Todd Drags History Along

In becoming the first black driver to win an NHRA top-fuel event, rookie J.R. Todd had to earn every bit of his victory.

Todd first had to defeat Larry Dixon, a two-time NHRA top-fuel champion, in the semifinal round at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver last weekend.

Then, with Todd traveling nearly 300 mph at the finish line, his parachute didn’t open. Luckily he steered on to the drag-strip’s long, uphill “shut-down” area that’s filled with sand.

“I was on a wild ride,” said Todd, a 24-year-old native of Lawrenceburg, Ind. “I was more upset that the car went into the sand than I was excited that we were going to the final.”

He also figured his Tuttle Motorsports team wouldn’t be ready for the final round because “I tore the car up pretty good.” But when he returned to the garage, crew members from other teams rushed to help. “We couldn’t have made it to the final without them,” Todd said.

Once in the finals, Todd had to beat Tony Schumacher, the three-time and reigning top-fuel champion. He did, with an elapsed time of 4.906 seconds at 291.63 mph.

Todd said it was “a huge accomplishment to be the first African American winner” in drag racing’s premier class. “I’m glad to be out there representing minorities in the sport and hope to attract more to racing,” he said.

“But it doesn’t matter what color you are once you’re strapped in,” Todd said. “We’re all equal out there, and I’m just happy with the win.”

Todd got the racing bug as a kid. His dad, Mario, raced motorcycles and Todd drove in the NHRA’s Junior Drag Racing League as a teenager. (Speaking of juniors, Todd’s formal first name is Mario Jr., which he shortened to J.R.)

In recent years he had left driving to be a crew member on other teams, but “people knew I wanted to drive again” and he landed a ride this year with Tuttle, he said.

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Hayden Heads Home

American Nicky Hayden hopes another strong race at his home track will help him earn his first MotoGP motorcycle championship.

Hayden leads the series’ points standings over reigning champion Valentino Rossi of Italy as they compete in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix this weekend at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

Hayden won the race last year for his first MotoGP victory, and he posted the second win for his Repsol Honda team last month with a victory in the Netherlands.

An Owensboro, Ky., native who turns 25 on July 30, Hayden is trying to break Rossi’s streak of five consecutive world titles. But Rossi, who won Sunday’s race in Germany, trails by only 26 points with seven races left.

“I feel like a bit of an underdog, but I think we can pull this thing off,” Hayden said during a visit this week to Hollywood, where several riders appeared to promote the race.

“We’re up against Valentino Rossi,” Hayden said. “No doubt it’s going to be a challenge.”

But Hayden said the Laguna Seca circuit gives him confidence. “It’s a track I grew up on, and having 60,000 Americans cheering for you is great motivation,” he said.

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NASCAR West at Irwindale

The AutoZone West Series of NASCAR’s Grand National Division makes its second stop of the season at Irwindale Speedway with the King Taco 200 on Saturday night.

Andrew Myers of Huntington Beach won the first race in May by 0.16 of a second over Eric Holmes of Escalon, Calif., the closest finish in the 14 series races held at Irwindale’s half-mile paved oval since 1999.

Peyton Sellers, a 22-year-old rookie from Danville, Va., leads the series with 902 points, 15 points ahead of Mike David of Modesto. Holmes is third with 866 points.

The evening also will include a late-model race, and admission is free for youngsters 12 and under.

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Last Laps

* Nextel Cup driver Elliott Sadler will leave Robert Yates Racing after this year, Yates announced Thursday.

Yates said it granted Sadler’s request to be released from his contract, and that it had started looking for another driver to take over the No. 38 Ford for 2007.

Sadler, the 31-year-old Virginian, won two races for Yates in 2004, but he’s struggling this year. He is winless after 19 races, has only one top-five finish and is 20th in the points.

It’s another big departure for the Yates team. Veteran driver Dale Jarrett already has announced plans to leave Yates for Michael Waltrip’s new Toyota team next year.

* Reports that Danica Patrick plans to move to Andretti Green Racing next year were speculation and no deal has been reached, said team spokesman Al Larsen.

“It’s too early for us to be talking about 2007,” he said. Patrick, 24, currently drives for the Rahal Letterman team, whose spokesman Brent Maurer declined to comment.

* USAC/CRA sprint cars return to Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday night, with Cory Kruseman of Ventura holding a 17-point lead over Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif., in the series standings.

* VRA sprint cars and senior sprints headline the racing Saturday night at Ventura Raceway.

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Correspondent Steven Herbert contributed to this story.