Newman Easily Gets Busch Win

Moonlighting Ryan Newman tied a NASCAR Busch Series record by winning in his fourth consecutive start this season, a dominant performance in a wreck-filled race Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.

Newman, who has the pole for today’s Nextel Cup race, won in Watkins Glen, Bristol and Michigan, but had not competed in the last two events. He tied the Busch Series record set by Sam Ard, who won four races in a row in 1983. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won five in a row over three years.

“It feels good to do four straight,” said Newman, who is extremely confident at Dover, where he has won three of the last four Cup races.

“For some reason we show pretty quick in whatever car we run. We’ll try to do the same tomorrow.”

But pole-sitter Newman said speed in the race might not have been his biggest ally.

“Staying out of the wrecks is a big thing,” he said. “Qualifying up front keeps you out of trouble.”

Newman was far ahead of the cars involved in two multicar accidents in the opening laps.

The Dover 200 was a rout, with Newman leading all but seven laps, setting a record on the Monster Mile. Darrell Waltrip led 167 laps in 1985.

Newman’s Dodge beat the Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer by 1.343 seconds. Newman led the first 94 laps, falling out of the top spot during green flag pit stops. He regained the lead for the final time by passing Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 124.

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Todd Bodine passed Ted Musgrave on the final lap in a green-white-checker finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season.

Bodine, bumped out of the lead on the final lap a year ago by Shane Hmiel, averaged 119.557 mph and led 114 of the 146 laps in the Las Vegas 350.

Musgrave had passed Bodine just before a caution came out with two laps left when Steve Park grazed the wall.

“Everybody gets lucky once in a while. I really messed up letting Ted get by me. I wasn’t going to get beat because of my own mistake again this year,” Bodine said. “I knew I had a good enough truck to get around him.”

Bodine beat Musgrave by 0.298 seconds -- about four car-lengths.

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Helio Castroneves won the pole for the inaugural Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap in a 10-minute shootout among the top six cars at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Castroneves covered the 3.37-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International road course at a record 133.806 mph, edging IRL newcomer Giorgio Pantano (133.774 mph) and knocking Scott Dixon (133.497 mph) from first to fourth. Patrick Carpentier qualified third (133.629 mph).

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Fernando Alonso won the pole position for today’s Brazilian Grand Prix, improving his chances for a top-three finish that would make him Formula One’s youngest champion.

The 24-year-old Spaniard was timed in 1 minute, 11.988 seconds during qualifying on the 2.678-mile Interlagos circuit at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Kimi Raikkonen, winner of three of the last four races and the only driver who can stop Alonso from winning the title, was fifth.

His hopes of the pole vanished barely three seconds into the lap when his McLaren-Mercedes braked hard and lost nearly 0.7 seconds.

“We have to concentrate and not do any mistakes and finish the race,” Alonso said. “We have a clear circuit in front of us to pull away and try to get to the podium.”

He can clinch the title by finishing third, even if Raikkonen wins.