the bronze medal during the Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach, finishing behind Brazil and Hawaii, which is considered a separate entity by the International Surfing Assn.